Information for New Patients

We love welcoming new patients to Focus Orthodontics and you can schedule your first consultation with us via phone or by visiting our practice. This phone call will allow us to book a convenient time for your first appointment, but also find out if you need to bring any records (eg an OPG x-ray) with you, eg from a previous orthodontist or from your dentist.

Upon arrival to your first consultation, a member of our friendly staff will provide you with a patient history form to fill-in. Once completed, you will have intra and extra oral photos taken to provide an overview of your mouth.

Once the appropriate records have been collected, you will begin your initial appointment with Dr Mun or Dr Denice. These records are needed to give the best advice, but also as a legal record. This initial appointment acts as a comprehensive assessment and you will gain thorough knowledge of how we can assist you, what’s involved in the treatment and the associated costs. In total, you can expect this initial consultation to take approximately one hour.

While the word ‘orthodontics’ translates to ‘straight teeth’, it really is so much more. In this area of dentistry, we must take a whole range of factors into consideration, rather than only focusing on the alignment of teeth. We must also take into account function, aesthetics and stability.

Our highly-experienced orthodontic team specialises in helping you to obtain your perfect smile. We offer a range of orthodontic treatments and services, including:

• Conventional metal braces
• Ceramic braces
• Invisalign

Invisalign and Spark are tools that help you to achieve straight teeth. It involves having a series of clear aligners made, which must then be worn at all times except for when eating, drinking, and cleaning teeth. Invisalign contains a number of benefits:

• It is almost invisible
• It is removable, which makes brushing teeth easier
• There is no need to have metal fixed in your mouth
• You can see on the computer how your teeth will be positioned at the end of treatment

Whether you’ve chosen conventional metal braces, ceramic braces, we make sure the fitting process is both comfortable and pain-free. During your consultation, we will also educate you about how you can keep your appliance clean and in top condition. As your teeth start to move, it is normal for you to experience some discomfort, however this will soon pass.

The process of removing braces is both relatively quick and reasonably comfortable. Our orthodontist will remove any brackets and bands, before polishing off the remaining cement and glue to leave you with clean, braces-free teeth. You’re then ready to celebrate your new smile!

Once your orthodontic treatment is complete, you will have to wear a retainer to maintain your perfect smile and prevent your teeth from moving back into their previous positions.

There are a number of different retainers to choose from, including clear plastic retainers, fixed wire retainers or Hawley-type retainers. The Focus Orthodontics team will discuss your options with you to ensure you maintain your perfect smile.

Generally, retainers are worn as part of your maintenance routine forever, however the orthodontist will instruct you on how to ‘wean’ yourself off so that it doesn’t remain a full-time requirement. If you’ve opted for a fixed wire retainer, then this remains in your mouth full-time. After a short period of time though, you will hardly notice it’s there!

This question largely depends on what service you have opted for, as well as your own individual mouth. That being said, we can assure you that we do not extend treatment time unnecessarily, nor do we rush the treatment.

While some orthodontic practices claim patients can have their perfect smile within as little as three months, we do not agree with this ‘hard and fast’ approach to orthodontics. Instead, we pride ourselves on ensuring our treatment works best for the patient, placing utmost importance on achieving beautiful, long-term results.

The cost of orthodontic treatment will vary as greatly as the types of services and treatments available. Cost generally comes down to the complexity of the treatment and we have a sliding scale of fees, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ mentality.

Not only do we try to keep our fees as low as possible, but we also offer an affordable monthly payment plan that is both flexible and tailored to patients’ financial needs. After all, we believe everyone should be able to afford a beautiful smile!

As experts in the field of orthodontics, we firmly trust that we have the best possible prices in the inner west.