Emergency Care

Soreness in Your Teeth

A frequent complaint of our patients after they first get their braces placed, or after having them tightened is soreness. Unfortunately, soreness is going to be a regular temporary problem. We are forcing your teeth to shift and move. Some patients may also feel tenderness in their teeth when applying biting pressure for three to five days after placement or tightening. This pain will pass. In the meantime, there are some steps you can take to alleviate the strain.

We recommend:

• Rinsing your mouth with a warm homemade saltwater mouthwash. Patients can dissolve a teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously followed by spitting it out, you shouldn’t swallow it.
• Take an ibuprofen or whatever you would normally take for headache or similar pain.

Soreness in Your Soft Tissues

It is common for the lips, cheeks, and tongue to become irritated in the first couple of weeks after receiving your new braces. They will toughen and become accustomed to the new surface of having braces. Dr. Dumore recommends placing wax on your braces to lessen this. We’ll show you how!

Headgear Discomfort

Wearing headgear is a huge change from what is normal for you. The biggest reason patients report discomfort comes from not wearing your headgear correctly. We ask that patients review the instructions that were given and consult the information that was provided. If the facebow is bent, call our office for assistance. As you wear the headgear more frequently, it will hurt less, so we ask that patients be sure to wear the headgear the prescribed amount of hours.

Bracket Came Loose

If you have a bracket that has come loose, you need to contact our office. Once an appointment has been made, we then recommend that if your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, to leave it in place, it can be secured by placing wax on it. If the wire has come out entirely, we ask that you wrap the bracket with a tissue and bring it with you to your appointment.

Wire Came Loose

If the wire of your braces came loose, you can attempt to repair it. With a pair of tweezers, try to put your wire back into place in the bracket. If you are unable to place the wire back in, contact our office for an appointment. With an appointment scheduled, you may want to clip the wire with a small fingernail clipper behind the last tooth that it was securely fastened to. This only needs to be done to avoid the wire from poking you.

Wire Poking Me

If the wire of your braces is poking you, you can place a pencil eraser to cushion the pokey part. Patients also find that wax can alleviate the discomfort.

After finding temporary relief of any discomfort, we still want you to call our office to schedule an appointment. We can make any necessary adjustments or repairs. Allowing your dental appliance to remain damaged or out of the normal for an extended period of time may result in disruptions to your treatment plan.