Emergency Care
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True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are
available to you 24 hours a day. As a general rule, you should call
the office ((561) 744-5456) when you experience severe pain or when you have
a painful appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself, and we
will schedule an appointment to resolve the problem as soon as possible. In
cases of severe trauma it is advisable to seek emergency care at your local
emergency room and inform Family Orthodontics as soon as possible. Home Care Remedies You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many orthodontic 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 and make the temporary repair. 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 and extend your treatment time. The following solutions may help you to minimize your discomfort: General Soreness When you get your braces on you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water rinse. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously two to three times per day for three to five days. If the tenderness is severe, take ibuprofen or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. A softer diet for three to five days can also dramatically help as well as eating cold foods. This is the perfect excuse for some ice cream or a shake! Lastly, 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 your discomfort. You may even develop an ulcer which can be very painful. Placing Orabase on the affected area may help; we can provide you with a complimentary tube or it can be found in your local pharmacy. Poking Wire Using a pencil eraser you can push a poking wire down or you can 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 bracket falls off of the wire, wrap the bracket with a tissue and bring it to your next appointment. Loose Wire Using tweezers, try to place your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax does not 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 try covering the offending part of your appliance with wax. Headgear Does Not Fit Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Wearing your headgear only a few days a week will increase the discomfort of the appliance. In most cases your headgear should be worn 7 days a week, and surprisingly it hurts less the more it is worn. So please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow is bent do not try a correct it yourself, please call our office for assistance. |