What Is Considered a Braces Emergency?

Dental emergencies are not anticipated by most, especially when wearing braces. Unfortunately, a dental crisis can occur at any time to need prompt attention. If you experience a life-threatening situation, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room. However, if your braces or orthodontic appliances cause pain or discomfort or the brackets or wires dislodge or break, it helps if you call your orthodontist instead of emergency because they are the best professionals to help you.

Orthodontists can address concerns over the phone if you text them a picture. Alternatively, you might need to arrange an urgent care appointment to see them the next day to avoid increasing costs or wasting time late in the evening.

Orthodontists advise not to panic but to call them as soon as possible, explain the parts of the braces causing the concern, or prepare to describe the precise nature of the problem. If you aren’t sure what is considered a braces emergency, you cannot and should not wait until your next appointment. Consider it an orthodontic emergency that needs immediate treatment from the specialist.

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What to Know about Orthodontic Braces?

Orthodontic braces are appliances orthodontists attach to your teeth to correct problems like teeth and jaw misalignments, crooked, rotated, gapped, and teeth with overbites, underbites, crossbites, open bites, et cetera.

Orthodontists mount a set of stainless steel or metal brackets on the front of the teeth tying the archwire to the brackets by ligatures. The wire tightens over time, moving the teeth into appropriate positions. Bands are also attached around your molars with metal rings, where the archwire slips into a slot.

Depending on the complexity of your orthodontic situation, you might need to wear the braces for two years or more on your teeth and care for them as suggested by the provider to ensure you don’t encounter any braces emergency.

You can also get braces made from ceramic and plastic wires remaining nearly indistinguishable on your teeth but requiring similar care as metal brackets and wires to ensure dental emergencies don’t cause complications when undergoing orthodontic treatment.

What Is Considered a Braces Emergency?

Any dental situation affecting the braces and your orthodontic treatment is considered an emergency. Occasionally brackets and bands can loosen, making it essential to contact your orthodontic provider soon as possible during business hours. However, it is not the situation to rush to the nearby emergency dentist because you can see them seeking urgent dental care the next day.

Orthodontic braces are notorious for trapping food particles between bands and causing discomfort. You can call the specialist if you cannot remove the food particles by brushing and flossing. They will likely see you on the same day if you call them during business hours. If not, you can see them the next day to help you get comfortable.

Wires poking your cheeks or causing pain by shifting does not need an immediate appointment with the professional because you can wait until the next day if you don’t feel discomfort. Unfortunately, if you suffer excruciating pain, you can use orthodontic wax to cover the wire but call the specialist if it does not eliminate the irritation. If you experience persistent irritation, the professional will see you on the same day or the next if you call them after business hours. These situations need emergency braces repair because they are not harming your teeth, making you susceptible to tooth loss.

If you suffer impacts on your mouth with braces resulting in a chipped or knocked out tooth, the situation is entirely different because you must see the specialist as soon as possible and, in some cases, within 30 minutes to reinsert the knocked out tooth into its socket and reapply the braces. In such cases, it helps if you visit the dentist in Ridgefield Park, NJ, by calling them to request an emergency care appointment to fix your tooth to the adjacent teeth and your braces to help you continue the treatment to straighten your teeth.

In most cases, you can manage orthodontic emergencies at home, although you might need help from a specialist in some cases. However, if you intend to wear the braces until you complete orthodontic treatment, you must learn some tips and tricks to handle orthodontic emergencies. For example, if you feel discomfort in your mouth that you think is unusual, you can use a mirror to notice your braces and report the problem to the provider to ensure you receive treatment as soon as possible without rushing to an emergency dentist seeking treatment for a minor issue.

Orthodontic braces rarely cause problems needing emergency care, although they can occasionally become uncomfortable. However, if you encounter a similar situation described in this article, kindly do not hesitate to call Village Dental, NJ, to receive prompt attention or arrange an urgent care appointment to resolve the problem.