Relieve Pain & Perform Minor Repairs to Appliances
True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but now and again, minor issues can arise that cause discomfort or disrupt treatment progress. The good news is that there is often a quick fix to help you stay pain-free until you can get to our office.
Painful rubbing and poking, loose pieces of braces and wires that have slipped out of place can all be temporarily resolved with a little know-how.
After addressing the source of your discomfort, it is very important that you still contact our office to schedule a time for us to correct the issue properly. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time can result in disruptions to your treatment plan.
Below are some tips to help relieve general discomfort and manage minor appliance issues until you are able to see your orthodontist.
Quick Fixes for Orthodontic Emergencies
Having an orthodontic emergency? Don't panic. Try these quick, easy fixes to help relieve discomfort and keep your treatment on track, then contact us to schedule a proper repair.
General Soreness
General soreness is normal when you first get your braces or clear aligners. Your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. Stick to a soft diet until chewing becomes more comfortable.
Irritated gums and other sore spots can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater solution. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take Acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. Aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), and Naproxen sodium (Naprosyn®, Anaprox®) actually slow tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them frequently while wearing braces.
Your lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks after you first get your braces. It can be helpful to apply wax to problematic parts of your braces to reduce poking and friction. We will show you how!
Loose Bracket
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, 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 the wire back into place. If needed, it is okay to use a piece of floss to tie the wire 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.
Loose Appliance
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part.
Poking Wire
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it so that it is no longer scratching and poking the inside of your mouth.
Lost or Damaged Aligner
If an aligner is lost or damaged, send us a message through DentalMonitoring to let us know. Then, you can either go back to wearing the aligner you used right before the one you lost (if you still have it) or put in your next aligner early.
Which option is best will depend on how long you wore the lost aligner. If you had only just started wearing the lost aligner, go back to the previous one. If you wore the lost aligner for over a week, it may be best to move to the next one in your series.