What to expect from your first visits at the orthodontist
First visits at the orthodontist, it’s quite normal to be a bit nervous when you think about your first appointment with an orthodontics specialist. Orthodontic treatments can be very intimidating when you don’t know much about them.
Dr. Normand Bach, orthodontist, is a specialist from Montreal with more than a decade of experience in the field. He’s here to guide you through each step of the treatment and help you get a smile you’ll be proud of.
The initial appointment: The first visit to the orthodontist
The first appointment at the orthodontist is important, as it is necessary to start the process that will give you back a healthy smile and great dental alignment.
This appointment’s main objective is to diagnose the problem and complete the preliminary steps required to prepare everything needed for the treatment proper. Generally, this appointment is mostly for planning and includes:
- A consultation
- An assessment of your medical and dental history
- A complete oral examination
- A panoramic X-ray at no additional cost, etc.
The first appointment is not the first treatment session. Its use is rather to assess the problem and its scale. This will allow the orthodontist to give you a complete picture of the problem and its viable solutions.
You should leave your first visit with a clear understanding of the treatment’s goals, the steps it incorporates, as well as the payment methods.
The first visit to the orthodontist isn’t complex. It’s normal that you don’t know what to expect from an orthodontic treatment: the first appointment is the moment when you’ll learn everything you need to know.
Preparation for the orthodontic treatment
Once we’ve identified the appropriate treatment, time comes to start the preparation. Usually, preparation for the treatment is a simple process, which consists of making dental prints of your mouth. These will be used to plan the adjustments needed to create the desired dental alignment.
In certain cases, it could be necessary to carry on dental extractions or wisdom tooth extraction to allow the use of your planned orthodontic appliance. These processes aren’t necessary in most cases. Extraction is only needed when some teeth are particularly problematic. Once everything is ready, it’s time to start the treatment.
Installing the orthodontic appliance
Then, it’s time to put the orthodontic appliance in place. Depending on the problem that needs fixing, this appliance could take many forms, such as:
- Invisalign transparent aligners
- Metallic braces with self-ligating brackets
- Clear braces, etc.
There exists an appliance that can help your smile, no matter what the problem is! The installation process should be over after a single session. This appointment should end with your orthodontist explaining everything you need to know about maintaining your orthodontic appliance and helping your new smile come along.
Subsequent appointments: Monthly follow-up
Most of your appointments at the orthodontist will be for the purpose of ensuring that the expected progress is made. The monthly follow-up stage is the treatment’s longest phase.
These visits are used to make sure the treatment is working as expected and that your jaw and teeth are moving in the right direction. In the case of removable appliances, such as Invisalign aligners, these appointments are also required to get new aligners throughout the treatment.
In most cases, these monthly consultations are a formality. If you follow your orthodontist’s instructions, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with your teeth or the treatment’s progress.
Once the last follow-up appointment concludes, time comes to remove the appliance and take the necessary step to make sure the results are permanent. To learn more on this particular subject, you may want to read our article about maintaining straight teeth after orthodontic treatment.
The costs of treatments and appointments
The costs of an orthodontic treatment will greatly differ according to the scale of the dental work needed. Here, at Dr. Normand Bach’s clinic, we are open to discuss our treatment’s costs and the payment methods. We’ll always find a way to agree on a method that will fit your needs.
Furthermore, during your first visit to the orthodontist, there won’t be any unpleasant surprises: if a panoramic X-ray is necessary to diagnose the problem, we’ll do it at no additional cost.
For top quality dental work, there’s no need to look anywhere else: make an appointment with Dr. Normand Bach, orthodontist in Montreal.
