True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself. We'll 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 treatment plan.

• Soreness caused from braces and appliances

  When you first get your braces, you may notice that your teeth and mouth feel a little tender or sore. This is perfectly normal for those patients who have just had their braces placed, and we promise your mouth will not be sore forever! To relieve the pain, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the salt water).

  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. Please refer to the instructions provided by Dr. Carr. If the facebow is bent or a band has come loose, 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 hours.
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• Loose Appliance

  If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance and call to schedule an appointment.
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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 it should come out entirely, place it in an envelope for replacement.

  
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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 and call our office to schedule an appointment.
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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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