Download orthodontic treatment support form

Andrew Au, D.D.S., Inc.
Orthodontic for Children and Adults
2345 Yale Street, Palo Alto, Ca 94306
4216 California Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, Ca 94118
(650)328-3388
(415)221-9400
Orthodontic Treatment Support
Cooperation
Successful orthodontic treatment requires cooperation between the orthodontist and the patient. Cooperation takes
many forms, such as cooperation in keeping appointments, in wearing of elastics or headgear when requested, in
maintaining a proper diet and a healthy oral environment.
Appointments
Patients are seen in approximately three to six week intervals. The appointments are usually ten to fifteen minutes
with complicated procedures requiring a longer appointment. We make every effort to schedule your appointment with
the least disruption of your daily routine. After school appointments are very popular and often hard to obtain. We try
to rotate morning and afternoon appointments so students will not always have to miss class. School excuse forms
are available for your school secretary. If you cannot keep your appointment, please notify our office. We allow two
missed appointments per calendar year. There will be a charge for all additional missed appointments.
Elastic & Headgear Wear
The braces and wires can only do so much to help in your treatment. An important component in your treatment is the
wearing of elastics and headgear. Elastics and headgear are the forces behind tooth movement. Without them, teeth
don’t move and your treatment will be at a standstill. Elastics are usually worn 24 hours a day. Headgears are worn
twelve to fourteen hours per day, usually when sleeping. Not all patients need to wear headgear, but most patients
wear some elastics. Dr. Au will let you know when and how long you will need to wear them.
Proper Diet
Proper diet during treatment is not only important to your health, but also to the care and maintenance of your braces.
Choose a balanced meal from the five food groups. Certain hard foods need to be modified or eliminated from your
diet when wearing braces. Some examples are hard French bread crust, pizza edges, peanuts, popcorn, taco chips,
granola cereal, crunchy fried chicken, and hard jerky. Do not chew on pencils, ice, bones, hard or sticky candy, shell
foods or your finger nails. Hard food often causes the braces to be unglued from your teeth. Food can then be trapped
underneath it and starts tooth decay. Unglued braces can also cause unnecessary delays in your treatment. There will
be days when your teeth will be so sore that you will want to eat only soft foods. Some suggestions are soup, yogurt,
cottage cheese, soft noodles, steamed fish, tofu, Jell-o, milk shakes, applesauce, mashed potato, hot cereal, and
frozen Mexican dinner.
A Healthy Oral Environment
Good oral hygiene is an essential part of your orthodontic treatment. A hand mirror, soft toothbrush (electric is ok),
floss, fluoride mouthwash and a waterpik are tools that can help. Regular dental checkups and cleanings with your
dentist are an important part of your orthodontic treatments. It is not good to have straight but rotten teeth after your
orthodontic treatment.
Emergencies
Call our office if the braces are bothering you so that Dr. Au can help you. After office hours, Dr. Au can be reached at
415-752-7937. If braces or wires are loose or broken, call our office during normal office hours for an appointment to
repair them.