Emergencies

You should call our office when you experience severe pain or have a painful appliance problem that you can’t take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the issue. You may be able to solve many problems yourself temporarily until you can get to our office.

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.

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for 3-5 days. Stick to a soft diet until your teeth do not hurt while chewing.

Irritated gums and other sore spots can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with warm saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one tablespoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.

An alternative, and better-tasting, mouthwash is Healthy Gums Rinse by The Natural Dentist. Applying Orabase to the affected area may also help relieve discomfort. It can be purchased at most pharmacies.

If tenderness is severe, take Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or whatever you normally take for headaches or similar pain. Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and Naproxen Sodium (Naprosyn, Anaprox) actually slow the tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them.

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!

Sometimes discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow (metal piece) is bent, please call our office for assistance. The headgear should hurt less the more it’s worn, so be sure you get in the prescribed number of hours.

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.

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

If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part. Schedule an appointment to be seen at our office to get a new one made.

Using a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers, try to reposition the wire. 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, use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened (this is only as a last resort!). If the end of the wire is still sharp, cover it with wax.