Common Emergencies

I have a poking wire!
First, check to see if the wire has come out of the last bracket on the other side of your mouth (ie. if the wire is poking on the left side, check if the wire is out of the last bracket on the right side). If this is the case, call us and we can help arrange a time for you to visit the office, where we can slide the wire back into position. If the wire doesn’t appear to have come out of the last bracket, you can use a clean pair of nail trimmers or cuticle scissors to cut the excess wire sticking out the back. Alternatively, you can place wax on the poking wire and call us to arrange a time for you to come by the office and have the wire trimmed by our staff.

I think a bracket is loose?
If one of your brackets or bands has come off but is still connected to the rest of your braces, call our office and we will advise you of the best time to come in for a repair. In some cases we may note the breakage and fix it at your upcoming appointment, or if we consider it an emergency we will suggest you come in to have it re-glued.

My Forsus Springs have come loose.
Occasionally if the mouth is opened too wide (often during yawning or taking a big bite of food) the spring and rod can separate. In this case, follow instructions in this video to reconnect the spring. If a piece of the Forsus Spring has come out of your mouth, please save it and give us a call. We will set up an appointment with you to repair it.

I’ve lost or broken my retainer!
If this happens it is best to contact us right away. If several weeks are allowed to pass you may notice some movement of your teeth that could require extra time and money to fix. We can make you a new retainer within a few days, or if your lower wire retainer has come un-glued we can repair it in one visit for a nominal fee (as long as there has been no shifting of the teeth).

My headgear isn’t fitting properly.
Give us a call and we’d be happy to set up an appointment for you to have it adjusted. Sometimes this can happen if the metal has been accidentally bent. Make sure you bring the headgear with you to the appointment.