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Emergency Care

True orthodontic emergencies involving bleeding resulting from facial trauma or extreme pain are rare, but if they occur call our office at 609-799-4628 immediately or seek attention from the emergency room at the hospital.

For everything else, you might be surprised to know you can solve many minor orthodontic issues yourself without really any worry of causing a problem for the short term.  That way you can easily get on with your day.

If there is a loose brace that you can remove, put it in a plastic bag or envelope and bring it with you to your next appointment. If your braces are poking you, put soft wax on the piece that's sticking out. If the wire has slid to one side, you can pull it back to the other side with needle-nosed pliers, replacing it in the tube on the back tooth.  If you are unable to relieve the issue yourself, feel free to call our team and we can guide you on the best course of action.

In the event of a broken appliance, after alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still call our office to set up a time for repair. Allowing your appliances to remain out of place for an extended period of time may result in disruptions to your treatment plan.


 

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. Stick to a soft diet until your teeth do not hurt to 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 vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. 

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!

 

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 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.

 

Loose wire

Using a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers, try to put your wire back into place. 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.

 

Poking wire

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

Live. Laugh. Smile.

Shalin Shah, DMD, MS