Emergency Orthodontic Care in Florida and Maryland
It’s time for you to finally get the straight smile you’ve always dreamed of! Now that you’ve started your orthodontic treatment with braces, you’ve probably noticed a little bit of discomfort or soreness during the first week. Other than that, you’re feeling wonderful! Your orthodontist made sure to tell you that soreness was perfectly normal, as your teeth are moving into new positions within your mouth.
One basketball game later you find yourself with swelling and a sensation that something is poking into your gums. During the game, someone hit you in the jaw with an elbow. Now you think that you may have a problem with your braces. What do you do?
While a genuine orthodontic emergency is a rare event, they do still happen. If you think that you are experiencing an emergency, there are a few things that you need to figure out. The first is to determine how serious your issue is. Is it something that requires urgent medical attention? Or is it a more minor issue that you can deal with yourself until you can come into your orthodontist’s office for treatment?
Don’t ignore any unusual pain or discomfort that you’re experiencing from your orthodontic treatment! Contact our office to book an appointment with one of our orthodontists today.
What Is an Orthodontic Emergency?
As we said above, a true orthodontic emergency is rare. However, there are some issues that can pop up during your orthodontic treatment can may cause discomfort or even pain. These issues are able to be treated during your orthodontist’s regular office hours.
Loose or Broken Brackets, Bands, or Wires
Braces can become loose or broken from several causes. Some of the most common causes are injuries to the face (typically during sporting events), playing with the orthodontic treatment device, or eating sticky or hard food items. If you break your braces, you should leave them alone if the band or bracket is still attached to the wire. It’s also important that you don’t connect elastics to the broken device. If something does come off, save it for your orthodontist. No matter how you have broken your device, you will need to see your orthodontist to have repair work done.
Lost or Poking Archwires, Brackets, or Bands
As your teeth begin to move during the treatment process, the wires connecting them may start to poke you towards the back of your mouth. This can cause some irritation to the cheeks. In some cases, the wire can be moved into a better spot by using a Q-Tip. If you can’t get the wire to move with this method, you can call our office to get a little more guidance on how to address the problem at home. Our experienced staff will be able to help you find the best way to address the issue at home.
If you lose a portion of your device, you will have to call us to have it replaced. This applies to misplacing the treatment device, and swallowing it!
Tooth Pain or Loosening
As the teeth move during your orthodontic treatment, it’s normal for them to become slightly loosened. The process of the teeth moving can cause some soreness or discomfort, especially when bracers or aligners are placed or adjusted by your orthodontist. Minor instances of soreness can be treated via regular over-the-counter pain relievers. In addition to this, you can rinse your mouth out with warm salt water twice a day.
If you have pain that can’t be relieved with over-the-counter medication or warm water rinses, you need to call your orthodontist to book an appointment so that your pain can be properly relieved.
Don’t ignore any unusual pain or discomfort that you’re experiencing from your orthodontic treatment! Contact our office to book an appointment with one of our orthodontists today.
Do I Go to the Emergency Room or Call the Orthodontist?
The most common orthodontic treatment problems cause discomfort and pain. However, most aren’t truly emergencies. There are only a few instances that are considered to be genuine orthodontic (or dental) emergencies. If you have any of the following symptoms, you need to go to your nearest emergency room immediately:
- Severe swelling of the face or gums
- Oral bleeding that you cannot control or that lasts longer than 15 minutes
- Sudden injuries to your face, head, teeth or jaw, such as a blow to the head
It’s important that you seek out emergency treatment right away, as some of the above symptoms are signs of serious, potentially life-threatening complications that need to be treated promptly. After you have received emergency treatment, you may need to see our dentist afterwards so that any trauma to the teeth can be properly treated. While your orthodontist can repair your orthodontic device or aligner that has been broken or lost, your dentist is better qualified to repair any damage that has happened to your teeth and mouth.
How Our Office Can Help You with Your Orthodontic Emergency
True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but it’s always possible that one could happen to you or a family member. Our office is here to help you when you’re experiencing an orthodontic emergency. If you experience pain or have an issue with your treatment device that you can’t address at home, call our office to schedule an appointment with an orthodontist. We’re here to help out with any problems you have during our regularly scheduled business hours. It’s important that you have your orthodontic appliance repaired as soon as possible, as putting off the repair can lead to your treatment plan being extended. Having to extend your treatment plan would mean that you have to wear your device for a longer period of time. It also means your treatment will be more expensive in the long run.
Don’t ignore any unusual pain or discomfort that you’re experiencing from your orthodontic treatment! Contact our office to book an appointment with one of our orthodontists today.
