Orthodontist Exam And Planning
Whether the patient is a preadolescent or an adult, the process starts with an orthodontal examination. The doctor will record details, such as bite, development, growth and other factors that confirm the need for braces and can determine roughly how long the patient will wear them. It is important to bring the patient's medical history, contact and insurance information, a referral slip, and X-rays of the mouth, if available. (Orthodontists can perform this service as well but it is very expensive.)
Spacers
Once the exam is finished, the patient makes an appointment to have spacers put around their back molars. This appointment typically takes place one week before the braces go on, and it is an important part of the preparation: spacers create room for the bands, the metal rings that will go on the back molars. Attempting to apply the bands without putting spacers in first would be extraordinarily difficult for the doctor and painful for the patient.
Study Up on Food
Wearing braces requires a few lifestyle changes, so it's important to study up and know what to expect. The primary change is in diet: people with braces shouldn't eat anything hard or sticky. This means no chips, popcorn, jerky, nuts, hard candy, gum, caramel or taffy. It also means learning to cut corn off the cob, and learning to cut foods such as carrots and apples into small pieces before eating them. Your orthodontist should be able to give you a list of foods you cannot eat, or have to eat differently, while wearing your braces.
Plan Accordingly
In general, people who wear braces have to visit the orthodontist once a month to have them adjusted. While this process is not painful while it's being done, it can be extremely uncomfortable and aggravating for about a week afterward. Eating becomes very difficult, so start planning dinner dates or big family occasions around your orthodontist schedule; you don't want to pay for a steak dinner that you can barely eat because it hurts so much.
Patients who play sports should be fitted for a mouth guard; braces are sharp, and a mishap on the field that used to be no big deal can now cause you to bleed profusely from the mouth.
Tags: back molars