Relieve Pain & Fix Common Appliance Issues
True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but issues may arise from time to time during your treatment. Often, a quick fix on the spot can help you stay pain-free until you can get to our office.
Painful rubbing and poking, as well as loose pieces of brackets and wires that have slipped out of place, can all be temporarily resolved with a little know-how.
After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important to contact our office to schedule a time for us to fix the issue properly. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period can result in treatment delays.
Wondering if you can fix your orthodontic issue yourself? See below for some easy tips and tricks to help relieve general discomfort and temporarily resolve appliance issues until you can see your orthodontist for care.
How to Address Common Orthodontic Issues
Below are some simple, quick fixes to help relieve general discomfort and temporarily resolve appliance issues until you can see our orthodontists for care.
General Soreness
When you first get your braces, you will likely feel some general soreness in your mouth, and your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. Stick to eating soft foods until it no longer hurts your teeth when you 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. 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 tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them frequently while wearing braces.
It takes a little time to get used to wearing braces. Your lips, cheeks, and tongue may become irritated during the first week or two of your treatment. You can put wax on any problematic brackets or wires to reduce friction. We'd be happy to show you how!
Loose Bracket
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, leave it in place and apply wax 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 the 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 coloured o-ring.
If you find that you can't get the wire into a comfortable position, and if 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 and causing irritation, place wax on the offending part.
Poking Wire
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it so that it is no longer poking.
Lost or Damaged Aligner
If an aligner is lost or damaged, call us right away to let us know. You might be advised to go back to wearing the previously worn aligner (if you still have it) or move on to wearing the next aligner in your series.
Which option is best will depend on how long you wore the lost aligner. If you just started wearing it, go back to the previous one. If you wore the lost aligner for over a week, it may be best to move to the next one.
Your orthodontist will be sure to let you know which option is best for you.