Braces Emergencies

Do braces hurt? Nope! You should never feel severe braces pain. That said, when you first get your braces put on and following adjustments, your teeth, gums and jaw can be a little bit tender. This discomfort will subside within a few days. To manage it, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever (whatever you’d normally take for a headache).

You’ll also want to stick with soft foods, as well as cold foods and drinks until the sensitivity goes away. Adding a saltwater rinse to the mix will be helpful, too. Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. Swish the solution around in your mouth and then spit it out. Repeat as often as needed.

If you experience a loose or damaged braces bracket or band, contact our office right away so we can make any necessary repairs or adjustments. If a piece of your appliance breaks off, save it and bring it with you to your visit.
For a loose or broken braces bracket that is still attached to the wire, slide it back into its correct position. Then, grab your orthodontic relief wax. As for how to use wax for braces, simply pull off a small piece of wax and roll it in between your fingers to warm it up. Dry off the loose bracket with a tissue or piece of gauze and place the wax over it. This will prevent the bracket from sliding around and/or irritating your lips and cheeks.

If the broken braces bracket is in the back of the mouth and the wire comes out completely, you can very gently slide the bracket off of the wire and remove it from your mouth, being careful not to accidentally swallow it. Push the excess wire out of the way and against the nearest tooth using a clean cotton swab or the eraser end of a new pencil. Cover it in orthodontic wax to ward off irritation.

If your braces wire is poking you in the cheek because it’s too long or it came loose, carefully use the eraser end of a new pencil or a clean cotton swab to gently push the wire out of the way and against the nearest tooth. You can then cover the wire with your braces wax so that it doesn’t irritate your mouth. Call our Thornton orthodontics office and we’ll assess the situation and determine if a repair appointment is needed.

When you get your braces put on, the brackets and wires can irritate your tongue and the inside of your lips and cheeks. The soft tissues of the mouth will “toughen up” in a few weeks and the irritation will go away. In the meantime, swish with a saltwater rinse (a teaspoon of salt dissolved in eight ounces of warm water) several times per day. You can also cover the parts of your braces that are irritating you with your orthodontic wax.

Some of our Thornton braces patients are susceptible to mouth sores or canker sores. Braces don’t cause canker sores, but if the appliance is irritating the soft tissues of your mouth, it can precipitate or exacerbate them. Though canker sores from braces aren’t serious or contagious, they can be painful. Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and swish it around in your mouth before spitting it out.

If you need further canker sore relief, apply a small amount of a topical anesthetic, like Orajel or Orabase, directly to the lesions using a cotton swab. Reapply as needed. You may also want to cover the parts of your braces that are irritating you with orthodontic relief wax to prevent the sores from getting worse.

If you sustain an injury to your mouth while wearing braces, try to control any bleeding and check to see if there is damage to your appliance. If you suspect you have a concussion or broken jaw, or the bleeding doesn’t stop, head to the emergency room right away. Call our office afterward to let us know what happened.