Emergency Care
True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but when they occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call our office when you experience severe pain or have a painful appliance problem you can't take care of yourself. We'll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem or even see you after hours if necessary! We always have an assistant on call to address after-hours emergencies. Simply call or text us at (762) 499-2636 to notify an assistant of your emergency. Someone will respond to your message by phone or text within 12 hours. If you do not have a true emergency but need to schedule an appointment to address a concern, please leave a detailed message on our office voicemail so that we can return your call at the start of the next business day.
You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to solve many problems yourself temporarily until you can be seen at our office.
General soreness
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. Stick to a soft diet until your teeth do not hurt to chew. Irritated gums and other sore spots can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt-water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. You can also mix equal parts of liquid benadryl and Maalox, swish this mixture for one minute and spit it out. This becomes a healing "bandaid" for your mouth. Placing Orabase (found in a pharmacy) on the affected area may also help relieve discomfort. If the tenderness is severe, take Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.
The lips, cheeks, and tongue may become irritated for one to two weeks as they learn a new posture and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!
Poking Wire or Bracket
If your appliance is poking you, dry the surface with a cotton ball and place wax on the offending part.
Loose bracket
If there is a loose piece that you can remove, put it in a plastic bag or envelope and bring it with you to your next appointment. If your braces are poking you, dry off that spot and place soft wax on the part that's sticking out. If you noticed the wire sliding to one side, you can pull it back to the other side with needle-nosed pliers, replacing it in the tube on the back tooth.
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it if needed for comfort. If the bracket or band can be removed easily, place it in an envelope and save it to bring to your next appointment.
Loose wire
Using a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers, try to put your wire back into place. It is okay to use a piece of floss to tie the wire into place: tie the floss around the bracket in place of the missing colored o-ring. If you cannot put the wire into a comfortable position, and covering the end with wax doesn't help, as a last resort use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If the end of the wire is still sharp place wax on it.
Poking wire
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it so that it is no longer poking.
After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions to your treatment plan.
