Your Appointments

We value your time and make every effort to stay on schedule. We have carefully designed an accurate scheduling system that serves our patients, their families, and expedites treatment. While we have invested a lot of consideration in our appointment system so that we may give you the best orthodontic experience, it does require cooperation between our office and our patients.

The Separation Appointment

This appointment is required to separate the back teeth to create sufficient space to fit the bands. Tiny plastic rings or metal springs fit snugly between each tooth to help move the teeth slightly apart. They usually stay in place for 7-14 days before the bands are fitted.

  • There may be some discomfort for a few days after this appointment. Softer foods may be easier to eat. Treat any discomfort with two tablets of Advil or Ibuprofen.
  • Brush your teeth as usual, but avoid dislodging the separating springs or elastics.
  • Usually the loss of one or two elastics is of no consequence. If you do lose a spacer, find out if it has done its job by slipping some dental floss between the two teeth. If the floss gets stuck, the spacer hasn't made enough space, and you'll need to get it replaced before your banding appointment. If you lost many elastics, please call our office.
The Banding, Bonding and Archwire Placement Appointment

This appointment is scheduled up to one week after the separators have been placed and may last two hours. In addition, this appointment is scheduled during non-peak-hours.

  • Parents are encouraged to stay in the waiting room but are allowed in the treatment area. We would like a parent to be present at the completion of the appointment to receive any special instructions.
  • Bands and brackets are cemented at this appointment.
  • A light wire (archwire) will be placed at this appointment to minimize pain and discomfort. Any additional bends caused due to the lack of care in eating may allow the wrong teeth to move.
  • "Elastic" ligatures or metal ligatures are used to attach the archwire to the brackets.
Adjustment Appointments

Patients will be seen on a regular basis for adjustment of appliances, typically every 6-10 weeks. Adjustment appointments usually take 20 minutes, but can take up to 45 minutes.

Please call us to notify our office of breakage, as more time may be required to fix the problem. Repair of broken appliances requires more time than a regular adjustment appointment.