What to look for in an Orthodontist.....?

Question

I'm in the process of choosing one for my 9 year old. Any advice? Did you get more than one consult? Is there anything I should be wary of? Are there questions I should be asking? Neither my husband or myself needed treatment like this, so its a first for us. Thanks for your help :)

I took her for a consult today, it wasn't the doc my dentist reccomended because he wasn't covered by our insurance. Honestly, I felt they didn't explain all that much. He said she should have a Frankle for 18-24 months before braces. She'll also need some baby teeth pulled. I left with questions and felt as if telling them I wanted a 2nd opinion made them rush me right out the door....

My dentist didn't know any of the docs on my insurance list...

Answer 1

My niece and I are both going through this. I started her with an orthodontist close to her house that took her insurance, and after I saw such rapid improvement in her teeth, I decided to get mine done, as well. I went to another ortho, one my dentist recommended. Well, as soon as I got to my ortho's office, I noticed BIG differences in the quality of treatment, and I later decided to switch my niece (and now my nephew) over to my doc and pay out of pocket. Things that were wrong with the kids' ortho included the following:

*No discussion of a treatment plan-- he just looked around her mouth, and said "We'll do it." Since i had never been to an ortho before, I didn't know a GOOD dr. would sit down and discuss the problems with the teeth and how he intends to fix them.

*The assistant did most of the work. This included placement of a few brackets. I looked around on my state's dental board website and found that placement of fixed appliances by an assistant is illegal by my state's laws. She can change the bands and bond the brackets to the teeth, but she can't place the brackets or form the archwire. If you're not sure about something, ASK.

Once I discovered the above, I checked to see if the ortho ever had any complaints against him. (He hadn't.) Still, I was surprised to see that many of the dentists and orthos in our area have been disciplined for cleanliness issues, drug convictions, etc. Look online for your state's dental board site and see if the ones you're considering have ever been in serious trouble.

Also ask your regular dentist for a referral. My dentist wasn't accepting the kids' insurance when I started with the "bad" ortho, so I couldn't ask their opinion. Once they started accepting the insurance again, I told them about things I was unhappy with, and they informed me this guy was a loser and they see nothing but crap coming out of his office. So, ask your dentist & his assistants what they think of the orthos you're considering. If you have a good relationship with them, they'll likely tell you "off the record."

There were also many things that were not good about my niece's braces, such as placement of the brackets, excessive bonding material that was irritating her gums, etc. These things should have been noticeable during her regular cleanings, but I think they can't really voluntarily mention it due to slander issues or whatever. So, I'd ask what they think of the orthodontic work, and see what they say.

I guess the most important thing is to ASK QUESTIONS. And expect a detailed discussion of what's wrong with your kid's teeth, and what they intend to do to fix it. I asked the kids' ortho about something he was doing with my niece, and he just said, "Don't worry, we'll take care of it." Two months later, her teeth were WORSE than they were when we started, and I started getting scared and finally asked my ortho to look at her. Thank GOD he did-- he thinks everything was done so poorly, they'll need to remove everything and start all over. This is after nine months of treatment. He and his staff are amazing, and we just love them. It's costing me a fortune, but it's well worth it, and I'd never, ever again trust someone just because they have a degree, OR stick with someone just because the insurance covers it. I'll probably have to work overtime and will live really tight for the next two years, but it's well worth it for good treatment.

I decided to edit this post to add, I couldn't DISAGREE more with Nebula D about orthodontics not being brain surgery. It is serious business, and should not be taken lightly. My orthodontist has over 25 years of experience and has a good repoire with local surgeons and general dentists, and they ALL think the world of him. That other jackass is an outcast and has been in practice for 50 years. (He also drives a bright silver, brand-new Corvette-- my ortho drives a four-door car that resembles a Taurus. Who do you think is in it for the money, and who's there because he cares about his patients?) I am NOT a dental professional of any kind, so obviously I just speak from a layman's perspective. I respect that Nebula is a professional and knows a lot more about it than I ever will, but I think that arrogant, "who cares" attitude is exactly what people should try to AVOID in their healthcare practitioners.

Good luck with this.

Answer 2

Well before you get any kind of treatment you have a consultation. During this time the orthodontist will show a video or talk to you and possibly other patients about what will happen and answer any questions you have. If you dont like him do like the MTV show and give him a NEXT. Make another appointment with another orthodontist and start over. Do this until you and your child are happy. You might need to find out if he is known for not having too much pain, and since you need to go back every month you need tyo make sure that you can schedule the appointments. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

orthodontic treatment is usually done when your child has all of their "adult" teeth to the 2nd molars. usally around age 12. treatment can be from 12-36 months depending on situation.

what to look for:
1. accomodating hours-you child will be seeing the orthodontist at least once a month so make sure the times work for all of you.
2. dental experience-ask the doc about how long they have been practicing, ask other patients, talk, talk, talk it helps
3. cleanliness and organization-if an office is in poor shape, unprofessional or unclean, you don't want this dentist in your mouth.
4. financial compatibility- make sure that the payment options work for you. call your insurance company for names of orthodontists in the area and get a consult. compare rates!
5. staff-most orthodonitst have help from their assistants, ask about how much of the work is actually done by the dentist and how much by the assistant. this could affect your completion time if things are done incorrectly.

i hope this helps!!

Answer 4

I'm a dentist.

First off, chances are your daughter is not ready for braces unless she has some severe problem that needs early orthodontic intervention.

As far as choosing an orthodontist, you shouldn't. Leave that to your daughter's general dentist. We refer patients primarily to orthodontists with whom we are comfortable seeing our patients and with whom we communicate well. The reality is that there's no way for you to know who is a good doctor and who isn't.

Someone above me gave a lengthy answer containing items like "staff" and "office hours" and other such B.S. In the long run, it's the doctor who dictates the treatment and sees to it that it's executed according to his/her plan. The staff are there to help the office run and handle many of the menial tasks that the doctor doesn't need to perform him/herself, but are otherwise non-essential personnel...if you know what I mean. Moreover, if its important enough to you, you'll make time for your daughter's appointments and work your schedule around their office hours (which are very reasonable anyway). Financial compatibility is the only thing you should consider, because orthodontic work is expensive and you want your insurance to cover as much as possible.

As far as the issue of number of years in practice, I wouldn't worry about that. Orthodontists are well trained, and after completing two- or three-year residencies are eligible for board certification. Obviously, more experience is nicer, but orthodontics isn't exactly brain surgery. In fact, there are many general dentists out there whom, through continuing education courses, are able to perform most if not all of their own orthodontic work.

Ask your daughter's dentist for a couple of referrals. That should be all you need.

Answer 5

I hope you can find one who first of all likes kids, and equally important, takes pride in his work.

My son, and now his girls, have had this done and they are all very happy with the results.

My son (years ago) wore the traditional braces, but his girls wore multicolored things that looked like mouth jewelry -- but that's the kids. All their friends thought it looked "cool."

I'm sorry to say it will hurt them a bit after each adjustment. Talk to them about it so they are prepared. It might help if the doctor has some before and after pictures so they can look forward to a nicer smile.

Answer 6

lol ask about a payment plan

Answer 7

yes. i think. but to be shuer iwould ask a stranger.