You finally got your braces on at Heroes Dental Orthodontics and you’re excited to get that beautiful smile you’ve always deserved. Well, perfecting that smile means needing to care for your braces properly. In fact, the better you take care of them, the smoother the process will be, which means they’ll come off quicker than a speeding bullet.
But your dental team at Heroes Dental Orthodontics understands that sometimes emergencies happen, especially during these summer months as we travel about from one adventure to the next. That’s why it is important to recognize some of the orthodontic emergencies that can occur with braces and how you can protect yourself or your child.
LOOSE BRACKETS
Brackets serve to hold the wire of the braces securely in place. While brackets are strong, sturdy, and secure, they still can become loose during our orthodontic treatment.
This is often caused by eating hard or sticky food. Brackets can also become loose if you play with them or experience a strong enough impact like a hit when playing sports.
You’ll want to contact your Heroes Dental orthodontist immediately for an appointment to check and repair the appliances. It’s important not to go too long with loose brackets as this will interfere with your orthodontic treatment.
POKING WIRES
The wire that runs along your brackets is one of the most important components of your orthodontic treatment. A loose wire not only hurts progress during treatment but can also harm you.
Our orthodontic experts at Heroes Dental recommend that if a wire comes loose and begins to irritate your mouth or gums, then use a blunt instrument (like the back of a spoon or eraser end of a pencil) to carefully push the wire away from the cheek. If a wire comes completely off then be extra careful so that you don’t accidently swallow it.
Your next step is to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist at Heroes Dental. Your smile is very important to us and we want to make sure you’re orthodontic treatment is as successful as promised.
SORENESS & DISCOMFORT DURING TREATMENT
During orthodontic treatment, it is common to experience soreness and discomfort, especially after initiating treatment or having wires tightened at your previous dental appointment.
Pain relievers can help to alleviate pain and soreness. If the pain continues during treatment and becomes unbearable, we recommend you schedule a visit right away.
At Heroes Dental we not only want your orthodontic treatment to be successful, but as easy and smooth a process as possible.
SPORTS EMERGENCIES
It’s common to experience accidents during athletic activities, and injuries to the mouth and teeth are highly common in sports.
If you’re playing sports during orthodontic treatment, Heroes Dental recommends you always wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth and your braces.
If you already use a mouthguard while playing sports, we recommend that you continue to do so during your orthodontic treatment. Our expert orthodontist can also recommend you a secure orthodontic mouthguard.
Using a mouthguard during orthodontic treatment lowers the risks of orthodontic emergencies that can slow down the treatment process.
If you experience any orthodontic emergency during treatment, call us and schedule a visit as soon as possible. Your smile is the highest priority to us and we want your treatment to be highly successful.
With locations in Laredo, Mission, San Juan, McAllen, Pharr, and Edinburg, we are always available to help you throughout South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.
Don’t let an orthodontic emergency ruin your summer, we are available as needed and ready to help you get back on track with your treatment