Emergency Orthodontist — Oklahoma City, OK

Repair & Relief for Your Crooked Grin

A teen with braces facing a severe toothache

If all goes well with treatment, you’ll only see Dr. Ishani for routine adjustments. Such visits take place every few weeks or so. Still, there’s a slight chance you might have an orthodontic emergency. You’d need to visit our office if you face one, as it’d harm your oral appliance and your grin. Dr. Ishani and his team could then make repairs and get your smile back on track. As for the details, find out more by calling our office or booking a same-day visit.

Why Choose Us for Emergency Orthodontic Care?

  • Same-Day Appointments Available
  • Advanced Orthodontic Technology
  • No-Cost Orthodontic Consultations

How We Treat Orthodontic Emergencies

A woman being treated for an orthodontic emergency by an orthodontist

Maybe you don’t know how urgent orthodontic care works. Well, there’s no need to panic; our team will gladly walk you through the process. To that end, expect these three things from your emergency visit:

  • A Quick Phone Call – In reality, most orthodontic emergencies aren’t that bad. A quick call to our office may well fix the problem. Over the phone, one of our team members will walk you through how to handle the situation. They may suggest things like dental wax, saltwater rinses, pain relievers, etc.
  • A Same-Day Appointment – If the issue can’t be fixed over the phone, we’ll book you for an appointment. This visit may occur the same day you call, at the next available time, or during a routine check-in. The timing will depend on your emergency’s severity.
  • The Care You Need – In general, our practice quickly, easily, and affordably solves orthodontic emergencies. However, you may need a follow-up visit if new parts must be ordered. If the emergency stems from a prior health issue or tooth damage, we may refer you to your local dentist. In contrast, go to your local ER directly if your jaw has been broken or dislocated.

The Most Common Orthodontic Emergencies

When taken as a whole, orthodontic emergencies aren’t that common. That said, certain types of them do occur more often than others. You should thus seek our help when or if you have one. Even if you can manage at home, it’s still a good idea to visit with Dr. Ishani. Wearing damaged braces or aligners will harm your treatment progress. So, see us quickly if you face one (or more) of the following:

Understanding the Cost of Treating Orthodontic Emergencies

A patient calculating the cost of their orthodontic emergency

For some patients, the thought of paying for treatment for an orthodontic emergency is more of a hassle than going through one. At Casady Square Orthodontics, we understand that the last thing you want to deal with when you’re having a crisis is financial planning. This is why we’re committed to demystifying the process and offering transparency and convenience. Read on to find everything you need to know about the cost of orthodontic emergencies below. If you’re in a crisis, give us a call to schedule an emergency appointment. Ignoring your problem won’t make it go away, so let us help you.

Every Orthodontic Emergency Is Different

Patient in Oklahoma City frowning with an orthodontic emergency

When you first experience an orthodontic emergency, it can be difficult to assess the real extent of the damage. So, the moment you see any damage to your orthodontic appliances or begin to feel intense pain, let us know. Until we’ve seen you to get a grasp of the situation, it’s next to impossible to give you a quote for treatment. In some cases, it’s a simple matter of reattaching a bracket or adjusting a wire. Other times it can be a critical failure of your orthodontic appliance. Until we know for sure, we can’t give you an accurate cost assessment.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Orthodontic Emergencies?

Patient in Oklahoma City checking their dental insurance for orthodontic emergencies

While it’s common for dental insurance to cover emergency care for your teeth, orthodontic treatment depends entirely on the details of your plan. Finding coverage for orthodontic treatment specifically can be challenging. Some providers set age limits while others place lifetime maximum benefit amounts for braces and other orthodontic procedures. If you need help finding the relevant information in your insurance plan, our knowledgeable staff is happy to do so. They’ll ensure you know the particulars of your treatment cost before it begins.

Other Options for Making Orthodontic Emergencies Affordable

Patient in Oklahoma City budgeting for orthodontic emergencies

Not every patient has insurance, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of options for making your care more affordable. We believe your financial situation shouldn't keep you from receiving the care you need, especially in an emergency. This is why we accept CareCredit as a means of payment. This service can help you split the cost of your treatment up into smaller installments, allowing you to pay over time with little to no interest.

Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save Your Money

Patient in Oklahoma City flossing to prevent orthodontic emergencies

The best way to reduce the cost of orthodontic emergencies is to prevent them from happening at all. While some are accident-related and unavoidable, there are several steps you can take to ensure that your appliances are functioning properly. Here are some great tips for preventing avoidable orthodontic issues:

  • Limit or avoid sticky and hard foods like candy or popcorn kernels to prevent damage to your appliances.
  • Maintain excellent oral hygiene, preventing cavities or gum-related issues from interfering with your treatment.
  • Wear proper mouth protection when playing sports or doing physical activities.
  • Listen to all Ishani’s advice and follow the guidelines for your treatment.

By adhering to these tips and exercising caution in your daily routine, you’ll reduce your risk of orthodontic emergencies. However, if disaster strikes, we’re just a phone call away.

How to Prevent Orthodontic Emergencies

A cheerful woman with braces seeing her dentist for a checkup

You want to avoid orthodontic emergencies for several reasons, including that they are often painful to experience and stressful to handle. Fortunately, with the right tips and tricks, you can significantly reduce your risk of mishaps, like broken brackets or attachments. With this in mind, keep reading to learn how you can protect your teeth and braces from harm!

Practice Good Oral Hygiene

Woman smiling while brushing her teeth in bathroom

Did you know that the development of tooth decay, gum disease, and other common oral health problems will bring your treatment plan to a temporary stop? That’s one of the many reasons why it’s so important that you practice good oral hygiene at home. So, make sure that you are brushing twice daily, flossing each evening, and rinsing with fluoridated mouthwash often.

Tip: If you have traditional braces, purchase an interproximal toothbrush!

Avoid Certain Foods

Woman taking notes on counter filled with healthy foods

In an effort to prevent broken brackets, loose wires, and the like, patients with traditional braces are instructed to steer clear of certain foods, like raw nuts. However, even patients with Invisalign should exercise caution with hard, gooey, and sticky foods (i.e., popcorn, nuts, hard candies) since they have the potential to chip a tooth or break an attachment.

Tip: Keep added sugar to a minimum since over-consumption can lead to cavities!

Attend Follow-Up Visits

Dentist and patient smiling while reviewing image

Your follow-up visits at our Oklahoma City office are important because they allow us to keep an eye on the condition of your braces, the movement of your teeth, and the state of your oral health. That’s why it’s so important that you prioritize each and every visit – even if you already have all of your aligners.

Tip: Schedule your check-in appointments on your lunch break or on your way home from work if you have a busy schedule!

Give Up Bad Oral Habits

Closeup of woman biting her nails

One of the easiest ways to break your braces is by using your teeth as tools. That includes biting your nails, tearing into plastic wrapping with your teeth, chewing on ice cubes, and putting your keys in your mouth when your hands are full. So, make sure to give up bad oral habits like these!

Tip: If you’re having trouble quitting biting your nails, smoking, or something else, ask your orthodontist for their recommendations!

Wear a Mouthguard During Sports

Green mouthguard hanging from football player's helmet

The good news is that you won’t have to give up football, running, biking, or any other form of exercise with braces. You will, however, need to wear a mouthguard. That way, your teeth, your gums, and your braces are protected in the event that you fall, someone’s elbow accidentally hits your jaw, or you’re involved in a different sports-related accident.

Tip: Don’t buy a one-size-fits-all mouthguard. Have a custom one made so it fits over your braces!

Protect Your Aligners/Retainer

Patient placing blue retainer in blue case

A broken aligner can set you back weeks or months on your teeth-straightening journey. A broken retainer can lead to orthodontic relapse, which is when your teeth begin to move out of their perfectly aligned positions. Naturally, you want to avoid both of these situations. That’s why it’s so important that you place your aligner or retainer in their designated case when you’re not wearing it.

Tip: Do NOT put your aligner or retainer in a napkin or leave it out on the counter.

Toothache

Is a Toothache an Emergency?

Some level of discomfort is normal when you get orthodontic treatment. This is because pressure is being placed on your teeth in order to shift them. Soreness is especially common after your braces have been tightened. However, sometimes a toothache can indicate a more serious problem, so you should have it looked at if the discomfort isn’t going away, is worsening, or you feel sharp pain when biting down.

How You Should Handle Toothaches:

If your toothache hasn’t gone away after several days, call us to explain what’s going on. We will see you as soon as we can so we can address the problem. In the meantime, over-the-counter pain relievers and ice packs can help to ease swelling and discomfort. Rinsing with salt water can also help by killing bacteria from a potential infection.

Loose Bracket or Wire

Is a Loose Bracket or Wire an Emergency?

This type of issue doesn’t generally cause pain, so it isn’t extremely urgent. However, you should still have this fixed at your earliest convenience so that you don’t fall behind in your treatment. Give us a call if this happens to you.

How You Should Handle a Loose Bracket or Wire:

If the bracket or wire is completely detached, bring it with you to your appointment. If it’s still partially in place, use orthodontic wax to keep it stable. Most of the time, we can easily reattach and restabilize your braces before sending you on your way.

Broken Bracket or Wire

Is a Broken Bracket or Wire an Emergency?

This type of situation is more urgent than a loose bracket or wire because it can poke at your soft tissues and hurt them. You shouldn’t attempt to repair this on your own because you could end up causing further damage to the braces or accidentally injuring yourself.

How You Should Handle a Broken Bracket or Wire:

Collect any broken pieces and bring them to your appointment. If there are any sharp or pointy areas in your mouth, cover them with orthodontic wax until you see us.

Protruding/Poking Wire

Is a poking or protruding wire an emergency? Wires that are protruding and/or poking your soft oral tissues will need to be addressed right away. Leaving them unchecked can lead to injury to your gums, cheeks, lips, and other areas of your mouth. This can also end up irritating your soft tissues and possibly result in an infection. Schedule a visit with our emergency orthodontist so that you can get the treatment you need to avoid pain and discomfort.

How you should handle a poking or protruding wire: You might use a Q-tip or clean pencil eraser to carefully shift the protruding wire back into place. You can also apply orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum atop the wire to prevent it from damaging your lips, tongue, or cheeks. Once you arrive at our office, we can help put the wire back into position so that you’re comfortable while resuming your orthodontic treatment.

Mouth Sores or Irritation

Are mouth sores or irritation an emergency? In many cases, the brackets from braces can start to rub against your soft oral tissues (tongue, cheeks, lips, etc.) when you begin orthodontic treatment. This can easily lead to problems like irritation, sores, and swelling in those areas of your mouth. While these symptoms are normal and tend to go away after getting adjusted to your braces, make sure to notify our team if any sores or discomfort don’t get better.

How you should handle mouth sores or irritation: Schedule an appointment with our team if you notice that your symptoms are getting worse over time. We’ll evaluate your mouth to check for infection and determine the proper measures to get rid of your pain. Until we can help, try rinsing with warm water (or salt water) to alleviate discomfort. You can also use dental wax to cover your brackets that seem to be irritating, that way you can have a barrier between your braces and soft oral tissues.

Broken Ligature

Is a broken ligature an emergency? If your ligatures (rubber bands) have fallen off, it’s quite simple to put them back in. These elastic bands are crucial for your wires to be able to stay attached to your braces. If they break, however, notify our team right away for help.

How you should handle a broken ligature: If possible, try using disinfected tweezers to carefully move the broken ligature back in place. You might even use a cotton swab or pencil eraser to gently bend it back to where it’s supposed to be. Make an appointment with your emergency dentist or orthodontist if these methods don’t work. Our team will be sure to treat your situation to get you back on track with your treatment plan.

Cut Lips, Cheeks, or Tongue

Is a cut lip, cheek, or tongue an emergency? If you take a blow to the face, your braces can end up cutting your soft tissues. Although these injuries aren’t typically considered emergencies, they can cause some bleeding that will need to be treated right away. Our team can help suture the wound closed if necessary. Go straight to your local ER if any bleeding hasn’t stopped after 5-10 minutes.

How you should handle a cut lip, cheek, or tongue: Gently clean the wound with a wet washcloth or carefully rinse your mouth out to get rid of any debris and bacteria. Apply pressure to the area to help control any bleeding. Take over-the-counter pain relievers as necessary and use a cold compress to reduce discomfort.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth  

Is Having Something Stuck Between the Teeth an Emergency? Getting something stuck between your teeth (or even around a bracket or wire) can happen from time to time. The good news is that it can usually be removed at home in a few simple steps and, as always, you can give us a call if you aren’t sure how to proceed.

How You Should Handle Something Stuck Between the Teeth First, use warm saltwater to rinse your mouth a few times. This will help alleviate inflammation and loosen the debris. Then, use pre-threaded floss to clean the area. If that doesn’t work, do NOT reach for something sharp. Instead, call us to share what happened and schedule an appointment with our Oklahoma City orthodontist.

Broken/Lost Aligner or Retainer  

Is a Broken/Lost Aligner or Retainer an Emergency? Yes, a damaged or lost retainer or aligner are both considered orthodontic emergencies. So, don’t hesitate to give our Oklahoma City office a call so we can determine the best way to move forward and prevent complications, like orthodontic relapse.

How You Should Handle a Broken or Lost Aligner/Retainer In both cases, we recommend calling us instead of trying to handle the situation at home (i.e., using superglue to repair your retainer, moving onto the next set of aligners in the series, not wearing the aligner/retainer anymore).

Loose Teeth  

Are Loose Teeth an Emergency? As your teeth move into their properly aligned positions, they may feel slightly loose. That’s completely normal. What isn’t normal, however, is your teeth being so loose that they feel like they are going to fall out. If that’s the case, contact us ASAP so we can determine what the root of the problem is.

How You Should Handle Loose Teeth As we mentioned above, you should contact us right away if you feel like your teeth are so loose that they could potentially fall out. If, on the other hand, they feel just slightly loose, then stick to soft foods for the next few days (i.e., oatmeal, applesauce, plain yogurt).