White Rock Orthodontic Center
Orthodontists Dorothy A. Sonya and Bo I. Hoglund
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Common Orthodontic Concerns

True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an appointment with our office. When working with your appliances, you need to know the names of the parts of your appliances so you are able to identify what part is broken or out of place. After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions in your treatment plan.

The following solutions may help you relieve your discomfort:

A Broken Bracket

This usually does not need to be repaired immediately but can wait for several days or even weeks. Please call the office during normal business hours to schedule an appointment to have the bracket repaired if your next appointment is more than two weeks away.

A Poking Wire or Appliance

This can be temporarily treated by placing a small piece of wax on the part that pokes. If you cannot find the wax that we initially gave you it can be purchased at most drug stores. If a wire is sticking out somewhere a fingernail clipper can be used to cut it off. If you are unsuccessful in relieving the problem, call to speak to a staff member who can help you.

A Lost or Broken Retainer

We need to replace the retainer as soon as possible so that your teeth do not move. Please call the office during working hours to schedule an appointment to get a new retainer made.

A Loose Band

This usually does not need to be repaired immediately. It can wait for several days or even weeks. Please call the office during normal working hours to schedule an appointment to have the band re-cemented if your next appointment is more than two weeks away.

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 by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth vigorously. Placing Orabase on the affected area may help; this can be found in your local pharmacy. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.

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!