Emergency Care
True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. In the event of a traumatic injury, a car accident, or sports accident we recommend that you contact your general dentist or visit the emergency room right away. As a general rule you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem you can’t take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem. Broken brackets, loose bands or poking wires are not considered emergencies.
You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an appointment with the office. When working with your appliance, knowing the names and parts of the appliance allows you to identify the part that is broken or out of place. After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still call the office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain broke of displaced for an extended period of time may result in disruptions in your treatment.
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Most emergencies can wait until normal office hours and do not require immediate attention. If you are not sure, please call us to help direct you best.
If you have an emergency at a time when we are not in the office, please call:
951-526-8003 (Pages are answered from 9am to 9pm daily.)
If you are in need of an after hours emergency appointment, a fee of $35.00 will be charged to your account.
RELIEVING YOUR DISCOMFORT
Poking wire
Using a pencil eraser or back end of a spoon, gently push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate any discomfort.
Loose Bracket or Band
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it and put wax on it. If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket in a tissue and bring it with you at your next appointment.
Loose Wire
Using tweezers, try to place your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax does not 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 your discomfort continues, place wax on it.
Loose Appliance
If your appliance is poking, you should place wax on the offending part of your appliance.
Headgear
Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the face bow is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less if it’s worn more, so be sure you’re getting in the prescribed hours.
General Soreness
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved but not totally eliminated by taking an Advil or Motrin every 4-6 hours.
The lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!