Loose Teeth:

This is very common... no need to worry! The teeth have to loosen to move throughout orthodontic treatment. The will eventually tighten back up in their new positions.

If a bracket is loose, in most cases it will remain affixed to the archwire by a little rubber elastic (looks like an "o" ring). You may use a pair of eyebrow tweezers or an opened paper clip to stretch the elastic off the bracket. The bracket can then be carefully lifted from the archwire. If you just had your upper braces placed, we may not immediately replace the loose bracket. When we place the lower braces we usually make any necessary repairs to the upper parts. Eating hard or sticky foods is the usual cause of loose brackets. Use Your Orthodontic Wax!!! If you are unable to easily perform the above procedures, place a small piece of orthodontic wax over the bracket and call our office for the first available appointment. Do not worry about any major changes because of a loose bracket. Just let us know about the loose brace at your next visit.

When teeth move the wire may protrude or shorten. A long wire can be clipped with a pair of wire cutters (i.e. toenail cutters). Cut the wire as close as you can to the bracket. If a wire comes out of the back (of your mouth) bracket (the band and tube on your back tooth) you may attempt to reinsert the wire with a pair of needle-nosed pliers or tweezers. if you are having a difficult time and the wire is not sticking you, place a piece of wax over the area. A wire that is sticking you can be cut up close to the next bracket (brace) If any of the above occurs, please call our office during office hours to make an SOS appointment.

As long as the wire stays in all the other brackets, a brace without an elastic ring or power chain is not a problem. Call our office during business hours to schedule an SOS appointment.

In most cases the archwire is held in place by small elastics ("o" rings). However, some teeth may also be tied to the archwire via a wire ligature. The wire ligature is carefully twisted around the bracket (brace) and a short "pigtail" is tucked in between the teeth, out of the way. Sometimes the pigtail may feel shap or stick the inside of the cheek. If this happens, yu may use a pencil eraser or Q-tip with the cotton removed to push the sharp ligature wire back between the teeth. Your wax can also be used for this problem.

This is NOT an emergency! At the appointment before fitting bands around the back teeth, separators are placed on each side of the teeth to be banded. Sometimes the separators will immediately fall out. Other times it may happen a few weeks after they are placed. If you have noticed that one or more of the separators are out, wait until the next business day to let our office know. We will make arrangements for you to come by one of our offices a week or a few days before your banding appointment. If this is not possible you may come in to the office 30 minutes early so we can replace the separators just before your banding appointment.

Our office uses several kinds of expanders. One is called an RMX (rapid Maxillary Expander), another type is called an E-arch (E for Expansion). If one or both bands on the back teeth are loose, please call us during business hours to let us know. Sometimes the "E" arch may come apart in the middle. If this occurs, do not panic: call us during office hours to let us know. If you are experiencing discomfort or pain from your appliances, please call us ASAP. We will, more likely than not, want you to come in as soon as possible to have the appliance recemented or removed. Remember: NO HARD OR STICKY FOODS!