Orthodontic Emergencies

Most problems you may encounter in your orthodontic care are not considered a true orthodontic emergency and can be handled at home. Taking proper care of your braces, such as by avoiding eating sticky and hard foods, will help prevent most emergencies. Call or text our office during business hours, and email info@garciafamilyortho.com after hours, and we will provide you with additional information.

Problems and Solutions

Invisalign Patients

If you lose or break the last aligner and you don’t have additional aligners, please start wearing the previous aligner and let us know ASAP. If you have additional aligners, please start wearing the next available aligner. If the fit doesn’t seem to be right, please call us ASAP so we can let you know what to do. If you have run out of aligners, do not stop wearing them. Switch to nighttime wear (10 hours a day) to hold your teeth straight.

Broken or Lost Retainer

We could use your models from when we originally made your retainers and create new clear retainers for you. They will only fit if your teeth haven’t moved or shifted. If you have a bonded/fixed retainer that has come off, save it and wear your clear retainer every single night. If it is loose, you can place some wax to hold it in place until you see us.

Poking Wire

If the wire is a little bit long, please put some wax on it for temporary relief. If the wire is quite long and is really poking into the cheek or gums, then you’ll want to cut that wire. Almost all orthodontic wires can be clipped with a nail or cuticle clipper. Usually, new nail or cuticle clippers work better. Please wash or rinse it with alcohol before you use it in your mouth.  

We recommend you cut it as far back as possible and in between two brackets, behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. Then, you are going to slide out the wire with your fingers or tweezers from the back. You will have a few brackets that don’t have a wire and that’s not a problem. Please let us know about this so we can get prepared for your next visit. 

Protruding Wire

If a wire protrudes or is irritating your mouth, try to place the wire back in place with tweezers. Use a blunt instrument (an eraser at the end of a pencil, a Q-tip, or a cotton swab) to push the wire so that it is flat against the tooth.  

If the wire cannot be moved into a comfortable position, cover the end with relief wax, a cotton ball, or a piece of sugarless gum. If that is not possible, clip the wire with fingernail clippers behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. Reduce the possibility of the patient swallowing the snipped piece of wire by using folded tissue or gauze around the area. 

Broken Bracket

If you break a bracket and it is the very last bracket, a lot of times that bracket will fall off. If the wire is bothering you, we recommend you clip the wire with a nail clipper. If the bracket is dangling or hanging loose on the wire, that’s okay. If it’s moving around and bothering you, you can put wax on it to stabilize it. Please give us a call to remove the loose piece of wire so it doesn’t break off inside your mouth. Contact us to learn more.

Discomfort

If your teeth become sore after a visit, we generally recommend that you take an analgesic such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). This, of course, is the protocol only if there are no known allergies to these medications. Rinsing with Peroxyl mouthwash or a cup of salt warm water can also be soothing. 

Sores

Some patients are susceptible to episodes of mouth sores. These episodes may be precipitated or exacerbated by an irritation from the braces. Prompt relief may be achieved by applying a small amount of topical anesthetic, such as Brace Relief, Orabase, or Orajel. 

Spacing

If you notice some small spaces developing between your teeth while you have braces on, don’t panic, this is usually normal and expected as teeth move into different positions, particularly in the early stages of treatment. These spaces will close eventually. 

Missing Separators

If a rubber spacer or separator falls out, that means that there is enough space between your molars. In this case, we recommend you call or text us during business hours. 

Food Caught Between Teeth

This issue can be easily fixed with a piece of dental floss, a toothpick, or a small interproximal brush to dislodge the food caught between teeth and braces. 

Gum Bleeding

If you experience any gum bleeding when brushing or flossing, that usually means there is a local area of inflammation. Continue to keep the area clean by brushing, flossing, and rinsing with Peroxyl or Orajel mouthwash. If a particular area is painful or you notice a bump of any sort, you should let us know as soon as possible.