After Hours Care

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Mon - Fri
By Appointment Only

18919 Ventura Blvd., Suite B
Tarzana, California 91356

Emergency Care

True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can’t take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem.

If it is after hours, please call or text Dr Akavan’s personal cell phone number (available on the office voicemail) and she can usually help you resolve it over the phone. If need be, she will come in to take care of the emergency.

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an appointment with our office. When working with your appliances, you need to know the names of the parts of your appliances so you are able to identify what part is broken or out of place. After alleviating your discomfort, it is very important you still call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem. Allowing your appliance to remain damaged for an extended period of time may result in disruptions in your treatment plan

General Soreness

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. If the tenderness is severe, take Tylenol or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.

The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We’ll show you how!

Headgear

Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by Dr. Akavan. Please refer to the instructions. If the facebow (the metal part) is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, the headgear may hurt less as it’s worn more, so be sure you’re getting in the prescribed hours.

Loose Appliance

If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance and call the office.

Loose Bracket

If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it. If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket with a tissue and immediately call our office.

Loose Wire

Using a tweezer, try to put your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax doesn’t help, use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If your discomfort continues, place wax on it.

Poking Wire

Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.

Getting Your Free
Consultation

When you come in for your no charge consultation:

I’ll evaluate and explain your orthodontic and pediatric dentistry needs for you or your child, and from there we’ll figure out your best choice — braces, Invisalign®, different aligners, or a different option.

What matters to me is to provide you with the best possible care and have you end up with a beautiful and healthy smile.

Quick Contacts

Please feel free to contact our friendly staff