Managing pain or discomfort caused by orthodontic appliances.

Situations where orthodontic appliances may cause pain or discomfort include: • A long wire that is located distal to the terminal bracket (i.e., a distal end) is irritating the mucosa (Fig. 1) • A bracket that has debonded, come loose and is irritating the mucosa • Orthodontic wire irritating the inner mucosa (Fig. 2) • A !xed orthodontic appliance that has come loose (e.g., a single band or arm of a rapid maxillary expander) (Fig. 3)