Will the orthodontist tell you when your braces will come off, or is it kind of like a 'surprise'?

Question

I've had braces on my lower teeth, and have been wearing retainers on my top teeth for almost a year now and my lowers have really straightened and they look great! My uppers were not bad to begin with but being the fastidious person I am I wanted them perfect too. Will the orthodontist let you know the exact visit my lower braces will be removed? Or do you kind of just walk in and he says, 'surprise!' This is my second go-around (I am 29) and I am anxious!

Answer 1

They don't always tell you. I wasn't told, it was a surprise :-)

Answer 2

They tell you.  They'll probably tell you a couple of months ahead of time that they expect the braces to come off at a certain time or within a particular time frame.  My daughter's orthodontist told us in March (years ago, not this year) that her braces would likely come off in May.  She had her normal April appointment and they told us to schedule a regular appointment for May.  Then at the May appointment they said, "You can make an appointment to get these taken off now."  And then it was a mad scramble to get the braces off her teeth before we left town for her to be in my youngest brother's wedding!!  

Hang in there!  It's almost over!