Emergency Care
If you have an emergency outside of office hours or during an office holiday closure, please do not call and leave a voicemail as they are not checked outside of office hours. Please send an email to oakville@hibberdorthodontics.com with the subject " Emergency" and the patients name. In your email please include a few details about the issue and your phone number. Emails are checked periodically, but access to emails can be very limited during closure time.
What to do if you have an emergency and need immediate care and our office is closed:
If you are under the age of 18 and in need of assistance due to severe pain, contact the hospital for sick children at 416 813 7654 and ask to speak to the dental resident on call.
If you’re over 18, the number for the dental emergency clinic is 416 485 7121. The website is: https://dentalemergencyservices.ca
True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but when they occur there is help available to you.
At Home Tips
You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to solve many problems yourself temporarily until you can get to our office. If your braces are poking you, put soft wax on the piece that's sticking out. If the wire has slid to one side, you can pull it back to the other side with needle-nosed pliers, replacing it in the tube on the back tooth.
After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still contact our office to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions to your treatment plan.
General soreness
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. Stick to a soft diet until your teeth do not hurt to chew. Irritated gums and other sore spots can be relieved by using wax and rinsing your mouth with a warm salt-water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and Naproxen Sodium (Naprosyn, Anaprox) actually slow the tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them frequently while wearing braces.
The lips, cheeks, and tongue may become irritated for one to two weeks as they learn a new posture and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!
Loose appliance
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part.
Loose bracket
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it if needed for comfort. If the bracket or band can be removed easily, place it in an envelope and save it to bring to your next appointment.
Loose wire
Using a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers, try to put your wire back into place. It is okay to use a piece of floss to tie the wire into place: tie the floss around the bracket in place of the missing colored o-ring. If you cannot put the wire into a comfortable position, and covering the end with wax doesn't help, as a last resort use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If the end of the wire is still sharp place wax on it.
Poking wire
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it so that it is no longer poking.