Emergencies Are Rare, But We’re Here For You!

We do everything possible to try to minimize emergencies, and the patient’s help in proper care and following instructions can greatly reduce their frequency as well. While true orthodontic emergencies are rare, we’re available to assist you when they do occur.

When An Emergency Occurs, Call Us at (727) 350-2849

As a general rule, please call our office when you’re experiencing pain or discomfort and it’s something you can’t take care of yourself. For your convenience, we may try to help walk you through how to handle or fix the problem yourself until your next visit. Of course, you’re always welcome to come in so we can address the problem if that is your preference! We want your experience in our offices to be as pleasant and remarkable as possible, and handling any painful emergencies as quickly as possible is part of that commitment. We will do everything we can to work you into our schedule, as we reserve time at the end of each morning and at the end of each day to address these issues.

Some Common Orthodontic Emergencies

-Loosened bracket or bands- When this occurs, please call our office immediately for advice on how to handle it. We may recommend coming back in as soon as possible to reattach it. Oftentimes, we can handle the issue at your next regularly scheduled appointment, depending on the circumstances. If there is discomfort, you may need to either clip the wire with fingernail clippers or pliers sterilized with alcohol, until we can get you in to repair. Of course, we’re here to help-a phone call away.

-Poking wire- This is a common occurrence as the teeth straighten and the wire then lengthens out the end. Or, it can occur as the wire slightly shifts within the braces as the teeth move. Either way, you can either place wax on the end to help ease the discomfort or use a pencil eraser or tweezers (once again- sterilized with alcohol) to shift the wire back around.

-General soreness or discomfort- Don’t worry, this is very common, as your cheeks and gums adjust and toughen to the new braces or aligners. This is also common after a recent adjustment or changing to your next Invisalign trays. This means the teeth are moving naturally, and will usually go away in a few days. During that time, sticking to a soft diet will help, and you can take whatever you usually use for headache pain, such as Advil, Tylenol, etc. Irritated gums and sore spots can be helped with warm salt water rinses consisting of 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water. Orabase can also help some of these sore spots. If pain persists or becomes more severe than normal, please call our office so we can help- and to possibly get you in as needed to check on you!