The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many dental and orthodontic offices to temporarily close or to only provide emergency and urgent care. They are therefore encouraging patients to do their best to handle non-critical situations at home. What, then, should you do if you encounter a problem with your braces? In this particle, we offer practical tips on how to deal with various common orthodontic issues.
Protruding Wire
A protruding wire can cause significant discomfort for the soft tissues in your mouth. To deal with this situation, you should try to push the wire back against your teeth. A Q-tip and/or disinfected tweezers can help you to gently maneuver it. If repositioning the wire is difficult, do not apply extreme force to get it to move. Instead, use a bit of orthodontic relief wax to cover its end so it causes less irritation to your mouth.
Lost Ligature
Ligatures are the tiny wires or rubber bands that help to hold your braces’ main wire in the brackets. If you have rubber ligatures and one of them comes out, you can attempt to put it back in its place with the help of disinfected tweezers. If a wire ligature begins to stick out, a pencil eraser or tweezers can be used to push it back against your tooth so it causes less irritation.
Irritation and Discomfort
Even if nothing is wrong with your braces, you may experience some oral irritation. This is a common issue, and it is usually easy to cope with. Roll a bit of orthodontic relief wax between your fingers to create a ball (about the size of a small pea). Then, flatten the ball against whatever portion of your braces is bothering you. The wax will create a protective barrier between your mouth and your orthodontic device.
Other types of discomfort, including the soreness that occurs as the teeth move, are usually simple to deal with. A warm saltwater rinse, along with over the counter pain relievers, may make you more comfortable. However, if you ever experience severe or persistent pain related to your braces, you should get in touch with your orthodontist right away.
Mouth Sores
Although braces do not cause mouth sores, they can cause increased discomfort for individuals who are prone to them. You may be able to find relief by using a Q-Tip to apply oral analgesic to the sores.
Hopefully, your braces will not experience any significant problems during this period of social distancing. If they do, applying the above guidelines, and contacting your orthodontist if necessary, can help you to find fast relief.