If your teeth are sore after a visit… You may take ibuprofen, acetaminophen or other non-aspirin pain relievers while you adjust to your new braces or an adjustment. Soreness can also be relieved by rinsing with a warm salt water rinse. Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm tap water and swish.
If your braces cause irritation… Cover the brackets at or around the area of irritation with wax. If at any point during treatment you need more wax, please ask. Wax can also be purchased at local drugstores on evening and weekends.
If you have a poking/ loose wire… Try moving the wire away from the irritated area with a pencil eraser. If wire is out or loose, use tweezers and try to place the wire back into place. If the wire will not move, try covering the end of it with a small piece of wax. If the wire is painful, you can use nail clippers to cut and alleviate the discomfort.
If a bracket comes off or comes loose… THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. Please be sure to call our office during business hours, so we can adjust your next appointment to include repair time. At times we may schedule a separate appointment to repair your bracket as we will not have the proper amount of time to repair the braces at your regularly scheduled adjustment. Without prior notification of a broken bracket, we will always need to schedule you a separate repair appointment.
Many of these situations are also described and also illustrated on the two sided mirror guide given to you at your initial bonding appointment.