Getting braces is a multi-step process that starts with a consultation, moves through diagnostic imaging and treatment planning, and ends with a bonding appointment where brackets and wires are placed on your teeth. The whole journey from first phone call to braces on your teeth typically takes two to three visits spread over a few weeks. Here’s what each step looks like.
The Consultation Visit
Your first appointment is an evaluation, not a commitment. After filling out paperwork covering your medical and dental history, you’ll meet the orthodontist for a hands-on exam of your teeth, jaws, and bite. They’re looking for overcrowding, misalignment, gaps, and bite problems like an overbite or underbite.
To get a complete picture, the office will take diagnostic records. This usually includes X-rays that show the position of your tooth roots and jawbone, photographs of your face and teeth from multiple angles, and either a putty mold or a digital scan of your teeth. Digital scans have largely replaced the gooey impression trays in many offices, and they produce a precise 3D model of your mouth in minutes.
With all of that information, the orthodontist will walk you through what they found, explain which issues need correction, and recommend a treatment approach. You’ll learn whether traditional metal braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces (bonded behind the teeth), or clear aligners are the best fit for your situation. You’ll also get an estimated treatment timeline. Most people wear braces for one to three years, though simpler cases can wrap up faster and complex bite corrections can take longer.
Cost and Payment
Before you schedule anything, the office will break down the financial side. Traditional metal braces typically cost $3,000 to $7,500 without insurance. Ceramic braces, which blend in with your teeth, run $4,000 to $8,000. Lingual braces are the most expensive option at $6,500 to $11,500, partly because they require more specialized placement.
Most orthodontic offices offer monthly payment plans that spread the cost over the length of treatment with little or no interest. If you have dental insurance, the office will usually verify your benefits and tell you what portion is covered before you start. Many plans cover a set dollar amount (often $1,000 to $2,000) for orthodontic treatment, though coverage varies widely.
What Needs to Happen Before Braces Go On
Your mouth needs to be in good shape before brackets are bonded. That means any cavities should be filled and active gum disease should be under control. If you haven’t had a cleaning recently, your general dentist will typically handle that first. The orthodontist may also recommend extracting one or more teeth if your mouth is severely crowded, though this isn’t the norm for every patient.
Good oral hygiene throughout treatment is non-negotiable. Braces create extra surfaces where food and plaque accumulate, so the orthodontic team will want confidence that you can keep your teeth clean before they commit to placing hardware in your mouth.
The Bonding Appointment
This is the day your braces actually go on, and it’s quicker than most people expect. The entire process of attaching brackets and threading the archwire takes roughly 15 to 30 minutes.
Here’s the sequence: the orthodontist or assistant cleans and dries each tooth, applies a bonding agent, and presses a small bracket onto the surface. A curing light hardens the adhesive in seconds. Once all the brackets are in place, a thin archwire is threaded through them and secured with tiny elastic bands (the colored ties you get to pick). The wire is what actually moves your teeth. It applies gentle, steady pressure that gradually shifts each tooth toward its target position.
You won’t feel pain during the appointment itself. The process is completely non-invasive, with no needles or drilling involved.
What the First Week Feels Like
Within a few hours of getting your braces on, you’ll start to feel pressure and soreness as your teeth begin responding to the wire. This discomfort is normal and generally peaks in the first day or two, then fades over the course of a week.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen help during this adjustment period. Stick to soft foods for the first several days: mashed potatoes, yogurt, smoothies, oatmeal, soup, and soft fruits like bananas. Your lips and cheeks may also get irritated where they rub against the brackets. Orthodontic wax, a small strip of soft material you press over any bracket that’s bothering you, provides immediate relief. You can reapply it as often as needed.
Adjustment Visits
Once your braces are on, you’ll return to the orthodontist regularly so they can swap out wires, tighten components, and monitor progress. Modern archwires are engineered to stay active longer than older versions, so most patients now visit every 6 to 10 weeks rather than the monthly schedule that used to be standard.
At each adjustment, the orthodontist may place a thicker or differently shaped wire to increase the force on your teeth as they move into new positions. You can expect a day or two of renewed soreness after each visit, similar to what you felt when your braces were first placed, though it tends to be milder as treatment progresses. Adjustment appointments are short, often 15 to 20 minutes.
Life With Braces
Day to day, braces require some changes to your routine. Brushing takes longer because you need to clean around every bracket and under the wire. A small interdental brush or a floss threader helps you get into spots a regular toothbrush can’t reach. Most orthodontists recommend brushing after every meal.
You’ll need to avoid hard, sticky, and crunchy foods that can pop a bracket off or bend a wire. That means no popcorn, hard candy, ice chewing, caramel, or biting directly into apples or corn on the cob. A broken bracket isn’t an emergency, but it can delay your treatment if it happens often.
Getting Braces Off and Wearing a Retainer
When your teeth have reached their final positions, the orthodontist removes the brackets by gently breaking the adhesive bond with a special tool, then polishes off any remaining cement. The removal appointment is painless and usually takes less than an hour.
You’ll leave that appointment with a retainer. There are three main types. Hawley retainers are the classic design: a molded acrylic plate with a metal wire that holds your teeth in place. Clear retainers look like thin plastic trays that fit snugly over your teeth. Fixed retainers are a thin wire permanently bonded to the back of your front teeth, invisible from the outside.
Retainers are essential because teeth naturally want to drift back toward their original positions. Most orthodontists recommend wearing a removable retainer full-time for the first few months after braces come off, then transitioning to nighttime-only wear. In practice, some form of retainer use is a lifetime commitment, though the frequency decreases over time as your teeth stabilize.