Patients

Your First Visit

The first visit to an orthodontic office can often be quite intimidating. At e-orthodontics, we’ll make sure your first visit to the office is a pleasant one for you and/or your child. The initial consultation is complimentary and you’ll receive a quick but thorough evaluation of what types of orthodontic treatment may be right for you.

If you'd like to get a headstart, please fill out the electronic registration forms below. If you prefer, you can also fill out the paper versions on the day of your appointment in our office

Patient Registration (Adult)
Patient Registration (Child)

Your First Visit

We will review your medical history and complete an oral and dental exam.

Before proceeding with any treatment, Dr. Pham takes the time to explain the condition and his recommended treatment to his patients. He usually takes a picture to show his patients before and after photos and he will take the time to answer any questions. Your comfort and experience is very important to us.

Benefits of Orthodontic Treatment

Your dentist may have discussed with you the benefits of having healthy teeth and proper jaw alignment. Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean and maintain. This can result in tooth decay, worsen gum disease and lead to tooth loss. Treatment by an orthodontist can be less costly than the additional care required to treat dental problems arising as a result of orthodontic problems. For most people, a beautiful smile is the most obvious benefits of Orthodontics.

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Benefits of Orthodontic Treatment

Why Braces?

Your dentist may have discussed with you the benefits of having healthy teeth and proper jaw alignment. Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean and maintain. This can result in tooth decay, worsen gum disease and lead to tooth loss. Other orthodontic problems can contribute to abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, inefficient chewing function, excessive stress on gum tissue and the bone that supports the teeth, or misalignment of the jaw joints. These can lead to chronic headaches and face or neck pain. Treatment by an orthodontist can be less costly than the additional care required to treat dental problems arising as a result of orthodontic problems. For most people, a beautiful smile is the most obvious benefits of Orthodontics. After your braces come off, you’ll feel more self-confident.

Braces for All Ages:

Adults

Orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age, and adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful smile. One of every five patients in orthodontic treatment is over 21. Jaw surgery is more often required for adult orthodontic patients because their jaws are not growing. Adults also may have experienced some breakdown or loss of their teeth and bone that supports the teeth and may require periodontal treatment before, during and/or after orthodontic treatment. Bone loss can also limit the amount and direction of tooth movement that is advisable.

Braces for All Ages:

Adults

It’s best for the orthodontist to see children by age 7 to advise if orthodontic treatment is required and the best time for that patient to be treated. The first permanent molars and incisors have usually come in by that time and crossbites, crowding and other problems can be evaluated. When treatment is begun early, the orthodontist can guide the growth of the jaw and guide incoming permanent teeth. Early treatment can also regulate the width of the upper and lower dental arches, gain space for permanent teeth, avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions, reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth, correct thumb-sucking, and eliminate abnormal swallowing or speech problems. In other words, early treatment can simplify later treatment.

How Orthodontic Treatment Works

By placing a constant, gentle force in a carefully controlled direction, braces slowly move teeth to a corrected position. This is a great time to wear braces! Gone are the days when a metal band with a bracket was placed around each tooth. At E-Orthodontics we use self-ligating brackets which don’t require elastic ties to hold the wires in place, thus making them much easier to clean while moving the teeth much faster and with less discomfort than traditional braces. Wires are also less noticeable than they used to be and the latest materials move teeth faster with less discomfort to patients.

Duration of Treatment

Treatment time typically ranges from one to three years, depending on the growth of the patient’s mouth and face and the severity of the problem. Patients grow at different rates and will respond variously to orthodontic treatment, so the time to case completion may differ from the original estimate. The patient’s diligent use of any prescribed rubber bands is an important factor in achieving the most efficient treatment. Interceptive, or early treatment procedures, may take as few as six months.

Beginning Treatment

One of the nice things of having such a thorough initial consultation is allowing us to begin treatment at you or your child's next visit. If any appliances are needed in addition to braces/aligners, they will delivered during this second visit. We will explain proper care and answer any questions you might have regarding treatment

Beginning Treatment

AETNA PPO
Exclusive Provider Plan
Aetna Aordable Health Choices
Aetna Dental Access
Family Preventive Health Plan
Aetna Advantage
AMERITAS GROUP
ANTHEM BLUE CROSS
PPO
100, 200, 300 Specialist
SmileNet
CIGNA PPO
DELTA DENTAL (all states)
Delta Premier
Delta PPO
DENTEMAX PPO
FIRST DENTAL HEALTH PPO GROUPS
Best Life
Dental Health Systems
Healthscope Benets
Pacicare
United Healthcare
GUARDIAN MANAGED DENTAL CARE
Dental Guard Network (PPO)
Managed Dental Guard (MGD)
MET LIFE PPO
PREMIER ACCESS PPO
PRINCIPAL PLAN PPO
UNITED CONCORDIA
National Fee for Service
ParNet Advantage
Concordia Advantage

If your network is not listed, please let us know and we’ll do our best to become a preferred provider for your insurance needs.

