Is getting braces allowed in Islam?

Treatment is encouraged

Some Bedouins asked the Prophet ﷺ whether they should seek medical treatment. He answered, "Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3855). Teeth that bite badly, wear unevenly or are hard to clean are a health issue, and orthodontics is the remedy.

Fixing a defect also has a precedent. A man named Arfajah lost his nose in battle and had a silver one made. When it began to smell, the Prophet ﷺ told him to get a gold one instead (Sunan Abi Dawud 4232). Restoring a normal look and function was accepted, even with a material that is usually off limits to men.

How braces differ from the forbidden practice

The hadith people worry about says Allah cursed women who "create a space between their teeth artificially to look beautiful" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5931). The concern there is deliberately filing or cutting healthy teeth to create a fashionable gap. Braces do the opposite in most cases: they close gaps and move teeth into a healthy position, and nothing is cut away.

Scholars who are more cautious say the line is intention and need: treatment for a real problem is fine, while purely vanity-driven work should be thought over carefully. If your teeth are badly crowded, that is a real problem, not vanity. For the cutting question, see Are dental veneers and teeth filing haram?

Braces, aligners and daily worship

• Wudu: rinse your mouth as normal. Fixed brackets are part of your teeth for this purpose, and you don't need to remove them. If you wear removable aligners, taking them out to rinse is easy and wise.
• Ghusl: the same applies, and there's no need to remove fixed braces. See Do I need to remove my braces or retainer for ghusl?
• Fasting: take aligners out before drinking, and brush carefully so no water or toothpaste goes down.
• Hygiene: food catches around brackets, so brush thoroughly and use a miswak or interdental brush. Clean teeth are part of the sunnah.

Practical points for Muslims

• Choose the clinician: ask for a dentist or orthodontist of your own gender if one is available. If not, it's accepted for treatment.
• Look at the full cost: braces take months or years. Be sure you can afford the treatment without borrowing beyond your means.
• Children and teens: parents can arrange orthodontics for a child with the same reasoning. Treat it as health care, not a beauty contest.

If you are an adult convert with crooked teeth you were teased about for years, there is no shame in fixing them. Allah loves beauty, and caring for your body is part of gratitude. See Is plastic surgery haram?