About Braces: Broken Bracket, Poking Wire, Braces Pain - Aura Orthodontics

Braces - Dr.Vishal Sharma of Aura Orthodontics shows us how-to deal with common Orthodontic problems such as: Broken Brackets, Poking Wires, and Irritated gums and cheeks. https://www.auraortho.com/ Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/auraortho Transcript: I'm Dr. Vishal Sharma from Aura Orthodontics. Today, we're going to talk about the most common emergencies you can experience as a patient: broken brackets, poking wires, and irritated gums and cheeks. So stick around we'll be back in a second. Let's talk about broken brackets. This is by far the most common orthodontic emergency. Few broken brackets can be cause by moisture contamination of the glue at the time of your bonding appointment. That is why your orthodontist had to make sure to keep your cheeks away, have the saliva ejector in your mouth and maybe even some cotton. However, most broken brackets are caused by eating hard foods or horse play. Your Orthodontist has probably given you a list of foods that you shouldn't eat during treatment. These foods are on this list because they can easily brake your braces. For now, let's focus on what to do if one of your brackets is broken. If the loose bracket is at the bracket you will want to remove the bracket from the wire. If you can keep the bracket in a zip-lok back that is great. If not, don't worry about it we can replace it in a future visit. If the loose bracket is in the middle or the front, then it may bounce up and down and cause you some irritation. If so, follow these simple instructions. Gently dry the bracket with some cotton. Take a small piece of wax from your container and roll it into a ball. Then roll the wax over it so that it does not bother you. This should keep the bracket in place until your next appointment. After you place the wax on your bracket it's important to identify which tooth it came off of. Start counting from the back of your mouth, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on. Is it the top, the bottom, the left or the right. At this time you should call our office and let us know. If it's an emergency and we need to fix the bracket right away, we can make an appointment for you. If you can wait, we'll probably advise you to use the wax until your next appointment. Next lets talk about poking wires. After your first appointment you may notice that your wire goes up and down quite a bit to meet your teeth. After a while as things begin to straighten out, there's no place for the wire to go except the back. Although this is a good sign, it maybe cause you some irritation. If it's causing you some irritation, just do what we did with the broken bracket. Take a cotton roll Dry bracket at the back and the wire. Break off a piece of wax, roll it into a ball and gently place it over the bracket. This should cover the wire enough so that it doesn't bother you. If the wire is too long and it bothers you, simply call our office we'll have you in and clip the wire and take care of it for you. Lastly, let's talk about what to do if you have irritated lips or cheeks. With all the new metal, wire, and braces in your mouth your lips and cheeks take some time to get used to it. Even your tongue. If you notice some irrigational spots on your lips and cheeks, it's probably caused from the hooks on the braces. Maybe even the wire in the back. What you want to do is, you really want to use your wax. Simply dry all the braces that do bother you. Break off a little piece of wax and again gently roll them it over the hook. Usually this irrigational time lasts anywhere from 3-10 days, depending on the patient. So to review the Orthodontic emergencies. As you noticed, the most important thing is to learn how to use your wax. The three most important things are. To dry the tooth or area that bothers you. Break off a small piece of wax and roll it into a ball. And lastly, gently roll it over and cover the part that bothers you. If you know these 3-steps you can probably get through most emergencies until your next appointment. If things really do bother you, the most important thing you should know is you can always call us at anytime and we'll be happy to help you.