Braces are one of the most popular forms of orthodontic treatment for correcting tooth and bite misalignment to create a beautiful smile. At Ortho Co, there is nothing our Specialist Orthodontist’s love more than witnessing the expressions of joy on their patient’s faces as they unveil their new smile after completing their braces treatment.
While the end goal of treatment is to create a stunning new smile for you that you will love, it’s important that you know some basic information about braces before you start treatment.
How long will your braces treatment take:
This is a common question asked during a patient’s initial consultation. And it’s a great question to ask too, as the answer will vary from person to person! Ultimately, the length of your braces treatment will depend on how complex your case is, your age, treatment goals and how well you maintain your braces during treatment.
For some patients who only require a minor cosmetic improvement from their braces, they can expect treatment to take anywhere from 6-12 months. Other patients who have more complex issues such as crowding, or bite malocclusion may require treatment for up to 24 months and sometimes even longer if we have to correct a jaw issue and then align the teeth.
On average, our Ortho Co braces patients are in treatment for 18 months. This gives enough time to achieve amazing results, without rushing the process and compromising dental health.
How often do you need to see your orthodontist during treatment?
On average, our braces patients visit us every 6-8 weeks for adjustments. This is important to know, especially if you have travel plans during your treatment! Your braces adjustment visits can be as short as 10 minutes in duration and we can often accommodate these shorter visits during before and after school times.
How do you care for your braces during treatment?
To ensure your treatment progresses at the rate planned, it’s important to take care of your braces. This means ensuring that you brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss, and avoid hard or sticky foods such as nuts, gum, or hard lollies and popcorn! It is also important to ensure that if you play contact sport you wear a properly fitted mouth guard.
If your braces aren’t properly maintained during treatment, your teeth could be prone to damage, slowing down the treatment time and requiring more visits to the orthodontist.
What will the cost of your braces treatment be?
If you are starting braces treatment, it’s important to know how much your treatment will cost, and how much you can afford. At Ortho Co, our patients enjoy beautiful smiles from as low as $65 per week!
We offer interest-free payment plans, which make paying for your braces much more manageable. For children under 10, it would be expected that treatment may cost anywhere from $1,800-$3,800. For minor orthodontic work such as cosmetic improvements, treatment will typically cost between $3,800 and $5,800. And for more complex orthodontic work, treatment will likely cost between $7,500-$9,000.
What will you need to do after treatment is complete?
A common misconception with orthodontic treatment in general, is that once the treatment is finished, your new smile will stay in place forever! While this is the goal, as we age our teeth can become wrinkle just like our skin, resulting in your teeth becoming misaligned once again.
In order to prevent this, your Specialist Orthodontists at Ortho Co will recommend wearing a retainer for as long as you want to keep your teeth straight. The duration of wear will vary from individual to individual. By wearing this retainer as recommended, you can rest assured that your perfect smile will last a lifetime!
Are you looking for a straighter smile? If so, book an initial consultation with one of our Specialist Orthodontists at Ortho Co today to find out more information about our braces, and clear aligner treatment options.
We have two convenient locations located in Parramatta and Canterbury, making starting treatment, and attending your consultations easy!
