With the world still reeling under the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects, most orthodontists have either paused or postponed any non-emergency or elective procedures to ensure safety for all. However, for those of you undergoing orthodontic treatment, it could become a reason for concern in cases of emergency. To help you deal with any unforeseen issues at home during such trying times, here are some easy guidelines you could follow:
Discomfort
As the teeth move to their new position, it is normal to feel some discomfort in the mouth. While it generally doesn’t last for more than a couple of days, to help ease the pain or soreness, you could rinse your mouth with warm salt water or take over-the-counter pain relief medicine (of course, after consulting your orthodontist).
Loose braces or protruding wires
If you are wearing metal braces to straighten your crooked teeth, then sometimes there are chances of the braces getting loose or having wires jutting out. You can use sterilized tweezers or nail clippers to bend the brackets or cut the excess wire and salvage the situation temporarily until you can get them checked and fixed by your dentist.
Running out of remaining clear aligners
There can be a situation where you have run out of the remaining clear aligners from the series even before your treatment is over and there’s no way you can get hold of any immediately. There’s no need to panic in such cases. You can keep wearing your last set of aligners to hold the teeth in their position and check with your orthodontist for the next steps.
Broken or lost retainers or aligners
While it is important to be careful about
maintaining your aligners or retainers during ongoing treatment, mishaps can still happen. However, ideally, there should not be any gap in the treatment. Get in touch with your orthodontist or
clear aligner provider for advice on a solution.
Maintain good oral hygiene
No matter what the situation is,
maintaining oral hygiene by brushing and flossing at least twice a day can keep many dental issues at bay. Even if there is a gap in the treatment, a consistent oral care routine can help in averting a lot of possible dental health issues.
Contact your orthodontist
Most orthodontists and dentists offer online consultation during a crisis and are also reachable through customer service options. If you hit a dead-end during your
orthodontic treatment but cannot step out for a physical check-up, online consultation is the next best option to keep the ball rolling.
OrthoFX provides experienced US-based customer service to help you deal with any crisis. More for information or queries on how to handle
orthodontic issues at home, get in touch with the OrthoFX concierge team.
