What to Do in Case of Emergency
Call our office as soon as possible if you break or loosen any of your appliances. Please do not come directly to the office – calling us first enables us to evaluate the urgency of the problem and schedule you accordingly. Even if you have a regular appointment scheduled, call us immediately to notify us if you need an appliance repaired. If you need to be seen after office hours, you can call the doctors’ pager at (206) 540-0185.
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 Loose Brackets or Bands
Call our office immediately for advice if a bracket or wire is loosened. The bracket may need to be re-fitted as soon as possible, but can generally stay in place until you can be seen in the office. You may have a situation that requires cutting a wire or sliding a bracket off a wire at night or over the weekend. If you need to cut a wire in case of emergency, we can instruct you over the phone on how to use fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. Please call our office the next business day, so that we may schedule an appointment for you.
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 Wire Irritations
Sometimes discomfort caused by a wire on your braces can be resolved by moving the wire away from the irritated area with a cotton swab or eraser. If the wire will not move, try covering the end of it with a small piece of cotton or a small amount of wax. If the wire is painful, you can cut it with nail clippers or scissors that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. If you cannot resolve the wire irritation, call our office for an appointment.
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Lost Separators
It is not uncommon for a patient to loose a separator prior to their next appointment. Do not worry about losing a separator, but call our office to see if it needs to be replaced.
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Discomfort with Orthodontic Treatment
During the first week after your braces are in place and routine adjustments are complete, you will likely feel some pain, soreness or discomfort. You may take ibuprofen, acetaminophen or other non-aspirin pain relievers while you adjust to your new braces. Drinking cold water may also offer some relief as many of our wires are heat activated. A warm wash cloth or heating pad may reduce the soreness in your jaws.
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Problems Turning a Rapid Maxillary Expander
“Did I turn it right? Where’s the other hole? Is the expander stuck?” are some of the problems we hear after a patient gets an expander. Don’t worry! We understand that turning it once with us in the office sometimes doesn’t work. Please read the instruction along with the video below to guide you on how to turn your expander. If you think you still didn’t get it right, don’t hesitate to call us, and we will gladly help you with it!
Instructions:
- Turn the wire portion of the key so that it’s pointing straight out, parallel to the plastic handle.
- Insert the end of the wire into the most anterior hole of the expander.
- Holding the handle, push the instrument toward the back of the mouth so that the key swivels around the plastic button that attaches it to the handle.
- When the handle has gone as far back as it can (full stop), the next hole will have appeared in the expander screw. Slide the key out of the hole (without turning) and remove it from the mouth.
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