Whether you have traditional braces or our Invisalign® (clear braces) options, there will be orthodontic appointments required and skipping them will delay your progress.
Dr. Ryan Caudill shares that, “Treatment time depends on each patient’s specific orthodontic problem. The duration can be as little as 6 months; however, the average time is between 12 and 24 months.”
Traditional Braces
A normal orthodontic appointment should take about a half hour or less. These “adjustment” appointments will consist of checking to see if your teeth and jaws are moving as planned and adjustments will be made. Your appointment is the perfect time for you to ask questions as well. These adjustment appointments typically occur every 8 weeks.
Dr. Caudill or Dr. Angela McNeight will need to adjust brackets, replace colored rubber bands, tell you about your elastics, make small bends in the wires, and take progress x-rays as necessary. Without adjustments, your teeth will stop moving and treatment will not progress.
Invisalign
If you’re an Invisalign wearer, you will be given enough trays to get you between appointments which typically occur every 12 weeks. At each Invisalign adjustment, the doctors will ensure that your aligners are fitting well, that all teeth are tracking within the aligners, and make adjustments to your rubber band wear. They are checking to make sure your teeth and gums are responding well to the treatment and they may take an x-ray if necessary. Dr. McNeight advises that, “Skipping or delaying your Invisalign appointments can have the same adverse effects on your treatment as with traditional brackets. Your teeth and jaw movements will cease to progress if you do not have new trays to switch to.” If your schedule changes and you are unable to come in for your appointment until a later date, keep wearing your last aligner until we can see you.
Conclusion
We make a sincere effort to meet your scheduling needs. Our day starts at 7 a.m. to help you make appointments before work and school. We know your time is valuable, so we always do our best to see you promptly, so you can go on about your day and enjoy your new smile.
