Plunkett Orthodontics

Emergency Care

emergency care

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 can 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 to disruptions in your treatment plan.


  • 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 is quite normal and can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in a glass of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is more severe, take your normal pain reliever as needed. 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 the discomfort. We'll show you how!  Using Bongela or similar from the pharmacy, can also help.
    Show/hide clip

  • Headgear and elastics discomfort

     

    Sometimes headgear and elastics discomfort is caused by not wearing them 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, headgear and elastics may hurt less as they are worn more, so be sure you're getting in the prescribed number of hours.
    Show/hide clip

  • Loose Appliance

     

    If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.
    Show/hide clip

  • 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.
    Show/hide clip

  • 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.
    Show/hide clip

  • Poking Wire

     

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

Back to Top