(HealthDayNews) -- If your child's dental braces break and you're nowhere near a dentist, the Children's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, offers this advice:

• If it's a broken wire and it can be easily removed, take it out.
• If a sharp portion is hurting your child, cover that section with dental wax, cotton balls, gauze or chewing gum.
• If a wire is stuck in the gums, tongue or cheek, don't remove it yourself. Seek medical help immediately.