Okay, now that you’ve had your Q & A with the doctor and pretty much have an idea of what to expect during treatment, now comes the fun part and the beginning of a committed and long term relationship with your orthodontist and his or her team. The initial banding or bonding is when your teeth will have their first encounter with the whole orthodontic experience.

What to expect

Depending on your/or your child’s individual treatment plan will determine which teeth the braces may be placed on first.  Back in the day (there’s that term again) or in the past, braces were placed on all the teeth at once.  However, thru the years orthodontist have found that this particular method does not always fit every patient’s particular case.  Sometimes braces may be placed on the bottom teeth first or visa versa.

Once those teeth have been maneuvered into a better position, the remaining braces may be placed later to complete the full set of braces.  Of course, I won’t be able to go into each and every scenario, I just want to give you an idea of what to expect. Once the braces have been placed during the first visit, the dental assistant will go over oral hygiene, foods to avoid, emergency care and answer any questions you might have missed asking in the conference/2^nd consultation appointment.

Most offices will give out a goodie bag of all the items you might need to take care of your new set of braces.  The bags may include toothbrushes (one regular and one travel size), toothpaste, a fluoride rinse, some special dental floss or device(s) to use with regular dental floss, and coupons for more toothpaste, mouth rinses, etc. and brushing instructions.

Depending on the each individual’s plan threshold, there may be some discomfort for 3-4 days.  The teeth usually feel what I like to call “tighter” and not throbbing.  The reason for the “tight” sensation is because your teeth have been in their own little dormant positions for how ever many years and now the nerve endings are awakening once the braces go on. Think of it like this…so you haven’t exercised in who knows how long, then one day you wake up and say “I’m doing it today!  I’m going to get up and do some weightlifting to get these muscles in shape for summer!”.  So you get up and start lifting those weights and doing those sit ups… Well, the next day you wake up thinking you’ve been in boxing match or hit by a truck, your muscles are aching all over and you can hardly move.  It’s the same with the braces, your teeth have been complacent and dormant in their positions for however long until the day your treatment started.  Now the nerve endings are being awakened with the braces on and here comes the discomfort feeling, except not as bad as the whole exercise thing. Don’t’ be alarmed, usually after the first 2 or 3 appointments the discomfort feeling will subside because now your brain knows what to expect and you are on your way to a better functioning and beautiful smile!