Setting

An 18-year-old patient is returning to your clinic for the first check up since getting fixed braces fitted.

Task

• Greet your patient and find out how things are going with the new braces.
• Sympathise with the patient but reassure them that what she is experiencing is quite normal. Usually people adapt to the braces and normal speech returns.
• Check whether the patient has been experiencing any pain or discomfort.
• Ask the patient about cleaning and if they are having any problems since the braces were fitted.
• Explain that chemists stock interdental brushes and floss threaders to get into difficult to reach places.
• Recommend the use of a mouthguard and say that you will be able to make one to fit over the braces. Explain why this is better than one from a sports shop.
• Ask if you can check the braces and adjust them.