When you have gone through your evaluation visit for braces and are ready to go to your next appointment to have the orthodontist put them on, you might want to ask him or her some questions relating to follow-up appointments. Follow-up appointments with braces are just as important as the braces themselves, and here are several things you should expect from the follow-up appointments you will be required to attend.

You will go every four to six weeks

The frequency of your visits will vary, but most orthodontists recommend coming every four to six weeks for the entire duration of the braces. This means that you might attend as many as 12 follow-up visits if you wear braces for a year, or you might have to go to 24 visits if you wear them for two years. This may seem like a lot of visits for your braces, but the visits are a very important part of your orthodontic treatment plan.

The purpose of the visits

When you have regular braces, the purpose of the follow-up visits is primarily to tighten the wires that your braces have. With regular braces, you will have individual brackets on each tooth and will have a wire running through them. The wire, although it may seem small, has the power to move your teeth. This happens little by little, but it cannot happen if there is not enough force on the teeth. To ensure that there is enough pressure, the orthodontist will need to tighten the wire each time you come, and this is one of the reasons you will need to attend so many follow-up visits.

Another purpose of these visits is to ensure that all the parts of your braces are working properly. If there are any problems, the orthodontist will fix them at these visits.

The effects of the visits on how you feel

The other important thing to know about these follow-up visits is that they can leave your mouth feeling sore. Because they are designed to tighten the wires, you will likely feel a lot of pressure on your teeth for a few days following each visit. As your teeth shift slightly, this pressure will subside, so you will not feel the pressure all month long.

Keeping up with your follow-up visits is vital if you have braces and want them to work properly. To learn more about braces, contact a clinic like Reed & Sahlaney Orthodontics, LLP.