Orthodontic Treatment
Your dentist may have discussed with you the benefits of having healthy teeth and proper jaw alignment. Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean and maintain, which makes them more susceptible to tooth decay, gum disease and possibly tooth loss. Other orthodontic problems can contribute to abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, inefficient chewing function, excessive stress on the gum tissues and the bone that supports the teeth, or misalignment of the jaw joints.
Treatment by an orthodontist can be less costly than the additional care required to treat dental problems arising as a result of orthodontic problems, but for most people, it’s their new, beautiful smile that offers the most obvious benefit of orthodontic treatment.
Your First Visit/Consultation
At your first visit to the orthodontist, the doctor will take digital photos of your face and teeth, take digital x-rays and perform a clinical examination. As well, we review your medical and dental history to make sure Orthodontic treatment can be performed. Based on that preliminary information we normally can outline the possible orthodontic treatment and the length of time needed.
After Your Initial Consultation
After the first consultation, the next step is to take diagnostic records to determine the best course of treatment. Complete diagnostic records normally include digital study models of the teeth and further digital x-rays, if needed. This information is used to develop a custom treatment plan for each patient, as well as allowing us to track the progress of treatment as the teeth move under orthodontic care.
Getting Your Appliance and Future Appointments
The appointment when you get your appliances (braces, expanders, etc.) usually takes from one to two hours. You'll then see us at regular intervals 4 to 8 weeks apart for adjustments, which take about 15 to 30 minutes.
Patients are seen by appointment only. We make every effort to be on time for our patients and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us within 48 hours if possible. Cancel only if it is an emergency. It is difficult to reschedule you since most appointments are made 4 to 8 weeks in advance.
Home Care Instructions - The Dos
Do brush your teeth after every meal (At least three times a day!)
- Make sure you brush your teeth for at least two minutes
- Use fluoride toothpaste when you brush your teeth
Do floss your teeth at least once a day
- Make sure you go in between each tooth, all the way down underneath the gums too
Do wear a mouth guard if you plan on playing any sports where getting hit in the face could potentially happen
This includes:
- Hockey
- Football
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Baseball/Softball
- Skiing/Snowboarding
- Wrestling
- Rugby
Home Care Instructions - The Don'ts
Don't eat any HARD or STICKY foods/things.
This includes:
- Partially popped or unpopped kernels of popcorn
- Nuts, peanuts, peanut brittle
- Hard or sticky candies of any kind
- Meat still on the bone (i.e. chicken wings)
- Large hard raw vegetables
- Hard bread crusts or thick or crispy pizza crust
- Corn on the cob – remove corn from the cob first
Do not chew on:
- Ends of pencils or pens
- Gum UNLESS the package says its sugar free/sugarless
- Your nails!!!