Emergency Care

For immediate relief, break off a small piece of wax and roll it between your fingers to make it malleable. Place wax on the right spot and mold it over the area that is poking you. (Call our office if you are out of wax or you can purchase wax at your local pharmacy.) Tip: Best way to remove the wax is to rinse your mouth with cold water. The wax will harden and become easier to remove and discard.

If the back of a wire is poking into your cheek, get help cutting it with sterile nail clippers or place a large piece of wax over the end of the wire. If you are unable to make yourself comfortable call our office we will guide you in what to do next.

Rinse your mouth with warm salt water to help it heal. Repeat 4-6 times per day. SOLUTION: Mix 1 teaspoon of salt and 6 ounces of water. TIP: Sea salt works best! You can also use wax if you have irritation on your cheek or lip. Another option to keep any sores clean and encourage healing time is over-the-counter peroxyl mouth wash that can be purchased at your local pharmacy. If you are unable to make yourself comfortable call our office we will guide you in what to do next.

Remove the bracket if you can and hold on to it for your next appointment. If you can’t remove it, this is not an emergency. Cover the bracket with orthodontic wax if it is causing you any discomfort. Otherwise, leave it in place. Please bring any loose bracket or bands with you to your next visit as we may be able to replace them. Call our office during normal business hours so we can determine if you can wait until your next visit or if we need to see you sooner.

This should not cause any pain and is not considered an emergency. A little bit of orthodontic wax should hold it in place if needed. You can also cut the chain using a sterile nail clippers. Call our office during normal business hours so we can determine if you can wait until your next visit or if we need to see you sooner.

In any case of a medical emergency, first call 911.

For orthodontic emergencies, call our office, follow the prompts, and the doctor will be paged and help direct you get the appropriate medical attention.

Your aligners should fit over your teeth like a glove. If an aligner does not fit properly, use the most recent aligner that fits and wear it a few more days (up to a week if needed). After a few days have passed, retry next aligner. If fit of aligner has not improved, call our office so that we can help you take the best next steps.

If you just started wearing the new aligner and you lost it, go back one aligner and call our office so we can reorder you the aligner that was lost. If you were close to being done with lost aligner, try on the next set of aligners and if they fit well continue wearing that aligner.

Continue to wear the current aligner and discard the attachment that fell off. Usually this causes no discomfort and you can continue to wear current aligner until your next visit. Call our office during normal business hours so we can determine if you can wait until your next visit or if we need to see you sooner.

In any case of a medical emergency, first call 911.

There are only a few true orthodontic (or dental) emergencies. They include:

• Trauma or injury to the teeth, face or mouth
• Infection or swelling of the gums, mouth or face
• Severe, unmanageable discomfort or pain in these areas

If any of these emergencies occur, you should seek help as soon as possible — contact your doctor or go to an emergency room.