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Question:
Will
my braces hurt? |
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Answer: The braces may
feel awkward and the teeth may be tender or
sensitive to pressure. This is normal and
will go away soon. Many patients will
experience some discomfort at first, but the
soreness will go way within a few days. You
may want to take over the counter pain
relievers the first couple of days. Small
pieces of orthodontic wax may be used if the
brackets irritate the cheek tissue.
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Question:
What
foods to avoid? |
| Answer:
Common sense will tell you in most
situations what to avoid. Sticky foods,
hard foods and foods high in sugar should be
avoided. Minimize sugary foods, they cause
tooth decay and related problems. Hard
foods can break or damage brackets and
wires. Sticky foods can get caught between
brackets and wires. Nail biting, pencil, pen
chewing and chewing on foreign objects
should be avoided.
Examples of Sticky Foods to Avoid:
Examples of hard foods to avoid:
Minimize
foods like: cake, ice cream, cookies, pie,
candy
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Question:
What if a
spacer/separator falls out?
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| Answer:
If a spacer comes out 2-3 days after your
records appointment then call our office to
schedule an appointment to have it
replaced. If the spacer falls out closer to
the time of your appointment, please come in
about 15 minutes prior to your regular
appointment. We will replace it and have
the patient sit in the waiting room until
their scheduled appointment time.
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Question:
How long will my appointments
take?
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| Answer: The
initial consultation will take about 45
minutes.
Records appointment will take about 30 - 40
minutes.
Day of full bonding: 1 hour
Regular adjustments: 30 minutes
Delivery of appliances: 40 minutes
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Question:
What is a "Records" appointment?
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Answer:
This
is the 1st appointment you will have once
you decide to start treatment with our
office. This is a 30-40 minute appointment
at which time we take photos, impressions,
x-rays and place separators in between the
upper and lower 1st and 2nd molars.
Separators are small elastics that are used
to open space so at your next visit we can
fit orthodontic bands.
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Question: How do I brush with
braces?
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| Answer:
Set a timer for 2 minutes and make sure you
brush for this amount of time! Be sure to
use your toothbrush at different angles to
get every part of your teeth plaque-free!
Also be sure to get the area of tooth
underneath the wires by pushing your
toothbrush bristles under the wire.
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Question: Can I “double up” on
rubber bands?
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Answer:
NO! This can cause TMJ problems and do more
harm than good!
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Question:
How much will braces cost? Do you offer
financial options? What if I have insurance?
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Answer: It is impossible to give an exact
cost for treatment until we have examined
you. We will cover the exact cost and
financial options during the initial
complimentary consultation. We offer many
financial options and we will review these
with you at this time. We ask that you
bring your insurance card with you to this 1st
visit so we can verify orthodontic coverage
and the amount they will pay
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Question:
Can I
still play sports?
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Answer: Yes. We
recommend a mouth guard for all sports.
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Question:
Once braces are placed, how often will I
need to schedule appointments?
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Answer:
Every
6-8 weeks
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Question:
Will I have to miss school or work during
treatment?
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Answer:
Yes,
even though we do our best to schedule all
appointments
that are most convenient for you, time away
from work and school will be necessary if
the times that you request are not
available.
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