At each visit, our patients and their families are warmly greeted and the appointment begins on-time. We have spared no expense in developing an appointment sequence that optimizes our patients’ time and experience while minimising fees.
In most orthodontic offices, only cursory examination is performed at the first appointment and patients must return a second time for the consultation. At Outaouais Orthodontics, we are pleased to do both the examination and consultation at the first appointment in order to minimize the amount of travel and schedule disruption for our patients and their families. This one-step process is made possible by the fact that we use digital technology for producing x-rays and photos, and this allows the resulting images to be available immediately.
This initial appointment includes everything that is required to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan:
Dr. Côté carefully examines these records and we then have a discussion with the patient/parents regarding:
Well-documented completed cases and simulation software are used to help patients and their families understand what is involved in the various treatment options and what type of results can be expected. We assign a generous timeslot for this appointment to allow for thorough handling of any and all questions.
It is necessary to take impressions of the teeth before beginning orthodontic treatment.
We are proud to be the first practice in Gatineau and one of only a handful of practices in Canada to offer digital tooth impression technology so as to make impression-taking cleaner and more comfortable for patients while also producing less waste for the environment. Learn more about our digital tooth impressions.
To save patients from having to come back for a separate appointment, we reserve 15 minutes immediately following the exam & consultation to take the digital tooth impressions. Since this one-step approach also eliminates the need for us to book an additional appointment and clinic time, we are pleased to waive the consultation fee for those who choose to take advantage of this simplified method.
At Outaouais Orthodontics, placing braces or other orthodontic appliances is a very comfortable procedure for the patient, and the process takes relatively little time. We nevertheless allot a generous timeslot for this appointment so that oral hygiene instructions can be thoroughly explained and demonstrated, and any questions can be answered.
Once treatment has begun, we adjust the appliance every 4-12 weeks on average. At the beginning of treatment, the intervals between these adjustment appointmentsis generally longer, and as we near the end, it usually gets shorter.
Each adjustment appointment generally lasts just 5 to 20 minutes.
Once everyone involved with a patient’s treatment is happy with the result, we remove the braces or other orthodontic appliance and provide the patient with retainers shortly thereafter. The purpose of retainers is to make sure that the teeth stay in their final position.
There are several different types of retainers, and we discuss the options that exist for each patient. If a removable retainer is chosen, it can gradually be worn less and less over time.
