Many people have many misconceptions or misunderstandings about “wearing braces to straighten teeth”, therefore, we would like to introduce what patients should know before receiving treatment, in the hope of reaching a good communication between doctors and patients and successfully completing orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic treatment is a technically complex and long course of treatment, and the final result is not only closely related to the severity of the deformity itself, the skill level of the doctor and the materials used, but also to the cooperation of the patient, so it is necessary to let the patient know some matters related to orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic Treatment and Objectives Misalignment and malocclusion are called malocclusion. Orthodontic treatment is to correct the malocclusion, align the teeth, improve the bite, and achieve the goal of aesthetics, balance and stability. Treatment is usually started at the beginning of the patient’s permanent dentition (about 11-12 years old), but early treatment is recommended for malocclusion with abnormal jaw bone development or that interferes with normal jaw and facial development, in order to simplify the difficulty of later orthodontic treatment. There is no age limit for adult orthodontics because the alveolar bone is active for lifelong reconstruction. However, the younger the patient, the better the results. Extraction Despite the reluctance of patients and doctors to extract teeth, about 30-40% of malocclusions have to be corrected by extraction. Their main effect is to decongest the teeth and improve the bite and facial aesthetics. Pain Problems Mild pain or discomfort in the teeth may occur after the initial orthodontic appliance wear and after each follow-up visit to add force, which can generally be reduced or disappear after 3-5 days. If the pain persists or even worsens, or if other conditions arise, please contact your physician in a timely manner or return to the clinic in advance. Diet No food that is too or too sticky should be eaten during orthodontic treatment. Fruits need to be cut into small pieces and then eaten, otherwise they will cause the aligners to loosen or fall off and prolong the course of treatment. Oral hygiene Special attention should be paid to oral hygiene during treatment, correct brushing will not damage the aligners. The soft tartar and retained food residues on the teeth should be carefully brushed after eating and before the follow-up appointment, otherwise it may cause gingivitis, tooth decalcification and tooth decay. Regular follow-up appointments are scheduled for 2-3 weeks/time for mobile braces and 4-6 weeks/time for fixed braces. Self-ligating brackets aligners can extend the follow-up time to once every 3-4 months. Precautions The following accidents are prevented during orthodontic treatment: 1. Chronic pulpal necrosis. 2. Different degrees of root resorption may occur. 3, Individual patients’ teeth may also be unable to move due to the presence of hard-to-detect adhesions, thus preventing them from completing treatment as scheduled. 4.Food embedding may exist during and after the orthodontic treatment. 5. Patients who need to use extra-oral assistive devices must wear them for the full time specified by the physician each day and use them as prescribed. Retention problems After the completion of orthodontic treatment, patients need to wear a retainer to prevent relapse. Retainers need about 2 years, can gradually reduce the wearing time until the basic stability of the teeth. A small number of patients require longer or even lifelong retention. Orthodontic information Patient’s medical records, dental models, photographs, and x-rays are important references for the hospital to diagnose, design, control the treatment process, and observe the trend of relapse, etc. They must be complete, while generally kept for use by the hospital.