Emergency Dental Care

When you need emergency dental care, you want a reliable, affordable, accessible, and fast response. No one likes experiencing dental pain. In fact, mouth pain can be some of the worst pain people ever experience. Whether you have a toothache, infection, or a wire from your braces is poking your mouth — you want that pain to be relieved.

What is Emergency Dental Care?

Emergency dental care typically involves mouth pain. It can result from chipped, cracked, or broken teeth. Infections, or abscessed teeth, can also cause a dental emergency. For our purposes here, we are only going to address dental emergencies that result from orthodontic treatment. In short, what to do if your braces become damaged or you are experiencing an abnormal amount of pain associated with your braces.

Wearing braces can create a minor amount of discomfort. The brackets and wires may cause irritation inside your mouth from rubbing or pressure. You will develop callouses eventually as you become accustomed to your braces. Additionally, you may have some soreness following adjustments to your braces. This is caused by your teeth shifting into new positions.

If you are experiencing pain that is more than minor discomfort, please contact Holt Orthodontics. While you can use over-the-counter pain relievers, we recommend limiting them as much as possible. These products, while effective in relieving pain, can also slow tooth movement. When in doubt — check it out. Our staff can likely answer questions and give you pointers to help ease your pain. They can help you determine if you are having a dental emergency and may also recommend an appointment.

Non-Emergency Quick Tips for Braces

Our first tip is to remember that wax is your new best friend. Take it everywhere, whether you keep it in a pocket, purse, or backpack — make sure you always have wax.

As we mentioned, some soreness should be expected with new braces and after adjustments. During this period of discomfort, you may wish to eat softer foods (mashed potatoes are great). You can also use a salt-water rinse. To make a rinse, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into an 8-ounce glass of warm water. Swish with the warm salt-water.

If you have a loose wire or bracket, applying a small amount of wax will stabilize it. Most of the time, this type of problem can wait until your next scheduled appointment. If you aren’t sure, please call or text the office to speak with a staff member.

Loose wires can sometimes be put back in place using a pair of needle-nosed pliers. You can use dental floss in place of an elastic to hold the wire in place. If the loose wire remains problematic, use a fingernail clipper to snip the wire. Be sure to clip behind the last tooth the wire is attached to. Use wax to keep the wire end from poking.

Poking wires can be gently bent away from soft tissue using a pencil eraser or other semi-stiff tool.

Always use caution when making adjustments to your braces. Although the materials are strong enough to adjust the positioning of your teeth, they are still rather fragile. We’re going to repeat a phrase here that you should remember. When in doubt — check it out.