Don’t Panic! Emergency Orthodontic Care in Brooklyn
Throughout the course of your orthodontic treatment, be it braces, Invisalign, or even if you encounter problems with your retainer, Brooklyn Orthodontics is here to help, and answer any questions you may have along the way. If you are in a severe emergency situation, calling our office is of course the best idea. However, most problems associated with our treatments are minor, and here we will provide a few helpful bits of information to get you through. In reading this and educating yourself, you may save yourself a lot of time, stress, and discomfort.
Some common issues that can be corrected by the patient at home are broken or dislodged wires, mouth sores, loose bands, tooth soreness, or a lost elastic. We offer these simple solutions and tricks to alleviating the soreness and repairing your braces quickly and easily.
A loose appliance, wire, or bracket is likely to occur, and the wax provided by Dr. Mohamed AlJanabi is a critical and helpful component. If it is still attached to the wire, put dental wax on a loose appliance, bracket or band and leave it in place. This will provide stability to it. If the entire bracket has come out, wrap it in tissue and contact our office, we will quickly reapply it during an appointment. Wax can also be used to add stability to a loose wire. If a wire becomes loose and is then stable, you can use tweezers to put the wire back into place. If the wire is poking out, a pencil eraser is a great tool to push that wire down so it is not causing further discomfort. Before you leave our office, Dr. AlJanabi and his staff will show you the proper way to apply the dental wax and provide you with enough to fix any minor issues at home. Once you properly apply the wax, it provides a barrier between your teeth and the inside of your mouth to heal any spots that feel sore. Over time, your mouth will adapt to the braces, and to the wax, requiring less and less attention and stress on them.
Especially during the beginning stages of having your braces put on, a general soreness is to be expected. Eating can cause some tenderness in the teeth and sometimes lasts for 3 to 5 days, but again, don’t panic! There are a few simple ways to lessen the soreness. Try rinsing your mouth with a tablespoon of salt mixed into eight ounces of warm water. Also, you can find a paste called Orabase, an oral anesthetic which contains benzocaine, in almost any drug store. Simply rub the Orabase on the affected areas of the mouth that are sore as needed to relieve the pain on sight. For severe tenderness, over-the-counter acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen are all acceptable methods to alleviate these symptoms.
With a little optimism and a few short lessons in caring for your mouth and braces at home, it should be a much smoother transition on your way to a straight and dazzling smile. If a minor orthodontic emergency has grown into something that must be addressed in office, or you have any questions at all regarding soreness or problems with your braces, please feel free to contact Brooklyn Orthodontics online or at (718) 333-5898 and let the helpful staff at Dr. AlJanabi’s office be your guide. Whether it’s for routine treatment or for emergency orthodontic care in Brooklyn, we’re here to help you along the way.