It’s unusual to have a true orthodontic emergency. If one does happen to you, we are available! If you experience severe pain or if you have a painful appliance problem, don’t hesitate to call our office. We’ll discuss the issue with you and schedule an appointment.
Until you get to our office, you can temporarily alleviate your problem! Here are some common issues:
• Do you have a loose piece? If you can remove it, put it in a plastic bag and bring it with you to your appointment with us.
• Are your braces poking you? Put soft wax on the offending piece.
• Is the wire sliding to one side? Using needle-nosed pliers, pull it back to the other side and replace it in the tube on your back tooth.
Once you’ve taken care of the issue, it’s important that you still call us as soon as possible to repair the problem. If we don’t repair your damaged appliance, it could add time to your treatment plan, and nobody wants that!
General Soreness
When you first get your braces on, it’s normal for your mouth to feel sore, and your teeth might hurt a bit when you bite into food for the first three to five days. These tips will help you alleviate the soreness until you adjust:
• Eat only soft foods until your teeth don’t hurt when you chew.
• Rinse your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash to soothe irritation.
• Instead of saltwater, you can use a mouthwash like Healthy Gums Rinse by The Natural Dentist.
• You can use Orabase, which can be found in a pharmacy, in any painful areas.
• If the pain is severe, you can take Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or whatever you usually take for a headache. It’s important to note that Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen Sodium slow tooth movement, so you shouldn’t use them often during your orthodontic treatment.
Remember, it’s completely normal for your lips, cheeks, and tongue to feel irritated for a couple of weeks as they become used to braces. While this happens, you can put wax on your braces. Here are some ways you can use wax:
Loose appliance: Add wax to the part of the appliance that is poking you.
Loose bracket: As long as your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you can leave it as is and simply put wax on it. If you can easily remove the bracket or band, put it in an envelope or small bag to bring with you to your next appointment with us.
Loose wire: Try to put your wire back in place using a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers. You can use a piece of floss to tie the wire into place by tying the floss around the bracket to replace the missing colored o-ring. If you can’t put the wire in a comfortable position and covering the end of it doesn’t help, use a small fingernail clipper as a last resort to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If the end of the wire is sharp add wax to it.
Poking wire: Push the poking wire down using a pencil eraser, or put wax on it so that it doesn’t poke you any longer.
