The First Visit and Initial Consultation
The first step in considering orthodontic treatment is your initial consultation.
The single most important part of any orthodontic treatment is the diagnosis and planning of the treatment.
If this stage is not done properly, and the right plan formulated, then the rest of the treatment can take longer than necessary or not give the desired outcome.
What happens at the Initial Consultation?
1) At your first visit we will undertake a full comprehensive oral and facial examination and analysis. We even look at things like how you breathe and screen for nasties like oral cancer.
2) We will take some xrays to see into the inside of the teeth and into the bone of the jaws so that we get the full picture of what is going on. Our xrays are done on state of the art machines that have extremely low doses of radiation.
3) Once we have collected all this data and information, we spend a little time giving you our "consultation tour". This means that we go through and show you all the relevant things you should know about in order to understand the recommended treatment and your options.
Parents and patients often comment "we werent told that before" or "wow I understand that now". We believe that it is crucially important for patients to understand what (and why) they are being told to do certain treatment.
4) After the tour we take the time to answer any questions you may have, and our staff will go through the next steps and all the financial details. We then provide a written outline and send you the necessary paperwork.
We are a pretty relaxed practice, and we are definitely not salespeople. We dont need to be. We're busy enough already, because we look after people well. So there is no pressure or obligation to do anything or start treatment unless you're ready to get started.
What we dont do
We dont give you a consult with the Orthodontist and then you never see that same orthodontist again, or worse carry out the rest of your treatment with less qualified practitioners.
We dont do a multiple stage consultation, charging you hundreds of dollars for each one.
We dont get you back for multiple visits for records, photos, xrays, and consultations before giving you a treatment plan and price.
We dont want to waste your time, and we have done thousands of cases, so we are capable of giving you a plan and cost at the visit that we examine you.