Insurance Networks

We accept and honor most insurance coverages with orthodontic treatment benefitts. In the event that we are not on your specific network, we promise to submit the necessary information to your provider so that your benefits can be applied to your treatment here at e-orthodontics.

View Current Networks

Insurance Networks

AETNA PPO

Exclusive Provider Plan
Aetna Affordable Health Choices
Aetna Dental Access

AETNA DMO

Family Preventive Health Plan
Aetna Advantage

AMERITAS GROUP

ANTHEM BLUE CROSS

PPO

100, 200, 300 Specialist
SmileNet

CIGNA PPO

DELTA DENTAL (all states)

Delta Premier
Delta PPO

DENTEMAX PPO

FIRST DENTAL HEALTH PPO GROUPS

Best Life
Dental Health Systems
Healthscope Benefits
Pacicare
United Healthcare

GUARDIAN MANAGED DENTAL CARE

Dental Guard Network (PPO)
Managed Dental Guard (MGD)

MET LIFE PPO

PREMIER ACCESS PPO

PRINCIPAL PLAN PPO

UNITED CONCORDIA

National Fee for Service
ParNet Advantage
Concordia Advantage

If your network is not listed, please let us know and we’ll do our best to become a preferred provider for your insurance needs.

Life With Braces

Life with Braces is actually very similar to life without braces. There will usually be an adjustment period at the beginning in which we may want to eat foods that are a little softer than our normal diet but soon after we should be able to resume eating most of our favorite foods. A more detailed list will be provided for you on your first day of treatment. The other minor change will be the amount of brushing/flossing our teeth will require. Braces tend to trap a little more food than you're probably used to so it's a good idea to brush following every meal. These details will also be reviewed on your first day. It is important to note that your regularly scheduled dental visits for cleanings/check-ups need to be maintained throughout treatment

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Life With Braces

Eating with Braces

What can you eat? Let’s talk about what you shouldn’t eat! If you’ve been wanting to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces is just your chance! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, you’ll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you’ll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you’re wearing braces.

FOODS TO AVOID:

Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
Sticky foods: caramels, gum
Hard foods: nuts, candy
Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

General Soreness

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We’ll show you how!

Loosening of Teeth

This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don’t worry! It’s normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. The teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new – corrected – positions.

CARE OF APPLIANCES To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time.

BRUSHING

It’s more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so the teeth and gums are healthy after orthodontic treatment. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment.

RETAINER INSTRUCTIONS:

Wear your retainers full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise.
Take your retainers out when eating… and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)
Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water. Brushing retainers removes the plaque, and eliminates odors. Efferdent or other orthodontic appliance cleaners can be used, but do not take the place of brushing.
When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case. Pets love to chew on them!
Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practice speaking, reading, or singing out loud to get used to them faster.
Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken call us immediately.
If you have any questions or concerns about your retainers, or your retainers need adjusting, call us. Do not try to adjust them yourself.
Always bring your retainers to your appointments.
Retainer replacement is expensive… with proper care they will last for years!
Remove retainers when swimming.
Keep retainers away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine, and napkins.

Athletics

If you play sports, it’s important that you consult us for special precautions. A protective mouthguard is advised for playing contact sports. In case of any accident involving the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or the appliances damaged, phone at once for an appointment. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness.

Loose Wire or Band

Don’t be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. If wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (back of spoon or the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the archwire. Simply get it out of the way. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place wax or wet cotton on the wire to reduce the annoyance. Call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to check and repair the appliances.

Patient Rewards

Orthodontic treatment is a journey and it is our job to make that journey as fun and efficient as possible. We offer a number of in-office contests and prizes to keep our patients happy and excited throughout their treatment. E-dollars are our office currency and can be earned by brushing teeth, wearing rubber bands properly, following us on social media as well as a number of other ways. We also like to make sure that you scheduled dental checkup and cleaning appointments with our regular hygiene check contests. Have you been to the dentist lately? If so, you're eligible to enter our gift card giveaway. Just fill out our hygiene card when you go to the dentist and send it back to our office to enter

Hygiene Card (PDF)

Patient Rewards