True orthodontic emergencies are unusual.  If a band or bracket comes loose and is not causing significant pain, please call the office during regular business hours to schedule a repair at your earliest convenience.  In the event of a true orthodontic emergency (i.e., a poking wire that is causing unbearable pain), please do not hesitate to call us at:

1-508-359-2576

The recording will give you the name and phone number of the on-call orthodontic technician. 

If a traumatic injury is experienced (i.e., getting hit in the mouth with a baseball, a bat/hockey stick or any other object), the long-term health of the teeth could potentially be compromised.  Timely treatment of this kind of injury by the appropriate dental professional is critical.  Orthodontic offices are not well equipped to treat these types of injuries, as treatments can frequently require root canal therapies, repairs of fractured teeth with crowns or bonding, extractions of damaged teeth, suturing of lacerated lips/cheeks/gums and many other oral surgical procedures.  It is best in the best interest of the patient to proceed immediately to their general dentist or an emergency room for immediate attention.  Any broken braces or wires can be dealt with AFTER the traumatic injury has been stabilized.

• 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 eight 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 aspirin or 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!
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• Headgear

   

  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 number of hours.
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• Loose Appliance

   

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

   

  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.
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• 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.
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• Poking Wire

   

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