Welcome to the orthodontic practice of Dr. Diane Doppel. Serving Seattle, WA (Washington) and the surrounding greater Puget Sound area- Dr. Diane Doppel is your orthodontic specialist, offering Invisalign® and In-ovation® braces for children, teens, and adults.
Direct injuries to the mouth and teeth
Following a direct injury to your mouth or teeth, whether undergoing orthodontic care or not, you should be seen by your regular dentist as soon as possible. Usually an x-ray of the involved tooth or teeth is needed to ascertain the extent of the injury. If a tooth has been knocked out, severely displaced or fractured, it is best to contact your family dentist first since we may not have the necessary materials to treat these injuries. If the appliance is dislodged or displaced, we will need to replace the appliances as soon as possible. Please call our office immediately after seeing your family dentist. If you are unable to reach your family dentist or an alternate facility, call our office and we will try to assist you. Please discuss potential emergency procedures with your family dentist.
Athletics
If you play sports, it is important that you consult us for special precautions. A protective mouthguard is advised for playing contact sports. In case of an accident involving the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or the appliances damaged, phone your general dentist at once for an appointment and notify us as soon as possible. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness.
Orthodontic Emergencies
True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.
You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an appointment with our office. When working with your appliances, it is helpful to know the names of the parts of your appliances so you are able to identify what part is broken or out of place. After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important that you still call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions in your treatment plan.
- A loose band or bracket can generally be left in place until you are seen in our office. It is not an emergency! Your treatment has not stopped because one bracket has loosened. Call our office as soon as you notice a loose band or bracket so we can schedule you to be seen to reattach the loose appliance. In many cases, you can wait until your next scheduled appointment, but we must know ahead of time to be ready with the appropriate time and equipment. If you call and we are not in the office, leave a message so that we can discuss the schedule for repair with you.
- Poking tie wire - If a tie wire is irritating your mouth, cover it with beeswax or tuck it under the wire with a blunt instrument such as a pencil eraser or a Q-tip.
- A broken or poking archwire that is irritating the gum or cheek can sometimes be covered with wax or cotton. If that does not help, it can be clipped with a clean nail clipper. If this does not help and you need to be seen, call the office. If we are not in, use the emergency number provided on the answering message.
- A bent headgear or a removable appliance that is not fitting well is not to be worn until it can be adjusted in our office. Call the office as soon as possible to schedule an appointment to have the headgear or removable appliance adjusted. If you call and we are not in the office, leave a message so that we can schedule you to be seen.
After clinic hours
If you experience a dental emergency, call your general dentist. If you need to be seen after clinical hours for an orthodontic emergency, follow the instructions provided on our message at 206.682.1654. The emergency number provided is for our paging service. When you call this number, be sure to say your full name and telephone number slowly and clearly so that you can be contacted.
Poking Wire
Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.
Loose bracket or band
If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it. If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket with a tissue.
Loose wire
Using a tweezer, try to put your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax doesn't help, as a last resort use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If your discomfort continues, place wax on it.
Loose appliance
If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.
Headgear does not fit
Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less as it's worn more, so be sure you're getting in the prescribed hours.
General Soreness
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. Placing Orabase on the affected area may help; this can be found in a pharmacy. If the tenderness is severe, take whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.
The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!