Be Prepared For Anything
You probably won’t experience a true orthodontic emergency during your time with Farrow & Dewbre Orthodontics because they’re pretty rare.
But, as they can occur from time to time, our Western Oklahoma patients should know what to do.
Dr. Farrow and Dr. Dewbre always wants your treatment to be as comfortable as possible. If you ever experience any discomfort, give us a call to see what can be done for you.
Here to Help
You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to solve many problems yourself temporarily until you can get to our office. If there’s a loose piece that you can remove, put it in a plastic bag or envelope and bring it with you to your next appointment.
If your braces are poking you, put soft wax on the piece that's sticking out. If the wire has slid to one side, you can pull it back to the other side with needle-nosed pliers, replacing it in the tube on the back tooth.
After alleviating your discomfort, it’s 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 can disrupt your treatment plan.
Here are some basic issues that can happen during your orthodontic treatment and what to do.
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.
- Stick to a soft diet until your teeth do not hurt to chew.
- Irritated gums and other sore spots can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt-water mouthwash.
- Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.
- If the tenderness is severe, take Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.
- Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and Naproxen Sodium (Naprosyn, Anaprox) actually slow the tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them frequently while wearing braces.
The lips, cheeks, and tongue may become irritated for one to two weeks as they learn a new posture and become accustomed to the surface of the braces.
You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!
Headgear Discomfort
Sometimes discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by Dr. Farrow or Dr. Dewbre. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist.
If the facebow (metal piece) is bent, please call our office for assistance. The headgear should hurt less the more it's worn, so be sure you get in the prescribed number of hours.
Lost Separator
Separators are often used to open a space between your teeth so that bands can be placed on molar teeth. The separators are usually only in place for 7-14 days before they are removed and replaced with bands.
It’s not usual for the separators to become loose and fall out. Don’t worry about losing one but please call our office to see if it needs to be replaced.
Poking Wires
Wires can move around when braces are placed, so while it is not common, wires can poke and irritate your cheeks.
Dr. Farrow and Dr. Dewbre suggest putting wax over the wire or pushing the wire down with the end of a pencil eraser to alleviate the discomfort.
Loose Brackets
Brackets are the individual brace that is placed on a tooth. Should a bracket fall off, please place the bracket in a Ziploc bag and call our office.
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it if needed for comfort. If the bracket or band can be removed easily, place it in an envelope and save it to bring to your next appointment.
Loose Wire
Using a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers, try to put your wire back into place. It is okay to use a piece of floss to tie the wire into place: tie the floss around the bracket in place of the missing colored o-ring.
If you cannot put the wire into a comfortable position, and covering the end with 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 the end of the wire is still sharp place wax on it.
Loose Appliance
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part.
Mouth Sores
You may be susceptible to mouth sores. While your braces don’t cause them, they may be made worse by irritation from braces.
One or several patches of sores may appear on the cheeks, lips or tongue. This is not an emergency, but it may be very uncomfortable for you.
Get quick relief by applying a small amount of topical anesthetic (such as Orabase or Ora-Gel) directly to the area with sores using a cotton swab.
You can reapply as needed.
Invisalign: Lost Tray
If you are in Invisalign treatment and you accidentally lose an Invisalign tray, please give us a call to see what can be done.
Everyone's treatment is prescribed differently, and resolutions can vary between patients.
Invisalign: Broken Attachment
Attachments are used in Invisalign treatment to help the tray fit your teeth and help move your teeth throughout treatment.
If an attachment is displaced or broken, the tooth does not move in the tray effectively, which may prolong treatment.
Call us immediately to see what can be done.