Let’s be honest, nobody liked visiting a dentist when they were young. And we don’t necessarily enjoy our time at a medical practitioner’s office. Doesn’t matter what kind of practitioner that is, we do it because it is necessary. Thing is, we have to have to regular check ups to make sure that our teeth are good. Nobody likes a person that doesn’t have teeth. It just looks unpleasant, unless you are 80 and above. In that case, you are just cute. Before we dive into the article, I want to talk about a common misconception a lot of people have about visiting an orthodontist.
You see, there are tons of specialist doctors out there like neurologists, cardiologists, dermatologists, etc. Orthodontist is a specialist like that. These guys specialize in helping people correct their jaw placements, fix crooked teeth and also help with overcrowded teeth.
Basically, they help you achieve a perfect smile and proper bites so you don’t have an awkward jawline later down the road.
Why does a good smile matter?
Well, your appearance matters a lot in the world. If you have a good smile, people tend to trust you more and also like spending more time with you.
And if they can trust you more, you can make more money, go on more dates and overall have a good relationship with people.
What I’m trying to say is that if you have a good smile, you will do a LOT better in life compared to if you didn’t have a good smile. So if you don’t think you have a good smile, or if you get nervous when laughing and don’t like laughing with your mouth open, you should be visiting an orthodontist.
According to Orthodontist Las Cruces, you don’t necessarily have to have a referrals from a dentist unlike other medical specialists I mentioned above.
A cardiologist will want you to have a referral from another doctor. Nobody visits a cardiologist out of the blue and wants to get their heart checked. They have to go through another doctor who would have diagnosed something that’s wrong with the heart and then recommended a cardiologist.
With an orthodontist, you can make an appointment on your own and get things done.
Pretty neat huh?
So, What Happens On Your First Appointment With An Orthodontist?
Your first appointment will be very eventful. If you’re visiting an orthodontist, they might give you a tour of their office and also introduce the staff that works there.
That way, you are familiar with everyone and can feel at home for every consecutive appointment.
This is important because you don’t want to feel that awkwardness of not knowing the name of a person and just treating their office like a fast food joint. They want you to have a personalized experience and introducing you to the staff is the best way to have that.
The Paperwork
No medical visit is over without you having to fill out some paperwork.
A visit to an orthodontists clinic is no exception. Their team will have you fill out your paperwork and they will help you out with that if you need it.
The paperwork will cover everything about your medical history. It is nothing too complicated. Just questions like when you had your last x-ray, if you’ve had a recent consultation done with another orthodontist. If yes, what was the nature of your consultation, etc.
Examining
Once the paperwork is filled out, the orthodontist will then examine your teeth and jaw with 3-D scanning and also some x-rays to get an overall idea of what they’re dealing with.
They will then take the time to compile all the information and come up with a strategy that will help you perfect your smile.
A Treatment Plan
Once the orthodontic specialist has gone through all the reports, compiled everything and come up with a plan, that’s when you will come in. The orthodontist will explain what the treatment plan looks like, what you can expect from it, how long the treatment will go for and how much it will cost.
They will also give you a file or an e-file that you can take home so you can look over the treatment plan before you decide to move forward with it.
Help With Financing
This goes without saying – a treatment when visiting an orthodontist is not cheap. They are fixing your smile, which is one of the most important things in the world (in your world). So it doesn’t come cheap.
That is why they will have a consultation with you and help you come up with a perfect financing option that will fall within your budget. The idea here is to make sure that the treatment costs are manageable for you.
Scheduling Your Next Appointment
Once you have everything set up in regards to the payment, the orthodontist will set up your next appointment immediately so you can get started with your treatment plan as soon as possible.
And that’s pretty much it. The first appointment might sound a bit hectic with all the introductions, asking what problems you’re having with your smile and then examining/imaging your mouth to diagnose all the issues and then coming up with a treatment plan, etc.
But the whole process doesn’t take more than a couple of hours. And that too you only have to do once. After that, from your 2nd appointment onwards you’ll just have to visit the orthodontist for 30-45mins max to get the treatment going and that’s it.
And before you know it, you’ll have a perfect smile!
