Consent: orthodontic treatment

What the consent form for braces and aligners covers, so you can read it at home, with your family, before you sign it at the clinic.

Draft, awaiting review by Dr. Swapnil B. Patil, BDS

Orthodontic treatment takes months and depends on you as much as on us. Before it starts, we go through the plan with you and ask you, or a parent for a child, to sign a consent form. This page sets out what the form covers.

What the form covers

Your plan: braces or aligners, which teeth are moving, and roughly how long it should take. The estimate can change, because teeth move at different speeds in different people.
What we ask of you: keeping appointments, wearing aligners or elastics for the hours we set, avoiding food that breaks braces, and cleaning well.
The usual effects: soreness for a few days after fitting and adjustments, and ulcers where brackets rub at first.
The less common risks: white marks or decay around brackets if cleaning is poor; gum problems; slight shortening of tooth roots; jaw joint discomfort; and teeth moving back after treatment if retainers are not worn.
Retainers: why they are needed after treatment, and for how long.
Records: the photos, scans and X-rays we take to plan and check progress.

Before you sign

Ask about anything that is unclear, including cost and what happens if a bracket or aligner is lost.
For a child, both the child and a parent should understand what the treatment asks of them.
Read the care instructions for braces and aligners so you know what daily life looks like.

The treatments this covers

Braces and orthodontic treatment

Braces move teeth into better positions with small brackets joined by a wire that is adjusted every few weeks. They correct crowding, gaps and bite problems, for teenagers and adults alike.

Clear aligners

Clear aligners are a series of thin, removable plastic trays, each shaped to move your teeth a little further. You change to the next set every week or two until the teeth reach their planned position.

Invisible braces

Invisible braces are fixed braces that are hard to see, either bonded behind the teeth where they are hidden from view, or tooth-coloured brackets on the front. Unlike aligners, they stay in all the time.