Please contact our office as soon as possible in case of an emergency at (864) 329-1971. We will be more than happy to accommodate you with an emergency appointment at your earliest convenience. If the emergency occurs after office hours or on the weekend, our answering service will give you instructions about how you may contact one of our team. There are very few true emergencies in orthodontics. Please note the following:
Loose or broken braces: Ordinarily, a brace that has been broken so that it slides around on the arch wire is not an after hours emergency, as it is more of a nuisance. However, unwanted tooth movement can occur over several days/weeks upon becoming loose/broken so we want to replace the broken brace fairly soon (within a few days of breakage). Call us for an appointment.
Poking wire or irritation: If it is not convenient for you to get to us in the event of a wire poking and causing irritation, you may try your hand at dentistry: use a pencil eraser to bend the wire irritation if possible, or take a wire cutter or fingernail clipper to the offending wire. If you are able to cut and remove the offending wire, don’t worry we are always able to repair any damage. Let us know and we’ll get you in soon. If you are not able to cut the wire, use wax to cover it until we are able to see you.
Lost spacers (or separators): These accomplish the very specific goal of moving teeth apart very slightly and if one is lost several days prior to your appointment then we must replace it. Otherwise, the teeth will move back together very quickly. If, on the other hand, the spacer is lost the day before your appointment the space will typically remain so it is likely not necessary to contact us.
Extreme Pain: intense pain is not normal. Call us right away.