Being available to assist you or your child in any orthodontic-related emergency or instance is very important to us all here at Miler Orthodontics. If you or someone in your family is undergoing orthodontic treatment, we want you to know that orthodontic emergencies, although they are rare, still do happen. You may be unaware of what would be considered an orthodontic emergency, so we hope to enlighten you and answer any questions you may have about seeing an Emergency Orthodontist in Beaufort, SC.
Please feel free to call our Beaufort, South Carolina office today for any additional questions.
What Should You Consider an Orthodontic Emergency?
You may come to find that you can temporarily ease or take care of an orthodontic emergency at home until finding time to come into our dental office. Although you can temporarily solve them, we encourage you to reach out to us to go into the office as soon as possible.
Below we have listed some of the most common orthodontic emergencies that our emergency orthodontist assists patients with almost daily.
- Loose or Broken Bracket: If you have traditional metal braces or ceramic braces, the bracket is the square/rectangular appliance bonded to each tooth. The purpose of the bracket is to allow each tooth to be moved into position through the archwire. Brackets can break due to physical trauma to the face, eating hard foods, and sometimes coming loose. If this happens, the tooth movement process can stop, so immediately getting it taken care of is essential.
- Broken or Protruding Wire: The metal wire or archwire fixed to your brackets can become broken or protrude on the ends. This can poke you and cause some minor pain and discomfort. A quick fix would be to use orthodontic wax to soften the pointed end, but we can permanently fix the wire by coming into Miler Orthodontics.
- Loose Band: The metal rings cemented around the back teeth are called bands, and they provide a solid anchor tooth for the archwire to attach to. If the metal ring is loose, then the wires might be loose.
If an appliance is broken or loose and falls off from your braces, we encourage you to place the piece in a baggie and bring it in with you for us to fix.
If you can’t limit your discomfort and manage any pain that the issue may cause, please call our office for assistance.
What Should I Do if I Feel Achy Pain?
Starting on a new orthodontic treatment plan can cause dull and achy pain in the teeth and the surrounding areas. Although this is standard, we care about how you feel and want to help in any way possible. With achy pain that comes from the tightening of braces, we encourage patients (if needed) to take the proper dosage of over-the-counter pain medication. Some medications are known to slow the tooth movement process down, so only take them with severe sensitivity.
One of the quickest ways to alleviate pain is to rinse with warm salt water if you have sore spots and irritated gums. This mouth rinse will help cleanse and flush the areas and promote proper and fast healing. Another rinse you can use is called Peroxy rinse. We have samples of this rinse available at our office at all times and are happy to provide it as needed. You can also buy this rinse at any local drug store as an over the counter mouth rinse.
Emergency Orthodontist in Beaufort, SC
We hate seeing our patients in pain, so we strive to help each patient as soon as possible once we discover they are suffering from an orthodontic emergency. Please don’t hesitate to call or stop by our office if you need to see our emergency orthodontist that provides care for all of Beaufort, South Carolina. Please continue to search our website or call us with any questions or extra information.
