Active Treatment

Active Treatment

Following the statement issued by the UK government and Public Health England, all routine orthodontic appointments are currently suspended. As long as you are looking after the brace and ensuring that your oral hygiene (tooth brushing) is of a high standard, then there is not an issue with the brace remaining in situ. Delaying treatment would not have detrimental effects to the teeth, the specific high-tech wires that we use are designed to continue to apply light continuous pressure so will work as expected. To avoid breakages please remember to look after your brace by sticking to the softerversions of foods, avoid biting nails, pen lids etc.

Problems with my fixed brace

Q. I have a fractured bracket, does it need to be rebonded?
A: No. If the bracket ison the wire then leave it there, after brushing your teeth you can place some wax on it, if it isrequired to stop it from swiveling around on the wire. If the bracket has come away from the wire thenit is ok to leave.

Q. A bracket is causing irritation, what can I do?
A: A small amount of non-medicinalrelief wax makes an excellent buffer between the brace and mouth. Simply dry the affected area with apiece of kitchen roll or cotton bud so it’s free from saliva, and place a pea sized amount of comfortwax over the area of the brace which is causing irritation. It is important to warm the wax between yourfingers to make it malleable. Eating will then become more comfortable (do avoid hot drinks as this willmelt the wax). If the wax is accidentally ingested please don’t worry, as the wax is harmless.

Q. A bracket is broken on the wire, causing irritation, and I want to remove it?
A.If you feel you need to remove the bracket then you may be able to use a pair of tweezers. This will beeasier with the Damon Appliance. You can gently press down or twist above the gate of the bracket, thegate should open easily and you can then remove the bracket from the wire.

Q. I have swallowed one of my brackets.
A: Please do not be alarmed if you haveswallowed one of your brackets, it will pass through naturally without causing any internal concerns.

Q. Will my tooth move if I do not have a broken bracket rebonded?
A: If it is abracket that was attached to the wire then this is a possibility, however this is not a major concernand can be rebonded at a later stage. To avoid breakages please remember to look after your brace bysticking to the softer versions of foods, avoid biting nails, pen lids etc.

Q. My clear elastic chain has come loose, what shall I do?
A:This elastic chain is okto leave if it’s not causing any irritations. If the chain is flapping around then you can trim thechain with a pair of nail scissors/clippers.

Q. An auxiliary (zingstring,coilspring etc) has come loose/lost, what shall I do?
A:Itis ok to leave at this stage if it is not causing any irritation.

Q. My wire has slipped to one side and is digging into my cheek, what can I do?
A: Ifyou have recently had your appliance fitted the wire will be relatively flexible and you can try usingyour thumb nail, back of your toothbrush or the back of a teaspoon to gently push the wire back around.

Q. My wire is sticking out, what should I do?
A: If you have recently had yourappliance fitted the wire will be relatively flexible and you can make the wire comfortable by tuckingit under the hook of your very back brackets. You may even be able to re-insert the wire if it isrelatively flexible. You may need to place some wax in the area to keep it in place. We would notsuggest that you trim your wire in case you make it worse for yourself. If you take a photo ofthe areaand email it into the practice we can advise you further. If your brace has been on for some time youarelikely to be in a strong wire which in this case it will not be possible for you to trim the wire athome but it is more likely that the wire will just sit alongside the teeth.

Q. My wire is protruding out between 2 brackets, what should I do?
A: If you haverecently had your appliance fitted the wire will be relatively flexible, using the pad of your fingergently press in the area of the protrusion and the wire should slide back into place. Alternatively youmay wish to use a pair of tweezers and try to slide the wire.If you are unsure what to do then pleasesend a photo and we will try and help you further.

Q. My wire is too strong and I cannot trim it
A: If the wire you have in place is astrong wire then it will not be possible to trim it yourself. The best thing is to use wax to protectyour cheeks from the sharp end. If you are unsure what to do then please send a photo and we will tryand help you further. If possible try to assess whether the wire is long or if it has slipped around,check the other side and see if it has come out of the very back bracket. You might need someone to helpyou.

Q. The end of the wire is causing irritation, what can I do?
A: A small amount ofnon-medicinal relief wax makes an excellent buffer between the brace and mouth. Simply dry the affectedarea with a piece of kitchen roll or cotton bud so it’s free from saliva, and place a pea sized amountof comfort wax over the area of the brace which is causing irritation. It is important to warm the waxbetween your fingers to make it malleable. Eating will then become more comfortable (do avoid hot drinksas this will melt the wax). If the wax is accidentally ingested please don’t worry, as the wax isharmless.

Q. My wire has broken, can I pull it out?
A: it is not advised that you try to pullwire out of your brackets, if it is not causing you any discomfort then it is ok to leave. If you areconcerned then please email a photo of the area and we can advise you from there. However if you feel itnecessary to remove part of the wire that is broken, you may be able to do this with a pair of tweezers.

Q. My wire ligature has become loose, and/or sticking out into my lip.What can I do?
A.If the ligature is loose, simply remove it with tweezers. If the wire ligature is sticking out into thelip, but is not loose, it can be bent back down with a cotton bud or pencil eraser to eliminate theirritation.

