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I'm Dr. Vishal Sharma from Aura Orthodontics. Today, we're going to talk about the most
common emergencies you can experience as a patient: broken brackets, poking wires, and
irritated gums and cheeks. So stick around we'll be back in a second.
Let's talk about broken brackets. This is by far the most common orthodontic
emergency. Few broken brackets can be cause by moisture
contamination of the glue at the time of your bonding appointment.
That is why your orthodontist had to make sure to keep your cheeks away, have the saliva
ejector in your mouth and maybe even some cotton.
However, most broken brackets are caused by eating hard foods or horse play.
Your Orthodontist has probably given you a list of foods that you shouldn't eat during
treatment. These foods are on this list because they
can easily brake your braces. For now, let's focus on what to do if one
of your brackets is broken. If the loose bracket is at the bracket you
will want to remove the bracket from the wire. If you can keep the bracket in a zip-lok back
that is great. If not, don't worry about it we can replace
it in a future visit. If the loose bracket is in the middle or the
front, then it may bounce up and down and cause you some irritation.
If so, follow these simple instructions. Gently dry the bracket with some cotton.
Take a small piece of wax from your container and roll it into a ball.
Then roll the wax over it so that it does not bother you.
This should keep the bracket in place until your next appointment.
After you place the wax on your bracket it's important to identify which tooth it came
off of. Start counting from the back of your mouth,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on. Is it the top, the bottom, the left or the
right. At this time you should call our office and
let us know. If it's an emergency and we need to fix the
bracket right away, we can make an appointment for you.
If you can wait, we'll probably advise you to use the wax until your next appointment.
Next lets talk about poking wires. After your first appointment you may notice
that your wire goes up and down quite a bit to meet your teeth.
After a while as things begin to straighten out, there's no place for the wire to go except
the back. Although this is a good sign, it maybe cause
you some irritation. If it's causing you some irritation, just
do what we did with the broken bracket. Take a cotton roll
Dry bracket at the back and the wire. Break off a piece of wax, roll it into a ball
and gently place it over the bracket. This should cover the wire enough so that
it doesn't bother you. If the wire is too long and it bothers you,
simply call our office we'll have you in and clip the wire and take care of it for you.
Lastly, let's talk about what to do if you have irritated lips or cheeks.
With all the new metal, wire, and braces in your mouth your lips and cheeks take some
time to get used to it. Even your tongue.
If you notice some irrigational spots on your lips and cheeks, it's probably caused from
the hooks on the braces. Maybe even the wire in the back.
What you want to do is, you really want to use your wax.
Simply dry all the braces that do bother you. Break off a little piece of wax and again
gently roll them it over the hook. Usually this irrigational time lasts anywhere
from 3-10 days, depending on the patient. So to review the Orthodontic emergencies.
As you noticed, the most important thing is to learn how to use your wax.
The three most important things are. To dry the tooth or area that bothers you.
Break off a small piece of wax and roll it into a ball.
And lastly, gently roll it over and cover the part that bothers you.
If you know these 3-steps you can probably get through most emergencies until your next
appointment. If things really do bother you, the most important
thing you should know is you can always call us at anytime and we'll be happy to help you.