Emergency Care
True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur, we are available to you. As a general rule, 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’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.
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 so you can identify what part is broken or out of place. After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to fix the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions in your treatment plan.
Loose brackets or bands
Call our office as soon as possible for loose brackets or wire. The bracket should be repaired as soon as possible. You may have a situation that requires cutting a wire or sliding a bracket off a wire if it comes loose at night or over the weekend. If you need to cut a wire, in case of an emergency, you may use fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. Please call our office the next business day, so that we may schedule a repair appointment for you.
Wire Irritations
Sometimes discomfort caused by a long or sharp wire on your braces can be resolved by moving the wire away from the irritated area with a cotton swab or eraser. If the wire will not move, try covering the end of it with a small piece of cotton or a small amount of orthodontic wax. If the wire is painful, you can cut it with nail clippers or cuticle clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. If you cannot resolve the wire irritation, call our office for a comfort appointment.
Lost Separators
To ensure there is enough space at the bonding appointment, separators must stay in the mouth for several days before placing the bands. A lost separator is rarely an emergency but should be replaced on our next working day.
- Renton Highlands Office
451 Duvall Ave. NE
Suite 230
Renton, WA 98059Phone: (425) 430-8844
Fax: (425) 430-8845 - Southcenter Office
411 Strander Blvd.
Suite 102
Tukwila, WA 98188Phone: (206) 575-1194
Fax: (206) 575-3194 - West Seattle Office
2617 California Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98116Phone: (206) 935-2414
Fax: (206) 935-8701
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Renton Highlands Office
451 Duvall Ave. NE
Suite 230
Renton, WA 98059Phone: (425) 430-8844
Fax: (425) 430-8845 -
Southcenter Office
411 Strander Blvd.
Suite 102
Tukwila, WA 98188Phone: (206) 575-1194
Fax: (206) 575-3194 -
West Seattle Office
2617 California Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98116Phone: (206) 935-2414
Fax: (206) 935-8701