Emergencies

As orthodontic treatment is a slow, lengthy process, there are rarely any real emergencies which occur. However, there may be instances that may cause you concern and below we have put together some information to help you through this.

Damage / Loss
For breakages or when the brackets and metal wires come loose, please call us immediately to schedule the repair. Eating sticky or hard foods and biting nails are the main reasons braces can be damaged or detached. Your chances of damage are greatly reduced if you stop these activities.

If you are in Invisalign treatment, it is possible that you may damage or lose the aligners. If this happens, contact us for your replacement aligners.

Pain / Discomfort
It is usual for patients to experience discomfort or sore teeth after 6 to 8 hours of getting braces fitted. For this discomfort, we highly recommend that you take anti inflammatory and pain medication. Usually, this discomfort lasts 2 to 3 days. A soft diet is advisable to lessen discomfort experienced during this period.

Irritation
During the initial stages of orthodontic treatment, particularly getting braces installed, you may experience lip and cheek irritation caused by rubbing from the metal brackets and wires. For this, we provide a wax that you can place on the affected area. If you don’t have your wax, you can also use wet cotton wool.

Salty water can also make an excellent mouth rinse, which can help against infection and ulcers. If you do develop mouth ulcers, we recommend that you use SM33, Kenalog or other similar preparations from your local chemist.

We highly recommend that you contact us if you are concerned about any aspect of your orthodontic treatment. Dr. Tony Weir and his friendly team are available to answer to answer your questions.