First steps for the most common braces problems — what you can do at home, and when to call your office. For any true emergency, call us first so we can create a time to see you.
Braces come with the occasional loose bracket, poking wire, or bit of soreness. Most of these are easy to manage at home. Use the guide below to stay comfortable until your next visit — and when in doubt, call your office and we'll walk you through it.
Eating hard food or playing with your braces usually causes breakage. This isn’t an emergency, and if you are not experiencing discomfort or pain, you don’t need to come in to the office outside of your scheduled appointment. Simply leave a loose or broken bracket in place and cover with wax for comfort if needed. If the bracket comes out completely please throw it away and on your regular appointment let our team members know about the issue you’re experiencing.
We sometimes use steel ligatures to ligate the wire to the teeth. Occasionally, eating hard food may dislodge the ends of the steel ligature and irritate lips and cheeks. To fix this problem, you can use the end of a pencil eraser to push the end of the steel tie back into place. You may also use wax to cover the ends to keep the wire from irritating your cheeks.
Occasionally during treatment, the wire could completely come out of the tube. If this happens, try to push it back into the tube with your hands or tweezers. If you are unable to, you may use clean nail clippers to cut the wire and remove any loose pieces. If you are unsuccessful, and the wire continues to bother you, give us a call.
If you notice that one of your elastic ties from around the bracket is missing, do not be alarmed as this is not an emergency. Keep your regular scheduled appointment and we will replace the ties when you come in.
Occasionally, the wire in braces can stick out and irritate cheeks. Before leaving our offices, make sure the wires are not irritating you. If they are, let a staff member know. If the irritation starts later, push the wire back inside of the molar tube by using a pencil eraser or a cotton swab. You can also place a ball of wax on the wire as a temporary relief. You can also use clean nail clippers cleaned with rubbing alcohol and cut the wire yourself. If you are unable to resolve the issue, and the wire keeps bothering you, please contact us.
If you experience discomfort, eat a diet of soft foods and take Tylenol or Advil to reduce any soreness. When the teeth start shifting into their new positions, they may become slightly loosened. Do not be alarmed by this, as it is perfectly normal. The looseness will correct itself when the braces are removed. It is normal to experience some small sores or ulcerations on the inside of your lips or cheeks at the beginning of treatment. If you find that they continue to be irritating you longer, let your doctor know. You may use wax to cover the edges of the hooks on the brackets that may be causing those ulcers. Make sure that you keep the area clean and give yourself some time to adjust to your new braces.
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If you can't resolve the problem at home, call the office nearest you and we'll schedule a time to repair your appliance. Please do not come directly to the office without calling first.