What to expect at a consultation?

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#1 Post by **lizzoo** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:30 pm

Hi, my name is Liz and I'm new to the forum. I've been reading everything on here for the past 2 months and I've decided to get braces... not too excited about it! I'm 20 years old and I always felt that I was too old to get braces but now I know there are many adults who do it. Anyway, I haven't had a consultation yet and I'm planning on making an appointment for one soon. I was just wondering what to expect, like what are they going to do (pictures, xrays, etc.)? Or is the ortho just going to look at my teeth and make a judgement? And am I going to have to pay anything? This is just a first time consultation and I'm pretty sure I'll be having a few more because I go to school and live, for the most part, 2 hours away from home and my parents and I are trying to figure out if it would be better to go to an ortho here at school, or back at home. And also, if anyone has any good questions that I should ask, that would be great too.

#2 Post by **Jenny5** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:11 am

Hi Liz,

Welcome to the board! My consultation did not include xrays or any other records, though I think some posters have said theirs did. Mine was just the orthodontist looking at my teeth and bite. It was a lot of "open. close. open. close. tilt your head this way. open..." She then told me what my expected treatment would be (in my case, braces for 18 months) and showed me the different types of brackets. Then, I was taken to a different room where one of the ladies from the front went over the cost and payment options. I would say the whole appointment took about 40 minutes and it was completely free. When I went back for the records appointment (xrays, molds, photos), the cost was included in my total treatment price. That was my experience, but you should check and see if the ortho you're going to has a website. Mine has a section on theirs about the consultation, which states that it's free and gives you an idea of what will happen during the appointment. Or you could always call, of course.

In the meantime, try to work on that unexcited attitude. Think about why you're doing this and what the results will mean for you. Look at lots of before and after pictures in the Our Braces Stories forum on this site, which are always good motivators. Your braces journey will not always be easy, but a positive attitude will make it MUCH more manageable!

Good luck!

#3 Post by **lizzoo** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:16 am

So I called both of the orthos here (there are only 2, very small college town) and the first one told me there was a $200 payment because they do the xray and models right then, so that is a definite no. The second one said they have a fee of $35. After doing my research I found a few orthos back home that don't charge anything for the first consultation. I'm not sure if I should go ahead and check this ortho out here, $35 doesn't seem too bad..?

I have another question. My mom is looking at all of this from the financial point of view. Her number one priority is finding someone cheap. And because of this, she's been looking through papers and finding coupons for orthos. First of all, I had no idea orthos gave out coupons. I always figured, hey, they make a lot of money already. But I was wondering if it is okay to go to these orthos who give out coupons. Because what I keep thinking is they aren't getting enough clients for some reason (maybe because they aren't great) and they need to give out some coupons as an incentive to go to them. I totally understand my mom, price is a very important factor, but I'm afraid that price is all she is concerned about. I just want to know if these orthos who give out coupons are generally okay or not.

I really appreciate your replies, they are great and full of wonderful advice that I will definitely use!

#4 Post by **Jenny5** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:12 am

Wow, I think $200 is quite a bit if you're not even sure that's who you'll end up going with. I think it's important to feel comfortable with your ortho, which is part of the purpose of the consultations, so I'd be afraid to jump right in with someone I hadn't even met yet. $35 seems reasonable though.

As far as the orthos with coupons, I don't know from personal experience, but I would say definitely don't rule them out. Go to them for the consultations, look at their portfolios of before and after pictures, see how attentive they are and willing to take the time to answer your questions, see how comfortable you feel with them and with the office staff... I think all orthos advertise in some way, especially if they've opened a new practice or new location and need to get going with a client base, so I don't think it necessarily means they're a bad orthodontist. At the same time, I agree with you that price should not be the only factor in your decision. I think some people on here have made that mistake. Braces are expensive, but it's better to pay a little more and be happy with your treatment and results than to save a few hundred dollars and be miserable. Most orthodontists offer a few different payment options (like monthly payments, a discount for payment upfront, and/or loans), so that might help! Let us know how it goes when you get everything figured out.

#5 Post by **iBorg** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:14 am

I WOULD not consider going to one ortho over another based solely on price. Iâ€™m uneasy about using coupons in the paper for a good price. I truly subscribe to the theory that you get what you pay for.
For medical Iâ€™d rather pay more and get the job done right.

I agree with the previous post that suggested you make a VERY specific list of what you expect from the treatment. If you're aware of issues you need to bring it up and be sure itâ€™s addressed in the consult. For example, I had one ortho's staff tell me they could straighten my teeth but could not help my bite much. That wouldn't help with my TMJ. My current ortho was very specific about what she could and could not do as well as what appliances she would use. I can't imagine anything worse than being a third of the way through treatment and then being told that unless you do jaw surgery your overbite would not get better than it currently is.

Finally find people who have used various orthos. Ask if they were happy. I had one woman very specifically tell me she went with Dr. X instead of Dr. Y to save money. She also told me she had gone with the other ortho.

What Iâ€™d like to communicate is be first and foremost concerned about quality of care and outcomes. Price, if you can afford it, should be a minor concern. You donâ€™t want to regret the job done poorly and start all over five or ten years later.

Mike

#6 Post by **ngbraces** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:54 am

Hey! Where were all you guys the day before I went to my consultation?

Great advices!

I wish I knew all the details before consult.

I know now more than the 1st day, about braces information in general and in my case by digging to this board and asking my ortho. But it's good when you're are equipped with braces-related knowledge before getting into consultations.
Some orthos follow the policy "If you don't ask, I don't tell". So play safe by asking.
Have a successful consultation.

#7 Post by **lizzoo** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:36 am

Well, I told my mom about the one ortho with the $35 fee and she said she would prefer for me to find one back at home

Getting a little fustrated because she's pretty much told me to look up orthos myself and make appointments for consultations during my spring break. In a way it's good that I can do this myself... but I really don't know who's good and who's not. I've called about 5 orthos so far and their office hours are so strange! Unfortunately all my friends had braces a long time ago so they don't even remember who they went to so I can't get references. I've been looking around online, looking at some websites of orthos. I wish they all had websites though. Wish me luck on my hunt for an ortho!

#8 Post by **PfectPitch** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:37 am

I would echo what Meryaten said about emergencies. I consulted with several orthodontists and chose the one I thought did the most thorough job of evaluation AND was close to my home. From reading this board, I learned that if something is poking you or something breaks, and your orthodontist is not readily accsesible, it will be tough. Good Luck!

#9 Post by **Jenny5** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:30 am

I would definitely ask your dentist for help in finding an orthodontist. Maybe you could ask the board for recommendations too for your specific area. