WHAT CONSTITUTES AN EMERGENCY?

• Broken or loose brackets or wires
• Poking arch wires
• Pain in the jaws or teeth which doesn’t go away in three or four days
• Trauma (accidents which result in loose or displaced teeth)

WHEN SHOULD I CALL FOR AN EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT?

Do not wait until your next appointment to inform us of something broken. Additional time is necessary to repair breakages and needs to be scheduled accordingly. An emergency appointment may be consolidated with your regular appointment so we need to be notified in advance, even if the breakage occurs earlier in the day of your regularly scheduled appointment.

If a true emergency (irritation to the point of significantly interrupting nourishment or sleep) occurs after office hours or over the weekend, the medical exchange will contact Dr. Heiner. In situations where Dr. Heiner is unavailable, a staff member and a local orthodontist will be on call to assist you.

BEING INFORMED BEFORE CALLING THE OFFICE WITH AN EMERGENCY

Unless it is a trauma situation, review the “Parts of Your Braces” section of our website so we can better understand what is broken or bothering you. Knowing exactly what your problem is will assist us in being able to schedule the appropriate type of appointment for you.

If an appliance comes off, please bring it to your repair appointment. Often, it can be cleaned and replaced.

DOWNSIDES OF REPEATED EMERGENCIES

When braces or appliances are broken, progress is usually delayed and additional treatment time must be extended.

If breakage becomes excessive, there can be extra charges for future repairs