Most people who seek orthodontic treatment have other important obligations during the day, usually involving work or school.  When orthodontic treatment begins, each patient is seen every 4-8 weeks.  Some of these appointments may conflict with work or school schedules.  We have devoted considerable time and effort in designing our scheduling system and encourage patients to arrive on time for each appointment to ensure that necessary procedures may be completed in a timely manner.

Rescheduling Appointments
We ask for at least 48 hours notice when rescheduling or canceling an appointment so that the time can be offered to another patient.  There will be a $35.00 charge for less than a 24 hour notification. Missed appointments or numerous appointment changes will inevitably result in an extension of treatment time and could possibly extend charges. We wish to provide our patients with the best treatment in the shortest time possible.  Our goal in rescheduling appointments is to keep your treatment progressing and on time.  Waiting for a convenient time after school can delay treatment.  The after school hours are reserved for shorter appointments, such as appliance adjustments and retention.  Initial exams, appliance placement and re-bonding broken brackets need to be scheduled at specific times during the day.  This is so that we may accommodate as many patients as possible during after school hours.

Loose/Broken Appliances
A broken bracket or loose retainer is not an emergency if there is no discomfort.  If a wire is poking the inside of your mouth, try clipping it with nail clippers or wire cutters that have been sterilized in alcohol.  It also may be possible to bend the wire away from the irritated area with the end of a pencil eraser or needle nose pliers.  Wax can also be placed over the irritant.  If you are not in discomfort please call our office so that extra time can be scheduled for the repair.  If you are not able to make yourself comfortable, we will arrange to make you comfortable until a repair appointment can be scheduled.

Breakage
Longer treatment times and increased fees result from loose or broken appliances, so please be sure to take care of them as Dr. Ma advises.  We are able to precisely control tooth movement and position when a bracket is attached to the tooth. When a bracket is broken, there will be relapse. Repairing broken bands or brackets requires additional time that is not planned for during regular after school adjustments.  These procedures will need to be scheduled during work or school hours, which help to reduce waiting room time.

Emergencies
Orthodontic emergency appointments are very rare.  They usually involve a loose bracket or poking wire.  If these occur after hours, they can usually wait until the next day or, if it is a weekend, the following Monday.  If the patient is truly in pain or there has been a traumatic accident, please call the office.