GENERAL INFORMATION

Orthodontic treatment is extended over a considerable period of time. It is essential that a close and cooperative relationship exist between the patient, the parents and the orthodontist. In order to accomplish the highest quality result in the shortest time for everyone’s convenience, we ask you to:

  1. Keep all appointments. Missed adjustments delay completion time. If for some reason you are unable to use your appointment, please notify us as soon as this becomes apparent. If, by any chance, you do miss an appointment, call immediately for a new one.
  2. Please be on time for your appointment. Unkept appointment times may not allow us to honor your appointment, as this would infringe on those patients scheduled after you. Please call if you know you will be late to inquire as to availability.
  3. Follow all instructions most carefully. Wear the elastics (rubber bands), head devices or removable appliances as prescribed.
  4. See your dentist for prophylaxis (cleaning the teeth) and checking for cavities. Bands do not cause decay and will not be placed over an area in which there is decay; however, areas should be checked every six months by your family dentist.
  5. Please avoid hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar content. Do not eat large nuts, corn on the cob, ice, caramels, chewing gum, licorice or taffy. Candies such as Starbursts, Skittles, Now & Laters, Laffy Taffy, Twizzlers, Snickers, Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Rolls, Gummy Bears, etc. should not be eaten. Also, do not bite into hard foods such as apples, carrots, celery, pretzels, bagels, pizza crust or French bread. Do not eat meat off the bone such as drumsticks, ribs, T-bones, pork chops, etc. Instead, cut these items into bite-size pieces first or remove the meat from the bone. These foods can break the cement seal of the bands and distort the delicate orthodontic archwires.
  6. If a band becomes loose, don’t wait for your next regular appointment, but phone the office immediately and arrange to have it recemented. Unnecessary delay may cause gum irritation, slow progress and invite decay. If a wire or part of the appliance becomes loose, do not discard it. Place it in an envelope and bring it to the office with you. If excessive breakage occurs, additional charges will be incurred for each incident.
  7. If the bands or wires bother your lips, gums, cheeks or tongue, place a small piece of soft wax or cotton over the offending bracket, tube or wire. Such irritation will usually disappear after a day or two; but if it doesn’t, please call for an extra appointment. You are not to suffer.
  8. Brush your teeth, braces and particularly under your wires after each meal and before going to bed. Poor oral hygiene habits or improper brushing technique can result in decayed teeth and irritation and/or infection of the gums. Toothbrushes and instructions will be supplied at the initiation of treatment and during treatment, as needed.
  9. Bring all of the parts of your appliances, such as elastics, facebow, headgears and removable appliances to the office with you at each appointment regardless of whether you think this appliance will be adjusted or not.
  10. Please help us control cross infection. Call to reschedule the appointment if the patient has an active upper respiratory infection (cold, flu, sore throat, etc.) or open cold sores around the mouth. Keeping the appointments under these conditions exposes the staff and other patients to unnecessary infection.
  11. In order to ensure the comfort of our patients, we ask that parents/guardians wait in the main waiting area. Patients should wait in the “Patient Waiting Area.” An exception to this policy is if the patient is very young and requires a patient for assistance.

After appliances are inserted, and in some cases after a periodic treatment visit, a patient may complain of a general soreness of the mouth or tenderness of the teeth. Advil or Tylenol may be taken every four hours if the tenderness continues. If the soreness does not lessen after 3-4 days, you are advised to phone for an appointment so that an adjustment may be made.

The length of time of treatment varies with the severity of the malocclusion, the interest and cooperation of the patient and the response of the tissue to tooth movement. Every effort will be made to obtain the maximum results attainable in the minimum amount of time.

Thank you for the confidence you have placed in us. If any questions should arise during the course of treatment, please feel free to ask for a consultation.

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RAPID PALATAL EXPANSION APPLIANCE

ADJUSTMENT PERIOD

  1. Increased salivation expected to last 1-2 days.
  2. Difficulty with swallowing expected to last 1-2 days.
  3. Difficulty with eating expected to last about 1-2 days.
  4. Difficulty with speech expected to last about 1 week.

DIET-HYGIENE

  1. Eat soft foods for first couple of days.
  2. AVOID sticky foods such as gum, caramel, Gummy Bears, Starburst, etc. It is very important to avoid dislodging the expansion appliance. It is not easily recemented and expansion can be lost if the appliance is loosened.
  3. Minimize intake of sweets and pop.
  4. Brush appliance when you brush your teeth.

ACTIVATIONS

  1. Follow the activation schedule given to you by your doctor.
  2. Activate 1-2 turns daily depending upon the instructions given.
  3. Please keep track of the number of times that the appliance has been activated.
  4. The patient may want to take an analgesic (such as Tylenol) prior to activation. Usually, this is not necessary.
  5. With each activation, the patient will experience tightness and pressure against the teeth. There may also be pressure sensations in the area of the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose. Most of the pressure will be relieved during the first few hours.
  6. If any activation is unusually painful, stop that activation and wait until the next day to try again. If still painful, please call the office.
  7. After about 10-12 activations, you should start to see a space develop between the maxillary incisors. This is normal and is a good sign that the palatal suture is opening.
  8. If the expander ever feels loose, please call the office.
  9. There will usually be between 20-40 activations depending upon the amount of expansion needed in your case.
  10. Following the completion of the expansion, the expander will be left in place for approximately 3-4 months.

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INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR HEADGEAR

  1. A headgear is a removable appliance which requires your cooperation to be effective. It is essential that it be worn EVERY DAY for the number of hours prescribed for your orthodontic problem.
  2. There are several types of headgear. The one prescribed for you depends upon the work to be done to correct your particular problem.
  3. Some discomfort may be experienced initially. It is important to NOT remove the appliance when discomfort is noticed. If you remove the headgear to “rest” your teeth, you have done exactly the wrong thing. Removing the headgear does not allow the teeth to adjust to the pressure. The discomfort is temporary. If, however, it appears to be unusually severe or persistent, call the office.
  4. Use the “Score Card” provided to record the total number of hours the headgear is worn each night.
  5. Care should be exercised when inserting and removing the headgear to prevent the possibility of injury to the gums, cheeks and eyes. Do not force your appliance on or off.
  6. If a band becomes loosened or the headgear breaks or needs an adjustment, call for an EXTRA appointment. Do NOT wait for your regular scheduled appointment to have your appliance repaired or adjusted.
  7. ALWAYS bring ALL parts of your appliance with you to ALL appointments. It may be necessary to check or adjust your headgear even if you come to the office for an appointment that you believe will not involve your headgear.

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