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If you have been put in braces by our orthodontist you can call the Parkcrest Dental Group office in the case of orthodontic emergencies. Sometimes it may be an issue you can take care of yourself temporarily by keeping any missing piece and bringing it along with you to your appointment with Dr. Steven Harrison.
We provide our patients with wax throughout their orthodontics treatment so if there are any parts that rub, it can be applied to help relieve discomfort. In almost all cases if there is an issue with your braces, it is important to contact the Parkcrest Dental Group office as soon as possible so that a dental professional can assess the situation and help with any fixes needed. It is never good to wait to contact your dentist in such an emergency because any damage to an appliance may slow down your orthodontic dentistry treatment.
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and your 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 saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. An alternative (better tasting) mouthwash is the Healthy Gums Rinse by The Natural Dentist.
Dr. Steven Harrison also recommends placing Orabase on the affected area to help relieve discomfort. Orabase can be found in a pharmacy. If the tenderness is severe, take Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or whatever you normally take for a 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!
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part.
Sometimes discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow (metal piece) is bent, please call Dr. Steven Harrison for assistance. The headgear should hurt less the more it’s worn, so be sure you get the prescribed number of hours.
If you do have a bracket or band come loose, yet it still remains attached to a wire on your appliance, you should use wax to alleviate any poking it may produce, but should not try to forcibly remove it. If however either the bracket or band can easily be taken off, you may want to remove it very carefully, contact Dr. Steven Harrison and bring any removed pieces with you to your appointment.
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. For more information about orthodontic dentistry, contact Dr. Steven Harrison today.
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it so that it is no longer poking.