Q. My teeth have started to cause discomfort? Should I be worried?
A: No you shouldnot be concerned regarding discomfort coming and going, the arch wires we use specifically continue togently move the teeth. If you do have any discomfort have softer foods, cold drinks and foods, andpainkillers you would take for headache (please DO NOT use Ibuprofen). If you feel this discomfort to beexcessive then please email the practice.

Q. My teeth feel mobile, should I be concerned?
A:With orthodontic treatment teethare actively moving through bone, resulting in teeth moving and causing some mobility, so this isnormal, please do not worry. If you are concerned that a particular tooth feels more mobile than normalthen again please email, send a picture and we can review why this might be the case.

Q. I have a tingling lips, cheek irritation, and swelling of the lips, what should i do?
A.If you are wearing elastic bands please stop wearing them immediately, take a piriton and see if thishelps, If you are not wearing any elastics, please send a picture into the practice for further advice,if your brace was fitted over over 3 or more days then it is very unlikely to be a reaction from theappliance. If the irritation is causing respiratory problems ring 111 for advice or in an emergency dial999.

Q. Trauma to my face and brace what should I do?
A: If you have fallen or hit yourface resulting in severe trauma to the soft tissues, teeth and/or appliance

• Firstly you could send in a picture to our email address showing the area of damage so we can giveadvice.
• Contact 111 regarding severe facial damage.

Problems with my elastics

Q. Should I continue to wear my elastics?
A: please continue to wear your elastics aswe have asked you to do. We will email you to ask you to take a photo of your teeth on the day when yournext appointment is due so that we can assess the progress and provide appropriate advice.

Q. What if my hook for elastics has broken/come away?
A: if you can place the elasticaround your bracket do so, if this keeps coming off then don’t worry and stop wearing all elastics. Ifyou are supposed to be wearing elastics on both sides, do not wear just on one side, stop completely.

Q. What if the bracket I attach my elastic to has broken?
A: at this stage we willnot be rebonding any brackets so stop elastics completely. If you are supposed to be wearing elastics onboth the right and the left, do not wear just on the one side, you will need to stop completely.

Q. I am running out/or have run out of elastics. What should I do?
A: Please emailthe practice, let us know which ones you are wearing and we will post them to you for the postage fee(£1.00)

Problems with my turbos/bite blocks

Q. My turbos have worn down and I am contacting my lower brackets when biting
A: tryto be careful when biting, try not to bite tightly together. Usually when you are relaxed the teeth arenot in full contact anyway.

Q. I have lost one turbo from one side but the other one remains on the other side, does thismatter?
A: you should try and bite directly on to that one turbo and try not to slide on it.Even though it will feel strange biting on just the one, it will still be helping free the bite.

I was due to have my braces removed and now it has been postponed

Q. I was due to have my brace removed and it has been postponed. What will happen if I try toremove it myself?
A: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE YOUR FIXED APPLIANCE it is very irresponsiblefor you to attempt the removal of your brace, if you try this you may damage the teeth in the process.We will contact you to arrange to remove your brace when the practice has been advised that it canresume routine treatment.

Q. My appointment to have my brace removed has been delayed, should I continue to wear myelastics?
A: Please continue to wear your elastics in the same position as we have asked youto do, however reduce the wear to night time only.

Q. Will keeping my brace on longer cause any problems to my teeth?
A: as long as youare looking after the brace and ensuring that your oral hygiene (tooth brushing) is of a high standard,then there is not an issue with the brace remaining in situ. If anything the wires are continuing tohold the teeth where we want them to be and help to allow the teeth to get used to their position.

Problems with my removable brace/Aligners (Invisalign)

Q. I am wearing currently having Invisalign treatment and I don’t have my next aligner...whatshould I do?
A:Continue to wear your current aligner for 22 hours a day, this will hold theteeth in their new position. It may be that we can post your next aligners but this would need to beconfirmed by Dr Cure and would require photos with your current aligners in situ.

Q. My Invisalign aligner broke/ has been lost, what shall I do?
A: If your currentaligner you are wearing is broken, then it would depend on how long you have been wearing it. If it wasonly 2-3 days then, it may be a good idea to go back to wearing your previous aligner until areplacement aligner is suppliedIf you have been wearing the lost/broken aligner for 5-6 days thennormally it is safe to continue with the next aligner you have been given. It may just feel tighter thannormal but we would advise that you wear this for the whole week PLUS the extra days needed to make upthe previous week.

Q. I have lost an attachment from my teeth, what should I do?
A: continue to wearcurrent aligner and do not move on to next aligner until the attachment as been rebonded

I don’t have any wax

Q. Can I buy wax from the shops?
A: It isn’t commonly available but some larger Bootsstores may stock orthodontic wax. It may also be available online.

Q. Please could you post me some wax?
A: Yes of course for a £2.00 fee and £1.00postage charge payable over the phone.

Delayed appointments

Q. Delaying my adjustment appointments, will this have detrimental effects on myteeth?
A: Delaying treatment would not have detrimental effects to the teeth, the specifichigh tech wires that we use are designed to continue to apply light continuous pressure so will work asexpected. The only detrimental effects would be poor oral hygiene which can damage the enamel. Pleasekeep up with good oral hygiene (good brushing).

Should you have any further questions, please contact us via email:care@leamingtonspaorthodontics.com and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.