I have been wearing rubber bands on my braces for months. Nobody told me how often they were supposed to be replaced. They mentioned that I could take them out when I ate, or brushed my teeth. But I was okay eating with the rubber band in there. I would replace them when they broke, or if they felt a bit ragged like they were going to break soon.
Anyway, I went to the orthodontist today, and he looked at my teeth. He asked me if I thought the rubber bands had shifted the teeth. I said I didn’t think so. He took the rubber band out, and looked at my teeth and thought they moved a little bit. I asked how often I was supposed to replace the bands. He said probably twice a day. I told him that I had been replacing them about every day or two, or when they broke. He suggested replacing them three times a day when I eat. That the rubber bands may have been losing their elasticity. He gave me another bag of the tiny rubber bands. I actually have a ton of them. I will start replacing them three times a day and see how that works.