FAQs

If you think you are having an orthodontic emergency, we are here to help, please call 503 • 430 • 9207. Someone will get back to you shortly. If the emergency is more pressing and immediate attention is required, consider calling your dentist or going to an urgent care facility.

If you lose an aligner (Invisalign tray)

No big deal, it happens, just move to the next aligner and wear it for your prescribed amount of days and in addition how many days you had left on the previous aligner. If you lose the last aligner you have, move back to the previous aligner, and give us a call.

If your aligner is not fitting

If you notice that your aligner is not seating completely on your teeth, or is not fitting properly, remove the aligner and make sure that the aligner is not folded in on itself. If the aligner is folded, carefully unfold the area and try inserting your aligner again. If the aligner looks distorted or warped, try in the next aligner. If the next aligner fits well, wear the new aligner for twice as long before going on to the next one. If you don't notice anything out of the ordinary with your aligner, make sure to get 21+ hours a day with your aligner and use chewies regularly to help seat the aligner. If you would like us to check the fit of your aligners you are welcome to text/email us a picture of your teeth with the aligners in place, or schedule a visit for us to take a look in the office.

If your aligner is cracked or broken

If the crack is small no big deal, continue to wear it like normal and be careful when removing it to not crack it further. If the aligner is broken in 2 pieces, move to the next aligner and wear it for your prescribed amount of days and in addition how many days you had left on the previous aligner. Sometimes repeated flicking of aligners can lead to cracking/breakage, and distortion of the aligners.

If your aligner feels sharp

Try using a clean nail file to smooth down the sharp feeling area.

If a button or attachment comes off

If one of your buttons came off that is currently being used for elastics, please save the button and give us a call. We will schedule a visit to put it back on. If a button comes off that is not currently being used, please save it and bring it with you to your next appointment. If you have an attachment off and your next visit is in the near future, give us a call to let us know so that we can add time to your check up. If your next appointment isn’t for awhile, we may suggest you come in sooner for repair, or sometimes it can wait without interrupting your progress.

Loose Appliance

If you notice a band (silver circle around a tooth) is loose on your appliance or something is broken off, try to keep it in place and give our office a call so we can address the issue.

Loose Bracket

If you notice a bracket is off of a tooth, or sliding on the wire, be sure to give our office a call so that we can repair the bracket. If the bracket is not attached to the wire, save it and bring it with you to your appointment.

Loose-Wire

If your wire is out of your bracket, give our office a call and we are happy to get the wire back in place. If you are unable to come in, you can take a pair of tweezers or needle nosed pliers and try placing the wire back in place. If it is your last bracket that the wire is out of then you will be placing it back into the round tube. If it is any other tooth then the door of the bracket will need to be closed around the wire. To close the bracket you can gently press with your finger and you will feel a click. If the wire is bothering you, place wax over the top of it. If necessary you can clip the wire.

Poking Wire

If your wire starts poking you aply wax to the area, and give our office a call so that we can cut the wire. If you are unable to come in then you can take a clean pair or nail clippers and cut the wire to be more comfortable. Once you are able to come in to our office then we will repair the wire.