Orthodontic treatment is a team effort. We bring the expertise, the plan, and the adjustments. You bring the cooperation. Both matter — and honestly, your contribution has a direct effect on how well and how quickly treatment works. Here's the straightforward version of what that looks like in practice.
Elastics — Your Part of the Plan
Elastics — the small rubber bands you attach between upper and lower brackets (metal or clear braces) — often get overlooked. They shouldn't be. For many patients, elastics are doing some of the most important work in treatment: correcting the bite by working with your natural jaw growth to guide teeth and jaws into proper alignment. Here's the thing about that: growth does its part whether you cooperate or not. But elastics only work when they're in your mouth. The combination of growth and consistent elastic wear is what gets the job done. One without the other is half a plan.
Some elastics are used for more specific purposes — holding certain teeth in position, preventing unwanted movements, or fine-tuning the bite as treatment progresses. Whatever their role, the principle is the same: wear them as prescribed, and treatment moves forward. Don't, and it stalls.
Wear your elastics consistently — day and night unless told otherwise. Change them as instructed. If you forget for a day, don't double up — just get back on track. And if something isn't comfortable or doesn't seem right, tell us at your next visit rather than quietly not wearing them.
Aligners — Compliance Is the Treatment
If you're in aligner therapy, compliance isn't just helpful — it is the treatment. Aligners need to be worn 20 to 22 hours per day to work as planned. Every hour they're out is an hour teeth aren't moving. It's that simple.
The flexibility of being able to remove your aligners is genuinely convenient. It's also where treatment can quietly go off track. A few hours here and there adds up faster than most patients expect — and the result is treatment that takes longer than it should, or results that fall short of what was planned.
Wear them consistently, take them out only to eat and brush, and put them right back in. Your effort is directly proportional to your outcome.
Keeping Appointments
Your adjustment appointments are carefully spaced to keep treatment moving on schedule. Each visit builds on the last — and when appointments are skipped or significantly delayed, that momentum is lost. Treatment takes longer, and sometimes progress made since the last visit needs to be re-evaluated.
We work hard to keep appointments on time and as brief as possible. We respect that you have school, work, and a life. In return, keeping your scheduled visits — and arriving on time — helps us do our best work for you.
For parents: appointment scheduling is often where your support makes the biggest difference. Helping your teen get to appointments consistently is one of the most direct contributions you can make to a great outcome.
The Bottom Line
Nobody does orthodontic treatment for its own sake. You're doing it for a result — and that result is shaped, in no small part, by how much you show up for it. At Kuhlberg Orthodontics, we'll always do our part. We're counting on you to do yours.
If something isn't working, isn't comfortable, or you've fallen behind on elastics or aligner wear — just tell us. No judgment. We'd rather know and adjust the plan than find out three appointments later. Communication is always better than silence.