What Happens if I Miss an Orthodontist Appointment?

You’re finally relaxing on the couch after a long, stressful day. Between work, running the kids to and from activities, preparing dinner, going to the gym, and everything else life threw into your path today, you keep getting this nagging feeling you’re forgetting something. Then it hits you…your orthodontist appointment. It completely slipped your mind. Now what?

You may feel as though it’s no big deal, and whenever you remember to reschedule it, you’ll do just that, but it can be a bigger deal than you may think and can impact your treatment.

Why Orthodontic Appointments Are Important

Seeing your orthodontist regularly is imperative to the success of your treatment with braces, Invisalign or any other product available today. Not only does your orthodontist need to monitor your progress, they may also need to adjust your braces or your treatment overall to continue to move your teeth effectively. When you miss an appointment, it can impact your treatment plan more than you think. It’s even worse if you make this a habit, as this can cause a longer duration of treatment.

What to Do if You Miss an Appointment

Don’t panic, but also don’t forget about rescheduling it. As soon as you realize you’ve missed your orthodontic appointment, be sure to make it a priority to reschedule. You don’t want to wait too long to do this because your appointments are carefully planned out to maximize your success with treatment. When you see your orthodontist for the first time, they begin to craft a treatment plan especially for you, and this includes follow-up visits.

Call your orthodontist’s office and explain what happened. Then, see when the next appointment is available so you can get back on track with your treatment.

Tips for Scheduling Your Orthodontist Appointments

Life can get pretty hectic, which means it can be a struggle to keep everything organized. We recommend taking some steps to make it easier on yourself to remember and attend your appointments. These include:

• Making your next appointment before you leave the office
• Making your appointment for a time and day that is manageable with your schedule
• Putting this appointment into your smartphone’s calendar with a reminder
• Downloading a scheduling app
• Penciling it into a planner

No matter what works for you (hey, some prefer paper over digital!) it’s important to find it and utilize these tools. We know life happens, just do your best to attend your appointments as scheduled and reschedule them as soon as possible if something comes up to keep you or your child’s treatment on track.