How to prepare for an orthodontic appliance? Consultation, hygiene and orthodontic treatment costs

How to prepare for an orthodontic appliance? This question is asked by many patients who are diagnosed with a malocclusion. During the preparations, attention should be paid to the duration of treatment, the number of follow-up visits, oral hygiene and the costs associated with the purchase of an orthodontic appliance. How is orthodontic treatment going and what aspects should you be prepared for?

When should you opt for an orthodontic appliance?

The orthodontist always decides about the necessity to put on an orthodontic appliance. Braces can be worn by both children and adults. In the case of a child, the first control visit should take place around the age of 7. There are two types of orthodontic appliances: fixed and removable. Removable braces are usually put on deciduous teeth, which are worn several hours a day and taken out during sleep. Permanent braces are put on adults and their task is to correct the diagnosed malocclusion.

The malocclusions that need to be treated with an orthodontic appliance are listed below:

1. Undershot mouth – is a defect in which the lower jaw protrudes in front of the jaw line. This defect causes, among others facial asymmetry;
2. Overshot bite – this is a defect in which the lower dental arch, i.e. the mandible, is shifted to the rear in relation to the jaw. As in the case of a forebite, the patient has facial asymmetry;
3. open bite – this is a defect in which the upper tooth line does not touch the lower tooth line when closing the mouth;
4. deep bite – this is a defect in which the upper incisors cover more than half of the height of the crowns of the incisors in the mandible;
5. crowding of teeth – this is a defect in which the teeth overlap. In this case, most often the jaw and the lower jaw of the patient are too small for the number of teeth. Often the only solution is to remove the excess number of teeth and then put on an orthodontic appliance;
6. gaps between the teeth – this is a defect in which the patient has significant gaps between the teeth. These intervals are due to the fact that the size of the teeth is smaller than the amount of space available in the maxilla and the mandible;
7. retained tooth – this is a defect in which the tooth has not erupted onto the gingival surface despite its normal development.

It is worth mentioning that very often different malocclusions occur in one patient at a time. That is why the orthodontist’s task is to diagnose the correct malocclusion and to adapt the treatment plan to them

Do you want to know more about malocclusion? Read: Malocclusion and orthodontic prophylaxis

Contraindications for the installation of an orthodontic appliance

Not every person who struggles with a malocclusion can undertake orthodontic treatment. There are many contraindications to the use of an orthodontic appliance, including the most common: diseases associated with lowering the body’s immunity, inflammations in the oral cavity, dental pulp diseases, periodontitis, diabetes and hormonal disorders. The patient’s age is not a contraindication to putting on an orthodontic appliance. It is false to believe that wearing braces in older patients will not correct malocclusion. Braces can be worn at almost any age. However, it should be remembered that the older the patient is and the more complicated the malocclusion is, the longer the orthodontic treatment time is.

Find out more about braces. Check: What is worth knowing about classic orthodontic appliances?

How to prepare to put on the camera? – visits to the dentist

The first stage of preparation for the installation of an orthodontic appliance is a visit to the dentist. Orthodontic appliances cannot be applied to teeth affected by caries or tartar. During the visit, the dentist will assess the condition of the teeth, heal carious lesions and, if necessary, fill the cavities. The dentist can also offer the patient a number of treatments, thanks to which you can avoid the risk of gum or periodontal diseases. Scaling and sandblasting are popular procedures that should be performed before the application of the orthodontic appliance. Scaling is a tartar removal treatment, while sandblasting perfectly complements this treatment.

How is the treatment of milk teeth? Read: Treatment of caries and filling cavities in deciduous teeth

How is the first visit to the orthodontist?

The first consultation visit to the orthodontist is a very important stage in the preparatory process for the installation of an orthodontic appliance. During the first visit, the doctor conducts tests that allow to diagnose the problem. The orthodontic examination aims to establish the patient’s needs, make a diagnosis and present an initial treatment program. The examination usually begins with a medical history aimed at determining the causes of malocclusion. Then the doctor performs an extraoral examination, during which the symmetry of the face, the type of profile and the work of the temporomandibular joints are assessed. During the intraoral examination, the orthodontist counts the teeth, assesses the mucosa of the oral cavity, gums, frenulum, tongue and salivary glands. In the next stage, the orthodontist assesses the patient’s bite. During the examination, he checks the jaw-to-mandible relationship, the width of the jaws, the assessment of tooth tissues and the diagnosis of possible caries. In order to make a correct diagnosis, it is often necessary to perform additional examinations, such as pantomogram, cephalogram, photographs or impressions for dental plaster models. Taking into account all the test results, the orthodontist makes a treatment plan and presents it to the patient at the next visit.

