Long Distance Braces

We had a patient who started her orthodontic treatment towards the end of last year. As she was going to further her studies in Australia earlier this year, her parents wanted brackets that did not require her to visit us as often as if conventional braces were used.

We chose to use the Damon bracket for her because this bracket design requires an adjustment every 8 to 10 weeks compared with 4 to 6 weeks in conventional brackets. This allowed the patient to come back to Singapore for her orthodontic adjustments during her Australian school holidays.

Having her come back about every 2 to 3 months for her orthodontic adjustment also worked out very well for both the patient and her parents. She did not have bouts of homesickness and her parents did not miss her as much.

The patient flew in on Saturday and she will be going back to school in Australia on 10 October. We will be seeing her again in December and she should be finishing her braces by February of next year.