Over 4 million people in the US wear braces, and 25% of these people are adults.
Spacers and separators are used to shift your teeth before your braces are placed. They are supposed to stay in place on their own, but can fall out if you eat sticky foods or pick at them. If you lose a spacer or separator, contact us to determine your options.
Brackets or bands on your teeth can become detached if you eat hard or tough foods, or do things like chew your fingernails or pens/ pencils. Sometimes, you can wait until your next appointment to have this fixed or we may recommend that you come in for an emergency appointment; give us a call to find out what needs to be done.
You need to get emergency orthodontic treatment for a loose wire. The wire on your upper or lower braces should never feel loose or poke your cheeks or gums. Call us right away to determine how to get this fixed.
As an emergency measure, you can try to bend a poking wire away from your cheek or other tissue using a toothpick or tweezers, or use a little bit of orthodontic wax to cover it up. However, a loose wire indicates that something is wrong and this needs to be fixed quickly. You should never try to cut a piece of wire on your own, as you may accidentally swallow the piece you’ve cut.
Time to your appointment depends on the severity of your issue and how quickly Dr. Bailey believes your mouth needs to be treated. If you are experiencing serious pain and discomfort due to an issue with your braces, we will get you help as soon as possible!
We offer appointments on Saturday, so you can get the treatment you need without waiting until Monday! To learn more and find out if you need immediate care for an orthodontic emergency, contact us online or give us a call at 703-775-0202.
You don’t need to bring anything with you to your emergency orthodontic appointment. If you have a broken piece of your braces, you can bring it along, but this isn’t usually necessary.
Over 4 million people in the US wear braces, and 25% of these people are adults.