Treatment

   emergencies

During orthodontic treatment you may have some part of your machinery come loose. If you are having pain as result, we will want to see you right away (See phone numbers below). Otherwise, we schedule emergency visits between 9:00 AM and 200 PM, so not to disrupt the busier early morning and afternoon schedule. If you call outside of office hours, our answering machine announcement will give you the doctors’ home telephone numbers. If you are having pain, one of the doctors will arrange to see you during off hours, so please do not hesitate to call and explain your problem. If you simply want to cancel an appointment or give us some information, please leave a message on our machine.

For emergency instructions:

Colby Street (South Berkeley) office: (510) 849-2434

Ensenada Street (North Berkeley) office: (510) 528-1511

Orinda office: (925) 253-4900

*If you experience a wire poke from a broken or long wire, try clipping the end with fingernail clippers. If you are unable to clip the end of the wire, try placing some wax over it. Some wire ends can be tucked out of the way with the end of a spoon or other smooth object. Make sure to call the office the next business day if you are unsuccessful in resolving the problem. We will make further arrangements if necessary.

*If you are out of town and have a loose band or bracket, find a local orthodontist or dentist and ask him/her to make you comfortable. Always keep any band, bracket, wire, or any other orthodontic device that comes loose and is removed from your mouth.

*If you have a traumatic injury resulting in lacerations to the lips or gums or if teeth are displaced, please contact our office immediately. If you have broken any part of the tooth, you will need to contact your family dentist. If you suspect that your jaw has been injured, or notice that your teeth have been moved by the accident, you may also need to be seen by an oral surgeon.

*It is not an orthodontic emergency if a bracket comes loose from the tooth or a separator falls out. We really need to know this, however, so please call us the next business day to report this mishap. A broken brace should be fixed in a timely manner. Braces are fixed during the quieter times in the office (9am - 2pm). If you insist on an attractive after school visit, you will have to wait much longer to be seen. The longer the brace stays off the longer the treatment time. While orthodontic emergencies can and do occur, most can be prevented.