How do I go about getting braces?
In order to determine the type of orthodontics you need, Dr. Prosser will need to completely evaluate your mouth. This usually includes:
- Full Exam: First a medical and dental history is completed by you, and then Dr. Prosser will check for cavities, evaluate your bite, look for any problems with your jaws, or anomalies in the bone, and check the position of the teeth in your jaw.
- Panoramic Film: A panoramic film is a front view x-ray that shows all bone structure of the jaw joint and positioning of the teeth.
- Cephalometric Film: A Cephalometric film is a side view x-ray that shows your facial profile and the relationship of the teeth and jaws. This is used to help determine the type of treatment needed for orthodontics.
- Diagnostic Impressions: Impressions are taken of your teeth from which plaster models will be made. This will allow Dr. Prosser to study your teeth after the appointment and serve as a model prior to treatment. They will often be brought out during treatment to show what great progress you are making in your treatment.
- Photographs: Photographs are taken of your face, teeth, facial profile and smile. These allow Dr. Prosser to give you the best facial balance and smile possible. These photos will be kept to show your face prior to treatment and to show you the progress that has been made during treatment.
After these diagnostic aids have been analyzed, Dr. Prosser will develop a customized treatment plan for your correction. These aids will also be available during the next step which is the consultation visit. All your questions will be answered concerning financial options, length of treatment, how many phases of treatment are needed, retention therapy, and follow-up visits. We want to make sure you know what to expect so there will be no interruption in your treatment.
Bracketing Appt: At this visit which usually takes about an hour and a half (with co-operation from the patient), we will bond small brackets onto the front surfaces of your teeth and insert the first wire. At the end of this visit, we will provide you with an oral care package that contains all the necessary items for keeping your braces, teeth and gums healthy while you go through treatment.
You will also receive information on do’s and don’ts in order to keep the brackets on your teeth.
Routine “ortho” visits: Additional visits to check on your progress, evaluate your oral hygiene and change wires as necessary usually occur every 4 weeks. With the “Damon system”, we have found that the number of visits and time for treatment has been greatly reduced. Since this is a “low force- low friction” treatment, tooth soreness is also greatly reduced. It is important to note; treatment time is greatly effected by the patients’ level of cooperation and commitment to the desired results.
Retention Therapy: When it is determined that the desired results have been achieved, we will remove the brackets and take two more sets of impressions, we will use one set to make removable retainers, the second set will serve as the finished models and be compared to the models taken prior to treatment. In most cases adult patients will need to continue to wear retainer’s long term. Follow up appointments will be made to evaluate and tighten your new retainers.
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