Emergency Care

True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but when they occur we are available to help you. As a general rule, you should call our office when you experience severe pain or have a painful appliance problem. We'll be available to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to solve many problems yourself temporarily until you can get to our office. If there is a loose piece that you can remove you can go ahead and remove it.  If your braces are poking you, put soft wax on the piece that's sticking out. 

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 results in disruptions to your treatment plan and increases the amount of time in braces.

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General soreness

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth.  Your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. Stick to a soft diet until your teeth do not hurt when you 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 with this solution.

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!

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Loose appliance

If your appliance is poking, you can place wax on the offending part.

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, you can remove it.

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.

Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it so that it is no longer poking.