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.

Below is a list of common problems and how they may be remedied at home. Our orthodontic team will be able to give you advice on how to solve the problem yourself or schedule you the appropriate appointment so that the problem can be fixed.

When you first receive your braces or your orthodontic appliance, sore spots may develop on your cheeks. Don’t worry – your cheeks will toughen up quickly! To protect your cheek, place a ball of wax on the offending bracket, wire, or appliance. Rinsing with warm salt water several times a day is very soothing to your gums and cheek tissues if the irritation persists. If you have used all of the wax provided to you, orthodontic wax can be purchased at any drug store and we will be happy to supply you with more on our next working day.

If you are medically able, you may take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as Tylenol or Advil as you would for a headache or similar discomfort. Soreness can be expected for 3-5 days after an adjustment.

Please call us for an appointment if you have a loose bracket. A broken bracket is not an orthodontic emergency. A broken or loose bracket should be fixed in a timely manner (within a week).

If your appliance (expander, herbst, etc.) becomes loose, please contact our office for an appointment.

If your bonded retainer wire becomes loose, please contact our office immediately for an appointment. Letting your teeth be without adequate retention puts them at risks shifting and relapse that could require additional orthodontic treatment to correct.

If your removable retainer is broken or missing, please contact our office immediately to arrange for a replacement. Letting your teeth be without adequate retention puts them at risks shifting and relapse that could require additional orthodontic treatment to correct.

Place wax over the poking wire and call us for an appointment. If the wax doesn’t resolve the issue until you can see us, you can use the eraser end of a pencil to bend the wire if possible. If you still cannot relieve the issue and you cannot get in to see us, you may use nail clippers to carefully pinch the end of the wire off. Don’t worry – poking wires are very common as the teeth move!

If you have a traumatic injury resulting in cuts to your lips or gums or if you have a loose tooth, please contact our office immediately. If you have broken any part of your tooth, you will need to contact your family dentist. If you suspect that your jaw has been injured or notice that your teeth have been moved by the accident, you may also need to be seen by an oral surgeon. In the case of a true medical emergency, please call 911.