Emergency Care

True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. You should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself. We would be happy to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.  Our office phone number is 315-487-3335.

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an 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. Please refer to the braces diagram for help if needed.

The following solutions may help you relieve your discomfort:

Poking Wire

Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.

Loose Bracket or Band

If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it. Call the office to see if it is necessary to come in prior to the next scheduled appointment.

Loose Wire

Using tweezers, try to place your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax doesn't help, use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If your discomfort continues, place wax on it.

Loose Appliance

If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.

General Soreness

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 salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, Dr. Paciorek recommends you take Tylenol® or acetaminophen.

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!

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