Emergency Dental Care
While damaged braces are one of the most common dental emergencies, you should never ignore the problem. Without urgent treatment, broken braces can lead to severe irritation, injuries, infections, and choking hazards. You also risk losing your treatment progress and prolonging the time you have to wear braces.
At Absolute Dental, we prioritize emergency patients and provide urgent treatment from qualified professionals — even without an appointment. Call ahead to let us know about your need for emergency dental care, and we’ll see you right away.
Orthodontic Emergency Dental Treatments
Our team can help with different types of orthodontic emergencies in Henderson, including:
Food Caught Between Teeth
It can be challenging to keep braces clean. If you get food stuck between your teeth and are unable to remove it, you should contact your dentist right away. They have special tools to remove the food and prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
Ligatures Come Off
Ligatures are the small rubber or metal bands that hold the archwire on each bracket. If a rubber band comes off, you may be able to replace it with sterile tweezers. However, loose wire ligatures are sharp and can poke your gums and mouth. You’ll need to replace the ligatures to prevent injuries and keep your treatment on track.
Ongoing Discomfort
Although it’s normal to experience pressure or tightness after installing your braces or tightening your archwire, you shouldn’t feel persistent discomfort or worsening pain. See an emergency dentist to determine what is causing the discomfort.
Mouth Sores
When metal brackets and wires rub against the inside of your mouth, you may develop painful mouth or canker sores. If these sores go untreated and worsen, it could lead to infections and other complications that can escalate quickly.
Irritation of Lips or Cheeks
It’s also possible for braces to cause severe irritation to the lips and cheeks. When this irritation progresses to open wounds, you could be dealing with bleeding, swelling, and the possibility of infection. Try using dental wax to ease irritation until you can see your dentist.
Protruding Wire
A tight archwire is crucial to your orthodontic treatment’s success. It passes through the brackets to gently pull the smile into alignment. However, the end of the wire can sometimes shift past the last bracket and poke into the gums and mouth. An orthodontic emergency dentist can safely clip or replace the wire to prevent injury or swallowing.
Loose Brackets, Wires, or Bands
Loose or broken brackets are risky for several reasons. First, they could detach from the archwire and easily be inhaled or swallowed. Also, it can affect treatment because the wire may not be applying pressure in the right way without the bracket in place. Contact us about loose brackets, wires, or bands.
A Piece of the Appliance Is Swallowed
Accidentally swallowing a bracket, wire, or other piece of your braces can be dangerous. You could experience difficulty breathing or gastrointestinal issues as it passes through your system. You should inform your orthodontist and doctor and call 911 for immediate assistance if you cannot breathe.
