What to do in case of emergency?
Call our office as soon as possible if you break or loosen any of your appliances. Please do not come directly to the office – by calling us, you will allow us to create a specific time to see you. Even if you have a regular appointment scheduled, call us immediately to notify us if you need an appliance repaired so we may add additional time as needed.

AFTER HOUR EMERGENCIES:  If you have an orthodontic issue that you feel may require some assistance, you may reach us by calling our emergency line at (479) 466-9323.  This line is answered after regular business hours on weekdays up until 9:00 pm and between 12:00 noon and 9:00 pm on weekends.

Common orthodontic problems are listed below, but not generally considered an emergency:

Loose brackets or bands
Call our office immediately for advice if a bracket or wire is loosened. The bracket may need to be re-fitted as soon as possible. You may have a situation that requires cutting a wire or sliding a bracket off a wire at night or over the weekend. If you need to cut a wire in case of emergency, you may use fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. Please call our office the next business day, so that we may schedule an appointment for you.

Wire irritations
Sometimes discomfort caused by a wire on your braces can be resolved by moving the wire away from the irritated area with a cotton swab or eraser. If the wire will not move, try covering the end of it with a small piece of cotton or a small amount of wax. If the wire is painful, you can cut it with fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. If you cannot resolve the wire irritation, call our office for an appointment.

Lost separators
Most patients lose a separator once ample space has been created between the teeth where the separator was placed.  Do not worry about losing a separator, but call our office to see if it needs to be replaced a day or two before your banded appliance is placed.

Loose palatal expander:   If one side of your palatal expander comes loose, call the  office so we may either remove the expander or re-seat it properly.

Broken Herbst (screw out):   If the "arm" of your herbst appliance comes apart (or the screw comes out), save all the parts and call the office so we may repair it.

Discomfort with orthodontic treatment
During the first week after your braces are in place and when routine adjustments are completed, you will likely feel some soreness or discomfort. You may take acetaminophen or other non-aspirin pain relievers while your teeth and oral tissues adjust to your new braces or the new wires that may have been placed.