Emergencies & Urgencies
In orthodontics, we differentiate between Emergencies and Urgencies. Most situations that need orthodontic attention between regularly scheduled appointments can be described as Urgencies, whereas on rare occasions, a true Emergency may occur. Orthodontic Emergencies should be attended to as soon as possible by Dr. Held. Conversely, Urgencies are best handled during normal business hours, when Dr. Held has her full Team available to better assist you.Emergencies True orthodontic emergencies are very rare. However, when they do occur, we are available to assist you however we can. There are two types of true orthodontic emergencies:
Urgencies As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe discomfort or when you have an uncomfortable appliance problem that you cannot take care of yourself. We will 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 orthodontic treatment plan. For any home remedy you may use, please disinfect with rubbing alcohol any instrument or tool you put into the mouth. |
| The following solutions may help you to relieve your discomfort: Poking Wire Use a disinfected pencil eraser, spoon handle, or set of tweezers to push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort. When placing wax, use a cotton ball, a cotton swab, or a tissue to dry the area first, as wax does not stick well in a wet environment. Loose Wire Use disinfected tweezers to attempt to reposition your wire properly. Additionally, you can place wax over the wire to alleviate the discomfort. When placing wax, use a cotton ball, a cotton swab, or a tissue to dry the area first, as wax does not stick well in a wet environment. If either of these two remedies does not help, as a last resort, you can use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which the wire is securely fastened. When clipping the wire, make sure to place a cotton ball or a tissue behind the end of the piece of wire being cut off, to protect the cheek and gums. If the wire comes out entirely, schedule a repair appointment, and bring all parts of your appliance to the appointment. Loose Bracket or Band If your band is loose, keep it in a stable position until you can make a repair appointment. If your bracket is loose and is still attached to the wire, you can either a) leave it in place, dry it with a cotton ball, a cotton swab, or a tissue, and put wax on it, or b) use a disinfected safety pin to remove the colored ligature tie surrounding the four corners of the bracket to release the bracket from the archwire. Loose Baby Tooth There are times during orthodontic treatment where we put brackets on baby teeth and use them as "handles" to help support treatment of the other teeth and the jaws. When the baby teeth are almost ready to fall out, we prepare for them to do so by leaving the colored ligature tie off of the bracket glued to the baby tooth, so that the tooth will be free to fall out. However, every so often, a baby tooth surprises us and falls out earlier than expected. If this happens, use a disinfected safety pin to remove the colored ligature tie surrounding the four corners of the bracket. Then, the tooth will be detached from the archwire and free to fall out. Poking or Loose Appliance If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance. If your appliance is loose, schedule a repair appointment, and again, place wax on any offending part of the appliance. General Soreness When you have just started wearing braces, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for one to five days. This soreness can feel like touching a bruise and can be relieved by chewing on a bite wafer. Bite wafers come in several flavors. Just ask us for one. Additionally, soreness can be soothed 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. Placing an over-the-counter topical anesthetic on the affected area may also help. This soothing aide can be found in your local pharmacy. If the tenderness is interfering with your daily routine, take the recommended dose of over-the-counter Ibuprofen, as long as your physician has not instructed you otherwise. Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The anti-inflammatory property should give relief in addition to the "anti-discomfort" property. 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 irritation. We will show you how! |
