Emergencies in Orthodontic Treatment
Orthodontic treatment plays an important role in achieving a healthy and beautiful smile. Whether you wear braces or clear aligners, this journey requires constant care and attention. However, unexpected situations can arise during the treatment process, especially in braces treatments, and can lead to orthodontic emergencies that require rapid intervention.
If you are new to orthodontic treatment, you can read my article titled Recommendations for Those Starting Braces Treatment.
To prepare you for the unexpected, this guide is designed to provide comprehensive information about common orthodontic emergencies and how to deal with them effectively. This way, you can manage any problems that may arise during treatment and ensure that the road to your smile runs smoothly.
Emergencies are rare in orthodontic treatment. If you encounter an emergency situation that you cannot solve, you should definitely contact your doctor.
You can also review the Orthodontic Emergency Recommendations page prepared by the Turkish Orthodontic Association for patients.
You can solve most emergencies yourself without visiting your doctor. I will try to explain the situations that may occur below with solutions.
Components of Braces
Before moving on to emergencies, let’s take a look at what the appliances that are attached to your teeth during braces treatment consist of.
Brackets and components used as the basis for fixed orthodontic treatment:
I will try to explain these components through photos:
After having information about braces and their parts, I will now try to summarize the emergencies we may encounter during orthodontic treatment.
Possible Emergencies
Pain in All Teeth
When your braces are newly fitted, you may feel a tingling pain in your whole mouth. Especially in the first week, you will feel pain when you try to bite food. Therefore, eating soft foods at first will help you to get through this process more easily. When the braces are first fitted, they can also irritate the cheeks, lips and gums, making the situation more difficult. To relieve this pain, you can rinse your mouth with warm salt water. To prepare the saline solution, you can mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 1 glass of warm water.
If your teeth are very sore, you can use mild painkillers such as Acetaminophen. Since painkillers such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Naproxen Sodium slow down tooth movement, it is not recommended to use these drugs too much during braces treatment.
Irritation of the Cheeks and Lips
Sometimes braces can irritate the cheeks and lips, especially when eating. This problem is usually more common in patients who are new to treatment. In this case, the patient candle (beeswax) you will use will alleviate the symptoms by creating a barrier between the brackets and soft tissues. Swallowing orthodontic wax is not a problem.
Protruding Wire
Sometimes, the tip of the wire can become dislodged and sink into the tongue, lip or cheek, causing discomfort. If this happens, try to gently push the wire flat against the tooth using a suitable tool. If the wire cannot be moved to a comfortable position, apply protective wax on it. If you cannot solve the problem, it is important to report it to your orthodontist.
If the wire becomes very uncomfortable and you are unable to see your doctor soon, you can cut the wire as a last resort. To reduce the risk of swallowing the cut piece of wire, you can cover the area with a folded handkerchief or gauze. Using a sharp pair of pliers, carefully cut the protruding wire. It may still be necessary to apply protective wax to the irritated area for relief.
Bracket or Band dislocation
If a bracket or band has come off, call your doctor. Sometimes it is necessary to glue the detached bracket immediately. If the detached bracket or band is bothering you and you cannot reach your doctor immediately, you can remove the bracket from the wire or cut that part of the wire with a clean nail clipper.
