COVID-19
Orthodontic treatment

Orthodontic treatment: how to behave during during the COVID-19 quarantine?

May 2d., 2020

Following the announcement of quarantine due to the Covid-19 virus in Lithuania, the dental clinic “Denticija” had to cancel all scheduled visits. Understanding your anxiety about orthodontic treatment during quarantine, we provide answers of orthodontist Agnė Palesikienė to the most frequently asked questions

Is it possible to take such a break without visiting an orthodontist, while wearing braces, plates or aligners?
A longer break between regular visits will not hurt the patient. At the end of the activation period, the position of the teeth will remain in the current position. In some cases (eg, wearing jaw elastics, active string components), the clinic should be consulted for further treatment. Longer breaks between visits will increase the duration of total orthodontic treatment.

Will this prolong treatment and will it be effective?
The duration of treatment will be extended, but the end result should be the same as planned before quarantine.

The set of aligners is over – how to proceed?
Contact your clinic administrator or orthodontist to discuss your specific situation. It would be best to email photos of your teeth: having your teeth clenched from 3 positions: front, right side, left side. Having your mouth wide open from 2 positions: upper dental arch and lower dental arch. If possible and the planned orthodontic treatment allows – we will send further aligners to you so that you can continue the orthodontic treatment. In the absence of access to new aligners, continue wearing the last available aligners.

The scheduled regular visit to the orthodontist for an orthodontic plate was canceled. What to do?
Continue to wear the orthodontic plate in normal mode, stop turning the orthodontic screws.

I underwent orthodontic treatment with a brace system, wore jaw elastics, but I’ve used them all. What to do?
Contact your clinic administrator or orthodontist to discuss your specific situation. It would be best to email photos of your teeth: having your teeth clenched from 3 positions: front, right side, left side. Having your mouth wide open from 2 positions: upper dental arch and lower dental arch. If possible and the planned orthodontic treatment allows we will hand over the jaw elastics to you so that you can continue orthodontic treatment.

A bracket has come loose. What to do?
If the last bracket has come loose, try to remove it from the orthodontic arch and store it until a visit to the orthodontist. If not the last bracket has come loose – leave it. You can cover the detached brace with orthodontic wax. If a moving or rotating bracket is very annoying, you can try removing the elastic or cutting the metal ligature and removing the bracket. Keep it until you visit an orthodontist.

The ligature got unscrewed and the tip of the bow is scratching.
If the unscrewed ligature is scratching, try to bend it by pressing with a metal tool (such as a tea spoon). You can try to cut thinner bows with nail clippers, pliers, thicker ones fold with a metal tool. If the bow has lengthened on one side and shortened on the other, try pushing it to the shortened side to even out the ends of the bow. Cover the scratching tip of the bow with a heated piece of orthodontic wax.

The orthodontic plate rubs, mucosal lesions appeared.
Remove the plate for a few hours. Thoroughly clean the orthodontic plate. Rinse the oral mucosa with a soothing mouthwash or herbal decoction. Place the plate to wear it overnight. In case of mucosal lesions and worse fit of the plate – contact the clinic administrator or orthodontist.

The retention wire has become loose/broken/detached.
If you have it, wear retention aligners/plates as much as possible to maintain your current tooth position. Try pressing the tip of the retention wire against the tooth with an instrument.

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