Table 4.
Descriptive statistics of section 4 responses
| Type of appliance | Problems, % (n)a | Way to address the problems, % (n)a |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed appliance | Exposed end of wire, 44 (106) | Calling my orthodontist, 38 (90) |
| Bracket/band off, 31 (73) | Ignoring the problem, 27 (64) | |
| Appearing of spaces, 29 (69) | Orthodontic wax, 19 (46) | |
| Gum swelling, 23 (55) | Sending a picture to my orthodontist, 13 (30) | |
| Orthodontic pain, 14 (34) | Visiting a nearby dentist, 12 (29) | |
| Broken metal piece, 14 (34) | Requesting an emergency appointment, 10 (24) | |
| Lost elastic/spring, 14 (33) | Searching for a solution over the Internet, 6 (15) | |
| Run out of elastic band, 13 (32) | ||
| Removable appliance | Orthodontic pain, 35 (6) | Ignoring the problem, 35 (6) |
| Loose appliance, 29 (5) | Searching for solution over the Internet, 35 (6) | |
| Broken part, 24 (4) | Calling my orthodontist, 18 (3) | |
| Appearing of spaces, 12 (2) | Sending a picture to my orthodontist, 12 (2) | |
| Gum swelling, 6 (1) | Visiting a nearby dentist, 6 (1) | |
| Requesting an emergency appointment, 6 (1) | ||
| Clear aligner | Loose aligner, 86 (12) | Calling my orthodontist, 57 (8) |
| Broken part, 14 (2) | Requesting an emergency appointment, 14 (2) | |
| Orthodontic pain, 14 (2) | Ignoring the problem, 14 (2) | |
| Gum swelling, 7 (1) | Visiting a nearby dentist, 14 (2) | |
| Appearing of spaces, (0) | Searching for solution over the Internet, 7 (1) |
a
More than one answer can be chosen.