Getting My Braces at My Orthodontist in Stouffville !

So the day finally came!!! Being a dental hygienist, and having placed braces in Stouffville with hundreds of  patients, I was very intrigued as to how it felt. I will go over how the process actually works, and then how I felt about the procedure. Follow along with my journey at MCO Stouffville Orthodontics!

Selfie before my braces go on.

After my impressions were taken and models were made, one of our team members prepared my braces with what is called an indirect bonding method. The braces are placed directly on your model and Dr. Tam checks to see where the braces should be placed.  This means that Dr. Tam is the one that determines where your braces are placed, even though it might not seem like it. Then we are able to make custom trays out of these braces on your model, so that the braces go on each arch all at once, comfortably and accurately!

Model of my teeth 

The day of the appointment, a resin material is placed on the braces to prepare them for your mouth. In order for this resin to dry and set, everything needs to be very dry. Retractors are used in order to keep the cheeks and lips off the teeth. The following are step by step pictures of the Indirect bonding procedure.

1. Dental Hygienist Stephanie working with me.  She's been a hygienist for over ten years, is great and speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Taiwanese!
2. Cheek retractors and tongue guard used to help keep my teeth free from any saliva.
3. Stephanie polishing my teeth before the braces go on.
4. Inserting the custom tray of braces made specifically to my teeth from my dental models.
5. Stephanie using a high intensity light to harden the resin in order for my braces to stay on my teeth. It is very important not to look directly into the light because it is not good for your eyes. The dental hygienist has an orange guard to look through.
6. The top and bottom are completed the exact same way. Once the braces are on, you must remove the trays that are covering them!
7. Checking to make sure every brace is well adhered to my teeth.
8. Final product :)

Once all the braces are on, the wires need to be placed to complete the process! The brackets are placed in a specific area on the tooth for maximum anchorage, and the wires are engaged inside the brackets to move the teeth. The coloured and silver elastics are what hold the wires in place. At each adjustment appointment, I will be able to change my colours! You will notice that my wires are not completely straight. The reason being that my teeth are not straight. The first wire used is a Nickel Titanium wire that is flexible, yet set in it's shape, so the teeth will start to straighten because the wire will try to straighten itself out. The pressure of this wire wanting to re-take it's shape is what will gradually move my teeth!!

Braces with wires.

We skipped the part about how to take care of the braces, what to eat, etc, but we normally sit down for about 15 minutes and go through a hands on demonstration on this.  We also give you a kit of everything you need to take care of your braces.

Getting the braces put on was completely painless. However, when the wires get tied in, it does feel very tight. The braces also feel rough against the inside of my cheeks and lips. Already have a few canker sores, but that can definitely happen! My inner lips and cheeks will toughen up over time. In a couple weeks I will be getting my upper left pre-molar removed by my general dentist. Looking forward to seeing the progress!!!

Thank you so much to MCO Orthodontics for giving me a great experience!!!