Objective To explore the effect of cognitive behavioral intervention on psychological burden and self-care ability in patients undergoing orthodontics treatment with ffxed appliances. Methods A total of 96 patients with dental malocclusion who received ffxed appliances at the 951st Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army from January 2020 to June 2023 were selected, and they were divided into the control group and the observation group by the random number table method, with 48 patients in each group. The control group received conventional nursing intervention, and the observation group received cognitive behavioral intervention on the basis of the control group's nursing. The psychological burden, self-care ability and compliance were compared between the two groups. Results After intervention, the scores of stress, anxiety, worry and tension in the two groups were lower than those before intervention, and those in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After intervention, the scores of self-cognition level, self-responsibility awareness, self-care operation skills and health knowledge reserve in the two groups were higher than those before intervention, and those in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The compliance of the observation group after intervention was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Compared with conventional nursing intervention, cognitive behavioral intervention has a better effect inpatients undergoing orthodontics treatment with ffxed appliances. It can reduce patients' psychological burden, improve their self-care ability, and help to enhance patient compliance.