What to Expect at Your First Orthodontic Appointment

Getting started on your orthodontic journey can be very exciting but can also bring feelings of uncertainty with what to expect. Our orthodontic partners and their teams go above and beyond to make sure you’ll feel comfortable at your first appointment.

You’ve decided to get braces and now the time has come for your first appointment. Their team will make sure to walk you through the entire process so that you feel comfortable from beginning to end.

When you arrive at the office one of their awesome team members will bring you to the patient care area. At that time, they will take the appropriate x-rays needed to make sure they get the braces exactly where they need to be. (Fun fact: they use their x-rays to look at the roots of the teeth to make sure that those get lined up nicely, as well.) The next step will be polishing your teeth. This is just like when your teeth are cleaned at your regular cleaning appointments with your dentist. This ensures that your teeth are prepped so that when the braces are placed no food or bacteria gets trapped under the braces. Having squeaky clean teeth also helps the braces stick to your teeth. Once this step is complete, they will begin the process to place the braces. They use cheek retractors to help hold your lips and cheeks back so that your teeth do not get wet. It is of utmost importance that nothing gets wet while they are putting on your braces. If any saliva gets on your teeth, the braces may not stick well and could pop off. Next, they will clean your teeth again. This is done with a special cleansing agent that can taste like super sour candy, so they make sure to rinse it off really well. Following this step, they will spray lots of air on your teeth to make sure that they are dry. This is important because they use a bonding agent that helps the glue and brace stick to your tooth, and it must be dry to do so. Now you are finally ready to have the braces placed. Each small brace is placed onto the respective tooth (you likely won’t feel this at all!) and pressed into place. Once the braces are on the teeth they will come over and carefully check each brace to make sure that it is in the perfect position to help align your teeth. Once the doctor gives the approval, they use a special blue light that sets the glue and the brace in place. Now all of your braces are on, but they are not done just yet!

The next step is to place your first wire. The first wire is always light and flexible to start the alignment process and fits directly into the braces. The fun part comes next where you can pick a color or two to hold the wire into the brace. They have lots of color options to choose from!

Finally, they make sure to go over exactly how to care for your braces and give you all the tools to keep things nice and clean.

Now you are all set to start your journey towards a beautiful smile!

Call us at Smiles for Kids Pediatric Dentistry for more information at 713-461-1509!

Dr. Lindhorst, Dr. Theriot and our Smiles For Kids Team