For Patients

Dental FAQ.

Braces FAQ covering treatment time, pain, cost, food limits, retainers, sports mouthguards, broken brackets, adult options, and kids timing.

Braces & Traditional Orthodontics

Braces timing is a range, not a promise. The tooth movement that looks small in the mirror may not be the movement controlling the calendar.

Braces soreness has a pattern: pressure first, chewing tenderness next, then gradual settling. Pain that breaks that pattern deserves attention.

Eating with braces is less about giving up normal meals and more about changing texture, bite size, and habits that bend wires or pop brackets.

A braces fee is not only the brackets. Records, visits, appliance choices, retainers, and repair policies all shape the number you compare.

Adult braces are common, but the consultation has a different tone: gum health, restorations, bite wear, and realistic goals come first.

Metal and ceramic braces can both straighten teeth. The better choice depends on visibility, durability, bite demands, cost, and daily habits.

A loose bracket is common, but it is not meaningless. The tooth connected to it may stop moving as planned until the appliance is repaired.

Braces move teeth; retainers protect the result. Skipping retention is one of the most common ways a straight smile slowly changes back.

Braces do not have to sideline sports, but they change injury planning. A mouthguard needs room for brackets and tooth movement.

Braces create shelves where plaque and food collect. A good routine is specific, repeatable, and honest about the spots people miss.

The first orthodontic visit is not always the day braces begin. For kids, timing is about growth, eruption, bite risk, and readiness.