Skip to main content Scroll Top
Make an Appointment
Patient Resources
Patient Resources
Advice and Resources for Our Patients

First Visit

Meeting new patients is something we truly look forward to. Your first appointment typically runs about 20–30 minutes and includes a comprehensive evaluation along with a conversation about possible treatment paths. This visit helps us gain a clear picture of your orthodontic needs. We respect how busy your schedule is. Whenever possible, we’ll use the time right after your exam to gather diagnostic records — including X-rays, photographs, and impressions for study models — since these are essential for putting together a thorough treatment plan. This records appointment generally takes around 30 minutes. At your initial exam, we’ll walk through the fundamental questions that guide orthodontic care. We also encourage you to share any questions of your own. Topics we’ll cover include: whether there’s a condition that orthodontics can help with; whether treatment should begin now or wait for further growth, tooth development, or other changes; which treatment approaches would address the issue; whether any permanent teeth may need to be extracted; and approximately how long treatment might last. We can often address these broad questions at the first visit, but the detailed answers come after we’ve had a chance to carefully review your diagnostic records. Thorough analysis of each patient’s unique situation is central to how we work — it leads to better outcomes and greater satisfaction. After this review, we’ll set up a case consultation to go over specific treatment plans, expected timelines, and financial options. Our goal is for every patient to leave fully informed about their needs, what treatment will involve, and how long it will take. To help us prepare for your first visit, please bring the following: any panoramic X-ray taken within the past year, and your orthodontic insurance card if you have coverage. Having this ready will allow us to connect with your insurance provider more efficiently.

Patient Forms

The form below is available to support your care with us. Please download, complete, and bring it with you to your scheduled appointment.
New Patient Form

Foods to Avoid

With braces, it’s important to steer clear of hard, sticky, and sugary foods. Hard items can damage or break your wires and brackets, sticky foods tend to get lodged in and around them, and frequent sugar consumption puts your teeth at risk for decay and related issues.

Sticky Foods to Avoid:

  • Gum (sugar-free or regular)
  • Licorice
  • Sugar Daddies
  • Toffee
  • Tootsie Rolls
  • Caramels
  • Starburst

Hard Foods to Avoid:

  • Ice
  • Nuts
  • Hard taco shells
  • French bread crust/rolls
  • Corn on the cob
  • Apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
  • Bagels
  • Chips
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Pizza crust
  • Uncooked carrots (unless cut)

Limit Sugary Foods Such As:

  • Cake
  • Ice Cream
  • Cookies
  • Pie
  • Candy

Limit to Once Daily:

  • Soda
  • Sweetened tea
  • Gatorade
  • Kool-Aid
  • Other sugary drinks

We also encourage patients to break habits like biting your nails, chewing on pens or pencils, or putting other objects in your mouth — all of which can damage your braces. Check your braces regularly for any loose or bent wires and brackets. If something is broken or loose, contact our office right away to schedule a repair.

Brushing & Flossing

Proper brushing and flossing while wearing braces is essential — but the right technique matters. When it comes to choosing a toothbrush, both a soft-bristle brush and a bi-level style (with shorter bristles in the center and longer ones around the edges) are good options. An electric toothbrush works well too, as long as it’s set to a moderate setting — just be careful that the brush head doesn’t knock against your brackets.

Brush with fluoride toothpaste at a minimum of twice per day — ideally after each meal — for at least two full minutes. Clean every surface of the tooth: the front, the back, and the biting surfaces. Pay special attention to the spots between your wires and teeth and around the gumline near your brackets, as these areas tend to trap food and plaque.

Try this step-by-step approach: Start with the outer surfaces of your teeth, holding the bristles flat against the tooth and using gentle, circular movements. When you reach the gumline, angle the brush slightly toward it (downward for bottom teeth, upward for top teeth) while continuing the same circular motion. Then move to the chewing surfaces, using a scrubbing back-and-forth stroke. Wrap up by brushing the inner surfaces of your teeth using the same circular technique you used on the outside.

Special Tools

If you find it hard to clean around brackets and wires, a few specialized tools can make a real difference. The interdental brush (also called a proxabrush) features a small round cluster of bristles shaped much like a pipe cleaner. Slide it gently into the tight spaces beneath wires and around bands and brackets to clear out plaque and debris.

An oral irrigator — often called a water flosser or water pick — is another helpful option. It produces a directed stream of pressurized water that can flush food particles from areas that are difficult to reach with a brush. Keep in mind that a water flosser supplements but does not replace regular brushing and flossing; used together, these tools can significantly improve your oral hygiene.

Flossing every day is critical for gum and tooth health. The challenge with braces is getting floss beneath the archwire. A floss threader solves this: thread one end of the floss through the loop of the threader, then guide the pointed end under the archwire to pull the floss through. Once in place, work the floss up and down along both sides of each tooth, sliding it gently under the gumline until you detect that slight squeaking sensation. Remove it, and use a fresh section of floss for each tooth space.