In the orthodontic world, an emergency is very unlike other medical emergencies
A loose bracket will stay fixed onto the wire - usually caused by biting hard food / biltong, pencil or rough play with a friend. This can quite happily stay like that until the next visit.
More breakages lead to prolonged treatment time. A wire that is poking can usually be covered with wax and if you are away or over a weekend, and it is digging into the lip, a small pair of electrical side cutters or toenail clippers can snip the sharp end off.
Luckily each brace is attached to the wire which means that if it breaks or becomes loose, it can't really go anywhere.
This means it will be safe until you are able to make an appointment to see us.
These are usually cemented around the back tooth and can sometimes come loose.
To avoid bacteria and saliva causing decalcification of your tooth, make sure that you make an appointment to see us so that we can re-cement the tooth.
The lengthened wire protrudes out of the molar band and can sometimes poke you in the gum or the back of the cheek.
You can use orthodontic wax to take care of the discomfort, or you can make an appointment so that we snip the extra length away and make things more comfortable for you.
You might be playing sport or just be involved in some rough games which end up with you being hit in the face or similar.
If the braces are embedded in the soft tissue, this can certainly be considered as an injury and appointment to see us must be made as soon as possible.
A retainer is vitally important after your orthodontic treatment. You should be wearing yours on a daily basis to ensure that your teeth do not move after your braces have been removed.
If yours is broken, make sure that you let us know so that we can make a new one for you immediately.
These are a common problem during orthodontic treatment.
Make sure that you keep your mouth clean - brush properly, mouth washes or hot salt rinses. If the discomfort from rubbing becomes too painful, make an appointment to see us so that we can go over how to apply and make regular use of the orthodontic wax with you.