| True orthodontic emergencies are very
rare, but when they do occur we are available to you.
As a general rule, you should call the office when
you experience severe pain or when you have a painful
appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself.
We'll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve
the problem.
You might be surprised to learn that
you may be able to temporarily solve many problems
yourself until you schedule an appointment with our
office. When working with your appliances, you need
to know the names of the parts of your appliances so
you are able to identify what part is broken or out
of place. 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 in your treatment
plan.
The following solutions may help you relieve your
discomfort:
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or
place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.
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.
Using a tweezers, try to place 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.
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the
offending part of your appliance.
Sometimes headgear 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 is bent, please call our office for
assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less
if it’s worn more, so be sure you’re getting
in the prescribed hours.
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 salt water 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! | 
