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.

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Poking Wire

Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.

Loose bracket or band

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.

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 appliance

If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.

Headgear does not fit

Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less as it's worn more, so be sure you're getting in the prescribed hours.

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. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. Placing Orabase on the affected area may help; this can be found in a pharmacy. If the tenderness is severe, take 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 toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!

Lip bumper – if the thin wire running from the loop to the crown breaks or disconnects use a nail clipper to clip the thin wire by the loop. After the thin wire is clipped, slide wire to the back of the cheek then slide forward and out of the mouth. Removing the wire on the opposite side is not necessary; this will hold the lip bumper in place. Retieing the thin wire is not an emergency just the removal of the wire that is an irritation if you are able to remove the wire yourself please do so and call to schedule to get retied. It can stay this way for a couple of weeks it is not going to affect treatment.

Lip bumper- if the silver crown that is attached to the tooth becomes loose you can clip the thin wire that runs from the loop to the crown on the side that is not loose with nail clippers. Slide lip bumper out of crown on the attached side and save the lip bumper . In order to avoid replacement charges do not discard lip bumper. Call our office to schedule an appointment to get the crown and lip bumper reinserted.

Lip bumper- if the lip bumper is touching the front teeth call our office for an appointment it needs to be reactivated.

Lip bumper- if the lip bumper is wiggly or loose in the front but not in the back it is okay. The way the lip bumper is attached, it will have some play from the front to back. Please do not pull or play with the lip bumper as you may cause the crowns that are attached to the teeth become loose.

Lip bumper- if when you bite down you are biting on the lip bumper call our office to schedule an appointment for us to readjust the lip bumper.

Lip bumper- if you have or are getting ulcers on your cheeks you are probably sucking on cheeks pulling them into lip bumper. Try to avoid the sucking action and apply wax to lip bumper around the affected area and rinse with Listerine. If you cannot get the ulceration healed call our office to schedule an appointment.

Broken arch wire- if your arch wire is broken and you are uncomfortable apply wax to the area until regular business office hours. Call the office to schedule an appointment.

Arch wire is out of tube- if your arch wire is out of the bracket (tube) apply wax until regular business hours. Call our office to schedule an appointment.

Expander- if expander will not turn call our office to schedule an appointment on regular office hours.

Door open- if a door is opened try to push arch wire into slot of bracket then with finger push door up. If cannot close door and you are uncomfortable apply wax until regular business hours and call for an appointment. It is important to close door as soon as possible tooth may shift and we can loose treatment time.

Herbst- if your herbst bars disconnects you will have to open as wide as you did when disconnected. Align top and bottom bars and slowly close down.

Herbst- if you loose a shim (ring) on the herbst bar call our office to schedule an appointment.

Herbst- if the shim (ring) falls off when you disconnect, place shim (ring) back on the bottom bar then reconnect the herbst bars by opening up as wide as you did when disconnected. Align top and bottom bars and slowly close down.

Herbst- if silver crown or band is loose call the office to schedule during regular business hours.

Herbst- if you loose a screw and the bar comes off call the office to schedule during regular business hours.

Herbst- if you have a screw that is loose use a pair of needle nose pliers, use the side of plier not the tip to grab hold of the screw, turn the screw to the right to tighten screw. If you are having problems with the screw staying tightened call the office during regular business hour.

Herbst- if the top part of the herbst bars breaks and is hanging call the office for an appointment.

Herbst- if the top part of the herbst bar comes off, hold onto the bar , tuck the lower herbst bar under the braces and call the office for an appointment. Bring in the top bar when you come into the office.