Your First Visit

Initial Exam

The minute you walk through our door, you will be greeted by our warm, friendly staff who will introduce you to our office. You will sit down for a thorough one-to-one examination and consultation with Dr.Charoenkul and review your treatment goals and dental needs. He will explain to you the logic behind arriving at his treatment recommendation and how to achieve the best possible results given your specific orthodontic situation.

While there is always much more information than can be covered in one visit, when you leave our office you should know:

*Why treatment is recommended
*What type of treatment is recommended
*What are your treatment options
*When treatment should begin
*How long treatment will last
*How much treatment will cost
*How does dental insurance contribute to your treatment
*What you need to do before starting treatment

Please be sure to bring your completed medical history forms and patient information forms to your appointment. If you have dental insurance, you will also need to bring your insurance card with you. If you like, our financial coordinator can check on your insurance before your appointment and have information ready for you at your appointment.

Records

After the doctor determines the appropriate diagnostic records needed for a thorough assessment of your individual orthodontic needs, we generally refer patients to Northwest Radiography labs for photos of your face and teeth and radiographs to show different views of your jaws and teeth. In the office, we will make imprints of your teeth for plaster models so that the doctor can further study your teeth and mouth.

How do I get started with braces?

Treatment Plan

All the records are reviewed by Dr. Charoenkul to diagnose and determine the best treatment for each patient. Our treatment coordinator will then call you to explain the clinical findings and any treatment options. She will also start coordinating any pre-orthodontic treatment that may be necessary and schedule the appointments needed to get you started with your braces. If you prefer, we can schedule an office consultation to discuss the specific treatment decisions.

Treatment for Children/Treatment for Adults

Most children adapt to the braces extremely quickly and many react with no changes to their daily routines at all. Our biggest advice for children in treatment is to make sure that you are eating foods that are gentle on the braces and that you brush well – especially along the gumline.

Treating children is advantageous because we have the ability to modify the growth of the jaws to help our treatment goals. Children who undergo orthodontic treatment tend to be great dental patients for the rest of their lives since they learn so much about proper mouth care while they are in treatment with us.

Adults also tend to be very good patients because they may have been considering orthodontic treatment for quite some time before actually committing to the idea of wearing braces. However, tooth movement tends to be somewhat slower because adult bone density is much heavier than a child’s. Many adults undergo orthodontic treatment in conjunction with other dental treatment such as new esthetic crowns, replacing missing teeth or other surgical corrections. We strive to keep open communication lines with your dentist to coordinate your multi-disciplinary treatment.