Orthodontic Emergencies
Common Problems
Poking wire
o If a tie wire is irritating your mouth, cover it with wax or tuck it under the archwire, using a blunt object like a pencil eraser or the round surface of a teaspoon.
Loose Bracket or Band
o A loose bracket or band can generally be left in place until you can be scheduled to come to our office. Please call our office during our regular hours to schedule a repair appointment in order to avoid treatment delays.
Broken archwire
o A broken or irritating archwire can be temporarily relieved by covering the offending area with wax. Please call our office during our regular hours to schedule an appointment to replace or repair the wire.
Missing Invisalign Attachment
o If an Invisalign attachment becomes broken or is missing, continue to wear your current aligner as instructed, but do not progress to the next aligner. Please call our office during our regular hours to schedule a repair appointment in order to avoid treatment delays.
Lost Invisalign Aligner
o If you lose an Invisalign aligner, wear your previous aligner to maintain your current progress. Please call our office during our regular hours to order a replacement aligner.
AAO_Ortho_Emergency.pdf
How to Reach Us After Hours
If you have an emergency that occurs outside of our normal business hours, simply dial our regular office phone number and follow the recorded instructions. You will be asked to leave information regarding the nature of the emergency and the number at which a member of our staff may return your call. We will be paged to retrieve the emergency message, and we make every effort to return these calls as soon as possible. If for some reason, you do not hear from us within an hour, please call again and repeat your message.
We do not charge a fee for telephone assistance after hours. In the event that a staff member is required to come in to the office after hours and provide clinical assistance, there will be an Emergency Office Visit fee.
Due to the unpredictable circumstances regarding emergency assistance calls, it is not possible to guarantee a response time. If for some reason, you do not hear from us within an hour, please call again and repeat your message. However, you will appreciate knowing that we are committed to returning emergency assistance calls as quickly as possible. Our intention is to always give you the highest level of service possible.
If an Emergency Occurs Out of Town
In the event that a patient is traveling out of the area, phone assistance is always available during regular office hours. Should you require direct orthodontic attention while out of town, we can provide you with the name and phone number of a qualified orthodontist in the area.
Injury, Trauma, or Possible Infection
In the event of trauma or infection to the mouth or teeth, it is best to contact an emergency medical facility or an oral surgeon for the quickest, most appropriate handling of your emergency. We will gladly refer you to a qualified provider; however, do not postpone this assistance if you are unable to immediately contact our office.
Following a direct injury to your mouth or teeth, whether undergoing orthodontic treatment or not, you should see your family general dentist as soon as possible. Usually, an x-ray of the affected area is needed to ascertain the extent of the injury. If an orthodontic appliance has been damaged, please call our office during regular hours to make a repair appointment.
AAO_Prevent_Accidents_Flyer.pdf
