Orthodontic emergencies

These are appliances that can be inserted and removed from the mouth, such as aligners and retainers.

Broken, deformed or damaged appliance

If the appliance no longer fits properly in your mouth, stop wearing it and book an emergency appointment.

Lost appliance

Contact us to let us know what happened, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Here, we are primarily talking about problems with braces.

Broken or partially detached appliance

If the appliance does not interfere with chewing, leave it alone and contact our clinic. If a palatal expander is partially detached but still in the mouth, stop turning the key.

Completely detached appliance

Keep the device in a safe place and do not try to put it back in your mouth. Call us for an appointment right away.

If you find yourself in one of the situations below, book an emergency appointment with Dr. Nguyen as soon as possible.

A wire that is too long and pokes your mouth

• Try to bend the wire back towards the tooth so that it no longer hurts
• Try to cut the wire (the protruding part) with nail clippers or small pliers (cuticle or nail clippers available at a pharmacy) which have been disinfected, being careful not to swallow the snipped piece of wire.

A wire that has popped out

• Cover the wire with orthodontic wax*.

• Try to reposition the wire with your fingers or a pair of eyebrow tweezers.

Cut off the section of wire that has popped out, as close as possible to the bracket.
*Orthodontic wax is sold in pharmacies in the dental products section.

Bracket that is unglued

• Keep the bracket safe and bring it with you to your appointment.

Loose hook used to attach a rubber band

• Stop wearing all rubber bands

Broken and/or dismantled elastic chains (elastics threaded onto each bracket to connect the teeth together)

• Cut off or remove any excessively long segments that could get in your way.

If you have run out of new aligners, continue wearing the last active aligner, for only 8 hours a day, until your next appointment.

If you have broken or lost your current clear aligner, continue treatment with the next aligner (or the previous one if it is the last) and book an appointment.

If you have lost an attachment or cleat, continue wearing your aligner and call us to book an appointment.

If you have lost a button (used to attach a rubber band), stop wearing all rubber bands and contact Dr. Tram-Anh Nguyen.

 If your fixed retainer (wire behind the teeth) has become partially or completely detached:

•  Apply orthodontic wax to the area of the loose wire and schedule an appointment at the clinic.

If your removable retainer is broken or lost, contact us to book an appointment.