Orthodontist Robert B. Pickard
Pickard Orthodontics

West County Office
121 Baxter Shops
Manchester, MO 63011
Telephone: (636) 256-2626
Fax: (636) 527-3495

South County Office
11810 Gravois Road, Suite 101
Sunset Hills, MO 63127
Telephone: (314) 849-9800
Fax: (314) 849-9801

E-mail: info@pickardorthodontics.com

picture Emergency Care

The good news is that true orthodontic emergencies are very rare. Nevertheless, when they do occur, you want them handled promptly. We understand that, and we want to help. As a general rule, you should call the office--636-256-2626--when you experience a problem. In many cases, especially when there is no pain, we may be able to correct the problem at the next regularly scheduled appointment. However, we need to know in advance about broken appliances, loose brackets, etc., so that we can schedule sufficient time for repairs. In cases of severe pain or painful appliance problems that you can't take care of yourself, we'll schedule an appointment as soon as possible to resolve the problem. If you have an emergency after hours, Dr. Pickard can be reached on his cell phone--314-604-3027.

Fortunately, you can likely solve many problems yourself, at least temporarily, until you are able to schedule an appointment with our office. After alleviating your discomfort, you should still call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to fully repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in delays and disruptions in your treatment plan. When you do call the office to report a problem, it would be helpful if you could identify by name the parts that are broken or out of place. You can find a diagram with that information on the "Interactive Braces Diagram".

The following home remedies may help you relieve your discomfort:

General Soreness

When you first get your braces on, you may feel soreness in your mouth, and your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. If the tenderness is severe, we recommend ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or whatever you normally take for headaches or similar pain.

It is not unusual for the lips, cheeks, or tongue to become irritated as they initially adjust to contact with the braces. It may take one or two weeks for them to "toughen." In the meantime, you can put wax across the brackets to relieve the irritation. And if you run out of wax, we've always got more.

Mouth Sores

If you develop canker sores (or apthous ulcers), which is common even in the non-braces-wearing population, you can get some relief by swishing with a warm salt-water mouthwash several times a day. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth gently. Rubbing a topical anesthetic on the affected area may also help. These can be found over the counter at your local pharmacy. Most canker sores will heal within ten days to two weeks.

Poking Wire

Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down, or place wax on the wire end where it is poking.

Loose Bracket or Band

If your bracket or band comes loose but is still attached to the wire, put wax on it to secure it in place. If the wire comes out entirely, causing a bracket to come off, wrap both the bracket and the wire in a clean tissue and bring them with you to your next appointment.

Loose Wire

Using a pair of tweezers, try to place your wire back into the bracket slot. If you are unsuccessful and using wax does not help, as a last resort you can use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. Then place wax on the cut end to keep it from poking.

Loose Appliance

If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of the appliance.

Uncomfortable Headgear

Sometimes headgear discomfort results from not wearing the headgear properly. (Please refer to the instructions provided by Dr. Pickard.) If the face-bow (the heavy wire in front of the face that fits into the molar bands) is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less if it's worn more, so be sure you're consistently wearing it for the prescribed number of hours.