Emergency Care
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Care when you need it
Although the need is very rare, Dr. Kenneth Grabowski Orthodontics offers emergency care to all his patients. We encourage patients to call the office if they experience severe discomfort or an appliance problem. We are happy to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.
What to do in an emergency
You may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until your appointment with our office. When working with your appliances, you need to know the names of the parts of your appliances so you are able to identify what part is broken or out of place. Review the examples and suggestions below for temporary relief.
After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions in your treatment plan.
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash.
Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth vigorously. Placing Orabase on the affected area may help; this can be found in a pharmacy.
If the tenderness is severe, take Motrin or whatever you normally take for a headache or similar pain.
The lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We’ll show you how!
Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by Dr. Grabowski for your specific treatment plan. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less as it’s worn more, so be sure you’re getting in the prescribed hours.
If the facebow is bent, please call our office for assistance.
Please call the office at 269-323-0212 so we can review your chart and evaluate the need to be seen sooner than your next appointment.
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it.
If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket with a tissue.
Using a tweezer, try to put your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax doesn’t help, please contact our offices at 269-323-0212.
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.
As always, feel free to contact Grabowski Orthodontics with questions or concerns. We strive to provide the best experience and care to each and every patient!