It was only when our receptionist Maria started working at the clinic and seeing how patients’ smiles were being transformed that she decided to chat to Dr Chatoo about braces.
In addition to aligning her lower teeth with lingual braces he told her he is able to make her bite more comfortable, something she never thought possible.
She says it would have been easy to keep quiet about her braces because even her closest friends had no idea she was wearing them. But luckily for us, she is very happy to share her secret and answer any questions our patients have. She has become our in-clinic case study!
The most frequently asked question from patients, she says, is whether the braces are painful – and she can honestly say they are not. Maria says she was surprised how quickly her tongue adjusted to them. She decided not to use wax too much in order for her tongue to learn to cope with the metal on the backs of her teeth, which they did in a few days.
When it comes to the sensation of her teeth moving, she compares it to going to the gym for the first time; afterwards your muscles feel “achy” but that soon wears off and you feel better for having exercised. Each time she has a new wire or adjustment, her teeth feel a little achy, she says, but this hasn’t been a major impediment. It’s never stopped her speaking to patients who benefit from her first hand experience.
Using SureSmile technology, Dr Chatoo is expanding her upper arch so that it meets her lower arch more comfortably and she can already feel the difference in her bite.
She says he doesn’t treat her any differently from other patients and regularly asks her how she is. As someone who has always had a confident smile, she is pleasantly surprised what a difference her orthodontic treatment is making. If you are interested in braces and want to know more, then do book to come in. You will meet Renata, the treatment co-ordinator, who has also had treatment and be able to chat to Maria about her experiences too.
