Dr. Estes and her team are committed to ensuring each patient and their families receive excellent care using state-of-the-art treatment options.
We sure wish these wouldn’t happen, but an orthodontic emergency can occur during your treatment. Some cases require urgent care from a professional.
Your Richmond Orthodontic treatment uses appliances to reposition your teeth and jaws.
During that process, you should expect some initial discomfort. Minor sensations of soreness and other inconveniences can wait even a couple of days before an orthodontist, like the Albany-based team at Estes Orthodontics, can take a look and correct the problem.
During a severe emergency, you should consider visiting the nearest care center available to you. Make sure you contact your orthodontist to let them know of any emergencies so you can plan accordingly and prevent treatment setbacks while caring for your health.
You can easily remedy some situations at home with a quick McGyver solution (is that reference too old now?), but other cases need professional intervention.
You can try simple things like using a pair of tweezers or a cotton swab to relocate a protruding wire from your braces to avoid irritation. Likewise, a loose bracket can probably wait a day or two before your orthodontist bonds it back in place. Take a quick look at these common situations that may seem like an emergency but are not.
Maybe you were eating popcorn (we are not judging you, but please remember to avoid crunchy or hard foods during your treatment), and you felt one of your brackets come off. This situation can be alarming, but you should be fine by contacting your orthodontist and scheduling a visit to fix the issue.
After getting your traditional braces installed, it is normal to feel a degree of tenderness to the bite. It is only natural that you feel your teeth a bit loose and a minor soreness when you bite on food. Your lips and cheeks may also get irritated at first. Try rinsing your mouth with warm saltwater and applying some relief wax on the braces to avoid further irritation.
We remind patients that they should expect some discomfort during the initial stages of their treatment.
However, you should immediately contact your orthodontist if you have been feeling pain you can’t manage by any means. Prolonged, excruciating pain requires immediate professional help.
We also recommend patients seek professional help if they suffered some level of trauma that puts their teeth at risk. If you were doing any physical activity and suffered trauma directly to your teeth, contact a professional to receive help.
Finally, if you feel some pain and notice your face swelling, contact your orthodontist for guidance. This type of swelling can result from an infection or an abscess that puts your mouth and health at risk.
The team at Estes Orthodontics will be happy to help with your orthodontics emergency in Richmond. Make sure you give us a call at 510-525-1772. You can click right here to get directions from your current location.
If you are afraid you had a severe accident, contact emergency services and let us know after you receive primary emergency care. Don’t hesitate about calling and getting the help you need when you need it the most.
Get in touch with emergency services and your orthodontist if you have unmanageable severe pain or swollen and infected gums. If you suffered considerable trauma to your mouth or cannot temporarily fix a broken appliance, contact your orthodontist.
You should get professional help as soon as possible if you are experiencing an orthodontic emergency. If you have minor issues like a wire or bracket popping off, you could just tuck it away and go to your orthodontist at a later, more convenient time.
No. It sure is an inconvenience, but your mouth and teeth are not at immediate risk if your bracket gets loose. Try not to misplace the bracket and let your orthodontist know to get a repair next time you go to their office.
A broken bracket can be alarming, but it’s not an emergency because your dental health is not at risk. Make sure there is no debris left in your mouth and that the archwire remains in place. Let your orthodontist know and calmly schedule a visit to their office for a replacement.
A permanent retainer can degrade in one of two ways. Either the bonding material gave away, or the wire broke. You’ll want to get a replacement as soon as possible to avoid increasing the risk of orthodontic relapse.
Dr. Estes and her team are committed to ensuring each patient and their families receive excellent care using state-of-the-art treatment options.