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What do I do if
my braces break?
First, don’t panic. Accidents happen, and while it’s uncommon for your braces to break, it can happen. The first thing you should do is call the office at Molly Hottenstein Orthodontics and tell us about the situation. We’ll usually schedule you for an appointment before your next tightening so that Dr. Hottenstein can repair your braces and get you back on track.
In some cases, we may even schedule a same-day emergency appointment, but this is not really necessary for most cases unless you’ve also experienced a serious oral injury or are experiencing additional problems like oral bleeding.
how quickly can i be seen for
emergency orthodontics?
If you have an extremely urgent issue or a very tight schedule, we can sometimes see you on the same day you notice your issue. For example, if your braces are damaged and you’re taking a trip the next day, we may be able to squeeze you in to repair your braces the same day.
However, you may have to wait a day to get emergency orthodontic care. This is because, unlike dental injuries, orthodontic emergencies do not typically cause further complications, and result in minimal pain or discomfort. They’re just inconvenient.
Still, it’s important to get help as soon as possible. So if you need an emergency orthodontic appointment, give us a call at (484) 258-2299 and Dr. Hottenstein would be happy to see you as soon as her schedule allows.
what counts as an
orthodontic emergency?
There are a lot of different things that can happen to your braces that may count as an “orthodontic emergency,” and require you to get follow-up care at Molly Hottenstein Orthodontics.
Usually, this means that one or more of your brackets has come loose. These brackets are attached to your natural teeth with very powerful dental cement, so they’re not supposed to fall off, but this can still happen.
This is particularly true if you’re not watching what you eat. Usually, braces don’t just “break” randomly. The bracket or other components are weakened when you eat chewy, tough, or gummy foods like gummy candies, apples, gum, bagels, popcorn, or other foods that you’re supposed to avoid.
Your brackets could also become loose and fall off if you take a hard hit in a contact sport. This could damage your natural teeth, as well, so it’s very important to wear a high-quality mouth guard to protect your teeth and your braces whenever you’re playing a sport that could result in an oral injury.
A damaged or loose wire is also possible. The wire can slip out of one or more brackets and come loose. This is not an extremely urgent emergency, but the wire can poke and damage your oral tissue and cause sores or bleeding. It also won’t be aligning your teeth properly, which can set back your treatment, so you should come and have your braces fixed by your Wyomissing orthodontist as soon as you can.
Contact us today
schedule your checkup!
At Molly Hottenstein Orthodontics, we’re the best choice if you have an orthodontic emergency in Wyomissing. So don’t wait. Contact us online or give us a call at (484) 258-2299 to schedule an appointment.
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