Adjustment yesterday, bleeding tooth!

[Denise]

Had an adjustment yesterday - ortho replaced my arch wire and changed my elastics configuration. Now have one going from the top right canine to the lower right second molar. I've had this configuration since last October, so other than my top canine being sensitive all the time, nothing is new there.

However, now I have an elastic going from the top left canine, stretched across the front of my mouth, to the lower right canine. Of course it felt very tight, and foreign as before I had the same configuration on my left that I still have on my right.

Anyway, all kinds of teeth are sensitive now and last night while brushing I noticed my top left canine was bleeding around the gums. Has this happened to anyone else directly after an appointment where they've just changed your wire and/or elastics configuration? The bleeding was minimal, and it stopped after about an hour, but I've never had a tooth bleed around the gums after an appointment. Wanted to see if this was normal before I freak out and call my orthodontist. He's the only one in a 35 mile radius and serves two cities so he's kind of a busy guy.

Thanks all!

p.s. here is a tooth diagram to get a better idea of what teeth I'm referring to: http://www.pediatricdentistryofsalem..._permanent.gif

[Bunny]

Hi Denise, at my last adjustment I had a thick wire on the bottom set and they were really sensitive. I had a hygienist app that afternoon and the bottom front two-well between them bled a little and I freaked out. The hygienist said not to worry its due to the stress the gums are under due to the movement. Hence the sensitivity, it stopped in no time but I was scared for a while! xx

[Sunny]

Wow that's a big elastic change Denise and I agree with Bunny that maybe it was quite some pressure for your canine and the gum bleed a little in response to the pressure.

It's always good to give your ortho a call if you're worried, but if your gum area looks healthy and feels good, hopefully you don't have anything to be concerned about.

Good luck with movement ... sounds like work is being done on centring your teeth!