Not all orthodontic problems require immediate attention.  During regular office hours, please call us with any problems that you may be having, and we will help resolve them!  After office hours, we have someone on call at all times whom you may reach by calling our office, and following the prompts for leaving an emergency message.  The following information may help you in determining the urgency of your situation, and may even help you to resolve an issue at home without having to make time in your schedule for a trip to our office... 

BROKEN OR LOOSE APPLIANCES

For your convenience, please do not come directly to the office.  By calling us beforehand, you will allow us to create an appropriate amount of time needed to address your broken or loose appliance.  Even if you have a regular appointment scheduled, call us to notify us of a problem with your appliance.  This way, we can add more time to your regular appointment, as broken appliances may require more appointment time to correct.

LOOSE BRACKETS OR BANDS:

Please call our office when you notice that you have a loose bracket or band, so that we may schedule an appointment for you. This problem is not one of urgency. We can refit the bracket or band when you have time to come into the office. In the meantime, if the loose and dangling brace is irritating your mouth, apply wax on top of  the dangling brace to prevent sliding.  This wax should stop the irritation to your mouth.

WIRE IRRITATIONS:

Sometimes discomfort caused by a wire on your braces can be resolved by moving the wire away from the irritated area with a cotton swab or pencil eraser. If the wire will not move, try covering the end of it with a small piece of cotton or a small amount of wax. You may have a situation that requires cutting a wire or sliding a bracket off a wire at night or over the weekend. If the wire is painful, you can cut it with nail clippers or scissors that have been washed and disinfected with alcohol.

LOST SEPARATOR (AKA “SPACER”):

Sometimes we need to make space between teeth to fit bands around your teeth, or to fit an appliance into your mouth.  We make these spaces with the use of separators, or spacers.  Some patients may lose a spacer after we have placed it between the teeth.  Often, the reason a spacer falls out is because the space we were trying to make between the two teeth is already present. Check the space by sliding a doubled piece of dental floss through the space. Enough space has been made if the floss passes through easily. Call us to have the spacer replaced if the floss will not pass through easily, and we will replace the spacer.

DISCOMFORT ASSOCIATED WITH ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT:

During the first week after your braces are placed and after routine adjustments, you will likely feel some pain, soreness, or discomfort. You may take ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or other non-aspirin pain relievers while you adjust to your new braces, appliance, or Invisalign trays. Additionally, a warm washcloth applied to the side of your face may help to reduce any soreness experienced in your jaws.

LOST RETAINERS:

It is very important for you to wear your retainers as instructed to maintain your wonderful smile. If you happen to lose your retainers, call our office as soon as you can to schedule an appointment to make replacements!