Orthodontic treatment usually takes about two years. Sometimes it can be significantly longer. Here are a few reasons:

1. 1. Patient doesn’t report for follow-up visits. When wearing permanent braces, visits take place every 6–8 weeks, and at the end of the treatment even every 4 weeks. If the patient appears at the visits every six months — they skip at least 2 or 3 visits. As a result, the braces are too rarely activated and the teeth move very slowly. With such large gaps between visits, there is a risk that the patient will not notice a loss of a piece of the braces. This is a problem, teeth may start moving uncontrollably — they may become more bent and then the treatment becomes more complicated.
   2. No care for the braces. After having braces placed on teeth, we should change some habits. Biting very hard and sticky foods can result in frequently detaching orthodontic brackets. Every time I stick on a loose bracket I have to put on a softer wire than the treatment stage requires. This results in longer treatment times.
   3. Caries. The most important task of a patient who uses permanent braces is to take care of oral hygiene. The brackets glued to the teeth are a place where a lot of food residue can be deposited. White, matt stains first appear on uncleaned teeth first — this is decalcification. If hygiene does not improve, white spots are replaced by caries. An additional problem in this situation is gingivitis. Gums get red and swollen, they bleed, can hurt. I always emphasize it: nothing will break under a glued-on bracket, but all around… In extreme cases (fortunately I have seen only a few of them), the only healthy enamel that remains is the fragment that was hidden under the bracket.
   4. Lack of active participation in treatment. What does that mean? Sometimes I ask patients to wear special additional elements unfastened at night/day on braces, between the upper and the lower arch. If at a given stage of treatment their action is needed and the patient does not wear them, the treatment does not go ahead. The course of orthodontic treatment is not only up to me — it is very important to involve the patient in the whole process.
   5. Patient doesn’t go to their dentist for check-ups. After the braces have been fitted, visits take place approximately every two months. Sometimes patients forget that outside of these controls, they should go to their dentist every six months. Why? As an orthodontist, I focus on the alignment of teeth. Of course, when I notice carious lesions, I immediately report this fact to the patient. Unfortunately, often during a short visit we do not notice cavities that appear on the tangential surfaces — i.e. between teeth. At a check-up, a dentist thoroughly examines each contact surface and is able to detect cavities even at a very early stage.