Emergency Care
As with any device, there is always the possibility of a problem. Below is a brief listing of situations that may arise and some direction on how to deal with them. Occasionally, a patient may require care outside of his or her regularly scheduled appointments. Use the guidelines below to determine when an additional appointment at our office is required.
Should the problem occur after office hours or on a weekend, please follow the directions on the office answering machine in order to contact a staff member. According to the situation, every effort will be made to remedy the problem as soon as possible.
An emergency appointment may be scheduled to make you more comfortable. We may have to book a longer appointment to completely fix the problem. Our staff will explain the procedure to you according to the specific situation.
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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. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. Placing Orabase on the affected area may help; this can be found in a pharmacy. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.
The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!
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Loose Appliance
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.
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Loose Bracket
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it. If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket with a tissue.
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Loose Wire
Using a tweezer, try to put your wire back into place. If doing this and using 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 your discomfort continues, place wax on it.
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Poking Wire
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.
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- Sore teeth
- Food stuck
- Sore Cheeks or Tongue
- Wire or bracket causing irritation
- Wire out of brackets
- Loose or Broken bracket or wire
- Broken or Loose appliance
- Lost Retainer
- Trauma to mouth
- C-Chain comes off
Sore teeth
If your teeth become sore after a visit, this will only last approximately one to two days. Chewing softer foods will help. Dr. Low can recommend a pain reliever as necessary.
Food stuck
If food becomes stuck in the brackets or on the wire, use a piece of orthodontic floss to gently dislodge the food. Please refer to your handout of foods to avoid to ensure that you are not risking your braces’ integrity with a particular food type.
Sore Cheeks or Tongue
If your cheeks or tongue are irritated Tylenol can be used for discomfort. Use orthodontic wax on the areas of the problem and rinse with warm salt water (1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water, swish and spit three times daily).
Wire or bracket causing irritation
If a wire or bracket is irritating the surrounding gums or tissues, dry the area and place a piece of orthodontic wax or sugarless gum over the area. Rinsing with warm salt water may also help. Usually the tissues will adjust to the wire or bracket within a few days. You may be able to shift the wire with tweezers sterilized in alcohol to avoid poking on one side. If irritation continues, please contact our office for an appointment.
Wire out of Brackets
If a wire comes out of the brackets and you are comfortable, attempt to place the wire back into the bracket using tweezers sterilized in alcohol. If you can not replace it and it is not bothering you please leave it until your next appointment. If it is bothering you, please contact our office for an appointment to have it replaced.
Loose or Broken bracket or wire
If a wire or bracket is broken or loose, please contact our office before your next scheduled appointment so we can prepare to replace it.
Broken or Loose Appliance
If an appliance breaks, please contact our office for an appointment to have it repaired or re-cemented. Examples of appliances: expanders, spacers, glued in retainers.
Lost Retainer
If you have lost your retainer please call our office to have it replaced immediately. Not wearing your retainer will cause your teeth to shift. We will need to take new impressions and there will be a fee to replace the retainers.
Trauma to mouth
If the mouth or surrounding area sustains trauma, please contact our office to describe the injury. An appointment will be arranged as necessary.
C-Chain comes off
If a C-Chain linking the brackets on a set of teeth comes off, do not worry - this is not an emergency. Please call our office and our staff will determine if you can be seen at your next regularly scheduled appointment or if you should drop in earlier to have it replaced. If the office is closed, please leave a message and our staff will return your call on the next business day.
