Emergency Care

Occasionally, some patients may experience discomfort in the mouth during treatment. Orthodontic concerns generally fall into one of two categories:

DISCOMFORT RELATED TO ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES/BRACES

Sometimes, appliances might become broken or bent during your orthodontic care. If there are any disturbances such as loose bands, loose brackets, broken or poking wires, please call our office during patient hours. If it is after hours, here are some helpful hints to resolve most cases of orthodontic discomfort:

LOOSE BRACES/BRACKETS: If your bracket becomes loose, you may place wax on the bracket to hold it in place so it doesn’t move until you are able to be seen in the office. If you don’t have wax, you may also use tweezers to slip off the colored tie on the bracket and remove the bracket. You may throw the bracket away as we will place a new one when you come into the office. Rest assured, your smile or bite should not be affected due to a loose bracket in a short period of time.

POKING WIRES: If you have a poking wire, this can be bent in with a pencil eraser or cut with nail clippers. If it slipped out of the back, many times it can be placed back into the bracket tube with tweezers. If you cannot do this, you may cut the wire with clean nail clippers or wire cutters.

LOOSE APPLIANCES: If your appliance comes loose and the band slips off of your tooth, you may push the band back over your tooth and hold it in place with wax if it doesn’t stay. We will re-glue the band on your tooth at your next clinic visit.

Please watch the video below that demonstrates how to handle most orthodontic concerns:

DIRECT INJURIES TO THE MOUTH AND TEETH

Following a direct injury to your mouth or teeth, whether undergoing orthodontic care or not, immediately ice the injured area contact your regular dentist as soon as possible. Usually an x-ray of the involved tooth or teeth is needed to determine the extent of injury. If a tooth has been displaced, knocked out, or fractured, it is best to contact your pediatric or general family dentist first, since we may not have the necessary materials or anesthesia required to treat these injuries. If the appliances are dislodged or displaced, we may need to replace or adjust the appliances after you have seen your general or pediatric dentist.