Follow every brace and aligner case from the first records to the last retainer check.

Orthodontic care is long and steady. A case starts with records, photographs and a plan, then moves through adjustment visits for a year or two before retention begins, and each visit must build on the one before it. It is slow work. The clinic earns across the whole case, so every missed visit matters.

Many practices follow this in a diary, an imaging folder and a payment notebook. A patient who skips two adjustments is easy to miss until the case has drifted and the plan needs rework. Small gaps add up. Plans stretch.

The front desk books adjustment visits, confirms with parents or guardians, and checks who is due for debonding or a retainer fitting, usually from a diary that also holds every other booking. Assistants prepare the chair. They take photographs and update wires and elastics. The orthodontist reviews progress and sets the next date. Then the patient leaves.

New cases begin with a consultation, impressions or scans, X-rays and photographs. The plan and fee are explained, and many families choose a monthly payment plan. Aligner and appliance orders go out to a lab or a manufacturer with a prescription and a due date. The clinic waits for the parcel before it books the fitting. Some clinics also run several chairs and visiting specialists, each paid by a different arrangement.

Retention is a quiet phase. Patients wear retainers for years. They return for occasional checks, which are rarely scheduled.