Do you want to learn more about the stages of orthodontic treatment? Read: How is orthodontic treatment going? Step by step teeth straightening

What are the costs of orthodontic treatment?

When preparing to put on an orthodontic appliance, you should carefully analyze all expenses related to the process of correcting a malocclusion. Orthodontic treatment in Poland is relatively expensive, and partial reimbursement applies only to children up to 12 years of age. When planning an orthodontic appliance installation, you should prepare funds for the following expenses:

1. orthodontic consultation – the first visit to an orthodontist combined with oral cavity examinations costs about PLN 100 on average. However, it should be remembered that some of the tests have to be paid extra. Some of the additional tests cost from 90 to 200 zlotys, so it is worth preparing about 250-300 zlotys for the first visit;
2. establishing an orthodontic treatment plan – during this visit, the orthodontist presents the patient with an initial treatment schedule. The treatment plan is in the form of a document signed by a doctor. When presenting the treatment plan, the orthodontist also presents different models of appliances. The average cost of a developed treatment plan is approx. PLN 200;
3. putting on orthodontic braces – after the patient’s consent to the treatment and choosing the right braces, the orthodontist starts putting brackets, rubber bands and arches on the teeth. The prices of cameras vary and depend on the material from which they are made. Fixed braces made of metal locks cost about 1800 zlotys for one arch. In the case of self-ligating brackets, you need to pay about PLN 2300 for one arch. The apparatus consisting of crystal locks, on the other hand, costs about PLN 2600 for one arch;
4. control visits – the cost of orthodontic treatment does not end with the purchase and installation of an appliance. Follow-up visits are equally important and should take place every 4, 6 or 8 weeks depending on the stage of treatment. In addition, professional tooth cleaning and fluoridation are recommended during orthodontic treatment. During follow-up visits, ligatures in the brackets are replaced. The prices of follow-up visits depend on the type of apparatus worn by the patient. In the case of a device consisting of metal locks, the cost of the visit is around PLN 180-220. If the patient has opted for a crystal lock device, he / she will pay about PLN 200-250 for a follow-up visit;
5. removal of the fixed appliance – when the orthodontist determines that the bite has been properly corrected, he proceeds to remove the fixed appliance. The cost of this treatment is approximately PLN 180.
6. retention – this is the last stage of orthodontic treatment. The purpose of retention is to maintain the effects of treatment with an orthodontic appliance. After removing the fixed appliance, the patient receives a retention plate, which he puts on for a period specified by the orthodontist. The cost of retention is about PLN 450. It should be remembered that control visits should also be made during the retention. The cost of such a visit is usually around PLN 100.

Summarizing the above, it can be stated that the total cost of orthodontic treatment is at least PLN 8000. Treatment costs may increase depending on the type of defect being treated and the duration of treatment.

Read more about the cost of orthodontic treatment. Check: The cost of installing an orthodontic appliance – how much does a beautiful smile cost?

How to take care of your teeth and oral hygiene while wearing braces?

When putting on an orthodontic appliance, one should prepare properly for the care of it and for the hygiene of the oral cavity and teeth. The first problem patients face is discomfort while eating. At the very beginning, you should eat very fragmented foods, including cream soups, meatballs or yoghurts.

When carrying the camera, be careful not to eat any food that can stick to the brackets of the camera. You should also not eat nuts, rusks, pips and seeds, as well as hard fruits and vegetables. It is also worth resigning from consuming highly colored products, so significantly limit the consumption of coffee, red wine or tea.

Patients preparing for orthodontic treatment need to be prepared for oral hygiene to become more demanding. Food remnants can stick to the braces, so it’s a good idea to brush your teeth after each meal. For this purpose, two brushes should be used. The first one should be specialized, while the second one should be standard. The Vitammy SMILS sonic toothbrush with 5 brushing programs has a cleaning program for the mouth apparatus, so it will certainly facilitate hygiene.

When wearing permanent braces, you should also use flossing as this will allow you to reach hard-to-reach places.

Read on for tips on oral hygiene. Check: Oral hygiene