Patient Information

During your consultation, you will be able to explore our office, as well as ask us any questions you may have about orthodontics. Dr. Steinle will provide an examination as well as take a panoramic x-ray, in order to come up with a diagnosis and create a recommended treatment plan. She will explain to you any problems in your smile and bite and will discuss her suggested options. Our financial expert Karen is here to help you with any questions you may have as well.

Before orthodontic treatment begins, we will take records of teeth, bite and smile with two x-rays, photographs of the teeth and face, and impressions. After these records are taken, Dr. Steinle will examine and use them to discuss her recommended treatment plan.

Before placing braces, some of your back teeth will need to be separated slightly in order to place bands (“rings”) around them at your braces appointment. Four to seven days before the braces appointment, we will place small rubber bands, or separators, between the back teeth to create the separation. You may feel some discomfort, but it is important to keep the separators in place properly so that your braces can be placed properly! Over-the-counter pain relievers can help relieve any soreness.

Your braces appointment is an exciting day! First, we will remove your separators and place metal bands around the back molars. Then, we prepare the front teeth and place brackets in the middle of each tooth. We connect a wire to the brackets using colorful rubber ties, which are replaced at each visit. The wire is what encourages the teeth to move in the proper position. A video is available for you to learn more about braces, what to expect, and how you should take care of them for best results.

We schedule follow-up appointments for your braces to be adjusted every four to six weeks. Dr. Steinle will always see you at your follow-up visits, and she will let the assistant know what should be completed during the appointment. We will make sure that your smile is healthy, that you are keeping up with your oral hygiene ad wearing your elastics, and if we notice any problems, we will discuss them with you. Keeping your smile clean and following instructions will help you achieve a beautiful smile!

After your braces are taken off, your teeth may shift if you do not wear your retainers correctly. We provide each patient with two sets of retainers to ensure their smile stays in place. It is very important that you wear your braces as recommended by Dr. Steinle. We will have you come in every couple of months to make sure your retainers are doing their job.

You don’t need a referral to see us, and many patients come for another after having one or several other consultations prior.

The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that a child visit the orthodontist by the age of seven. At this time, adult teeth are beginning to grow in and the orthodontist can monitor the position they are coming in and the progress of jaw growth.

If a child has a crossbite, or there isn’t enough space in the mouth for adult teeth to come in, they can receive early treatment, or “Phase I” treatment, which generally requires braces or an appliance. Other conditions also warrant early treatment, but can only be properly diagnosed with an office consultation.

A palate expander helps to expand the upper jaw when it does not align properly with the lower jaw, or make space for teeth that have insufficient room to erupt. It can be used before or alongside braces.

Most patients do experience some tenderness or soreness while wearing braces, from the tooth movement or from cheek or gum irritation. Over-the-counter pain relievers can be used to lessen tooth pain, while wax can be placed on the brackets or wires causing irritation.

We recommend using a rotary brush, a waterpik and superfloss to help you thoroughly clean your teeth around your braces. We will guide you as to the best methods for brushing or flossing your teeth while wearing braces, and during your appointments we will make sure that no spots are being missed so that you will have a beautiful smile when the braces come off.

Hard and sticky or chewy foods need to be avoided while wearing braces, because these types of food can cause your braces to break. We provide a basic list of foods to be avoided while wearing braces.

Some appointments, such as your records appointment, braces placement appointment, and fixing broken braces take longer, so these will need to be scheduled earlier in the day to make sure we have enough time to devote to your longer appointment. However, monthly follow-up adjustments usually require less time, so you can schedule them for after school. We will work with you to determine appointment times that work with your schedule whenever we are able to do so, but some earlier appointments are necessary to be able to devote the proper time to the patient.

If you have a loose bracket or poking wire, you may be able to solve the problem on your own, or you may need to visit our office for help. If you have an emergency outside of our hours, please leave us a clear message with your name and phone number and we will return your call.

The amount of time you will need to wear your braces depends on your unique needs, but for most patients, two years is the average.

Keeping your teeth clean while wearing braces is very important! We recommend patients go to the dentist twice a year for cleanings, but for patients who are struggling to clean their teeth on their own, we may recommend more frequent professional cleanings.

Teeth can shift after taking off braces, which is why we provide our patients with two sets of retainers. These should be worn all of the time for about six months, except when eating and drinking. We will schedule retainer check appointments, during which we will make sure your retainers are keeping your teeth in place and provide you with further instructions. We gradually reduce the amount of time wearing retainers from full time, to home and nights, to just nights, to every other night, and so on. We cannot determine whether or not your teeth may move, or your bite may change in the future, so we recommend that patients pay attention to teeth that may be moving, and seek an orthodontic consultation if there are concerns.