You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until your scheduled appointment with our practice. Even if you are able to alleviate 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 long period of time may result in interruption of your treatment plan.

General Soreness

When you first get your braces, you may experience general soreness in your mouth, and teeth may be sensitive to biting pressures for about three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. Placing Orabase which can be found in pharmacy on the affected area may help. If the tenderness is severe, take Advil 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 become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We’ll show you how!

Headgear

Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear correctly. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist in Alpharetta. If the face-bow is bent and does not fit in the tubes, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear gets more comfortable as it’s worn more frequently, so please make sure you’re getting in the prescribed number of hours.

Loose Appliance

If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance and call our office.

Loose Wire

Using a tweezer, try to put 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.

Loose Bracket

If you are not cautious with our eating advice and decide to test the limits of the bonding material that holds the braces on your teeth, a brace may loosen. 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 and please it bring it to your appointment.

Poking Wire

Every effort is made to minimize any wire poking that may initially happen. Occasionally, though, the wire may shift. The initial wire that is place is very light and thin. To save you time from making a trip to the office and prolonged discomfort, you can usually just clip it yourself with a pair of sanitized nail clippers. Just let us know so that we are aware of the issue and if you were able to have it resolved. Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.

Related Link:

What is a Tongue Crib and How Does it Help Tongue Thrusting Habits

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an emergency orthodontist?

This is more closely related to how your orthodontist can help you during emergencies related to your treatment. When your orthodontic appliance suffers damage, or you lose a removable appliance, you can get in touch with your orthodontist and receive emergency help.

What is considered an orthodontic emergency?

Please keep in mind that orthodontic emergencies are not life-threatening. You can consider orthodontic emergencies to involve: loose brackets, poking wires, mouth sores, lost aligners or retainers, and more.

How to handle an orthodontic emergency?

The first thing to do is to keep calm and avoid complicating the situation. Please get in touch with our office to set an appointment and get your problem solved as soon as possible. There are some DIY temporary solutions but get in touch with us first to know what to do.

Is a bracket coming off an orthodontic emergency?

Yes. Your brackets use a strong bonding agent to remain attached to your teeth. If one breaks loose, you’ll have to get help from your orthodontist and have the situation solved before it creates any problems or unnecessary delays.

At what age can people have orthodontic treatment?

Patients should first visit an orthodontist by age 7. Keep in mind that there’s no age limit to start your orthodontic care, so come by as soon as you can and start your treatment whenever it’s most convenient to you.