The outbreak of the new COVID-19 virus has affected all Americans and all people across the globe. If your job is classified as a non-essential job, you are probably staying at home and trying to stop the spread of virus and hoping that this will die down soon. If you are already in orthodontic treatment, you might be wondering what is going to happen to your usual monthly or bimonthly orthodontic checkup. If you are considering orthodontic treatment, you might be wondering how long you should wait before you can go in for a consult. Our office, iSmile Orthodontics in Redmond, is now offering Virtual care and Virtual consult. But what is virtual care?
Virtual care will give you an option to talk to your orthodontist, Dr. Sepi Torkan through an app (Facetime, Zoom, etc), discuss your questions and concerns and find out what needs to be done next. Virtual care does not replace an actual in-person appointment as there are steps in your treatment that can only be completed in person, but it has several benefits:
- If you are in treatment with Invisalign or aligners, Dr. Sepi will check the progress of your treatment. Dr. might recommend staying on an aligner a little longer or going back in your aligners. Dr. might advise you to switch to night-time aligner wear for the time being.
- If you are wearing rubber bands, Dr. Sepi will check how your bite has changed and if you need to continue wearing rubber bands. After this virtual check, Dr. might recommend that you either continue wearing the rubber bands, go to night time only or stop wearing rubber bands altogether. If you need more rubber bands, we can have them mailed to you.
- If you are in braces and have an emergency, Dr will go over steps to relive your pain and discomfort. If you have an emergency and need to be seen, Dr will schedule a time to see you in the office.
- If you are considering starting orthodontic treatment, Dr. Sepi will be able to do a virtual exam, check your bite and give you some recommendations. She will discuss if you are a good candidate for braces, Invisalign or aligners and give you an estimate of how long your treatment will take.
Virtual care will help you get through these difficult times seamlessly. If you have questions or concerns or want to schedule a virtual care/consult appointment, email us at info@ismileredmond.com and we will get back to you shortly. In the meantime, stay home, maintain social distancing, and help stop the spread of the virus. We are all in this together!