Patient resources

Your first orthodontic consultation in San Francisco

Your first consultation is complimentary and includes a full exam, digital X-rays, and an iTero digital scan. You’ll leave with a clear treatment plan, timeline, and cost — including your insurance and payment plan options.

Complete the new patient form before your visit so we can spend your appointment on you, not paperwork.

Orthodontist appointments in San Francisco — office visits and scheduling

Your first appointment — when your braces or Invisalign aligners are placed — takes about an hour. After that:

• Braces appointments: every 6–10 weeks
• Invisalign appointments: every 8–12 weeks

We schedule around San Francisco school and work hours:

• Mondays and Tuesdays: late-afternoon appointments
• Wednesdays to Fridays: early-morning appointments, before school and work

Tell us what works best and we’ll build your schedule around it. Running late or need to reschedule? Just let us know.

Virtual orthodontic consultations and progress checks in San Francisco

Call to arrange a virtual orthodontic consultation. We’ll show you how to photograph your teeth and send the pictures ahead of a video call with our treatment coordinator and one of our doctors, who will walk you through your treatment options in real time. If you decide to move forward, we’ll book an in-person visit for X-rays and a digital iTero scan — occasionally refining your plan once full records are taken.

We also use virtual visits to monitor progress during Invisalign and braces treatment. Unlike practices that rely on dental monitoring apps, AI, or assistants to track your aligners between visits, our orthodontists review your photos and meet with you directly on video — so you can ask questions and discuss your progress with the doctor treating your case, not an algorithm or a technician.

Brushing and flossing

Braces and aligners give plaque more places to hide, so daily care matters more than usual.

• Brush for two minutes after every meal with a soft, small-headed brush and fluoride toothpaste, or a powered brush. Angle the bristles at 45 degrees to the gum line, use small circles on the outer and inner surfaces, and pay attention around every bracket.
• Floss after every meal with a floss threader or orthodontic floss to get behind the wire. Slide gently between each pair of teeth and below the gum line. Ask us about a water flosser if floss is not clearing everything.
• With aligners, brush before putting them back in and clean the aligners themselves daily.
• Ask us if you need help choosing a brush, paste, or floss for your appliance.

Eating with braces

Avoid hard, sticky, and chewy foods: ice, hard candy, caramel, gum, popcorn, and biting straight into apples or corn on the cob. Cut firm foods into pieces. Everything else is fine. Expect tenderness for a few days after braces go on and after adjustments; a soft diet and your usual headache tablet cover it.

Retainer care

• Wear it as instructed, full-time at first and then nights, until told otherwise
• Take it out to eat and put it straight back in its case; most retainers are lost in lunchrooms and restaurants
• Brush it once a day with a toothbrush and cool water. Retainer cleaners help but do not replace brushing
• Keep it away from hot water, car dashboards, pockets, napkins, pets, and the washing machine
• Remove it for swimming, and bring it to every appointment
• If it is lost, broken, or feels wrong, call us the same day. Do not try to adjust it yourself

Adjusting a palatal expander

1. In a well-lit room, tip the patient’s head back.
2. Place the key firmly into the hole.
3. Push the key toward the back of the mouth until it stops; the next hole rotates into view.
4. Remove the key by pushing back and down toward the tongue.

Once the target width is reached, the expander stays in for several months so the result holds. Call us if a turn is missed or the appliance feels loose.

Seeing your dentist during treatment

Keep seeing your family dentist every six months for cleanings and check-ups throughout treatment. If extra dental care is needed, we coordinate with your dentist directly.