Emergency Care

It’s fairly normal that you would misplace or lose a separator or spacer during treatment. If your separator falls out within 24 hours of your banding appointment, plan to come to our office 20 minutes early for your scheduled banding appointment. Let the receptionist know that your separator fell out and that you came in early to have it replaced. We will replace the separator 20 minutes before your appointment, and then see you for your banding appointment as scheduled.

* If your separator falls out 2 or more days before your banding appointment, please call the office. We will probably want you to come in to replace the separator as soon as possible.

If a bracket becomes loose but is not bothering you, it is best to leave it alone and call our office for an appointment to repair it as soon as possible.

Sometimes discomfort caused by a wire on your braces can be resolved by moving the wire away from the irritated area with a cotton swab or pencil eraser.

If your archwire has “shifted” and is poking you in the back of the mouth, try shifting it back around with tweezers. Grab the wire in the front and pull it around or by using a pencil eraser end at the back of the wire to push it around.

If the wire will not move try covering the end of it with a small amount of wax.

You can also use wax to stop a loose bracket from moving on the archwire by sliding the bracket towards another bracket and using the wax to “adhere” it to a bracket that is not loose.

If you need to cut a painful poking wire over the weekend or while out of town, you can cut it with fingernail clippers or fine wire cutters that have been washed and sanitized in alcohol.

Please call our office the next business day so that we may schedule an appointment for you to make any necessary repairs.

Use warm salt-water rinses 3 to 4 times a day for several days to help with any irritation.

Most orthodontic patients experience some soreness or discomfort the first week after their braces are placed. They can also feel discomfort after routine archwire changes or adjustments. Here are a few things you can do to reduce discomfort:

• You may take acetaminophen or other non-aspirin pain relievers while you adjust to your braces.
• Use the Bite Wafer that was given to you at your initial banding appointment. This will help circulate blood flow and allow for faster recovery from soreness. Just place it in your mouth and lightly bite on it as needed.
• Eating soft foods and rinsing with warm salt water during this adjustment time can help with soreness as well.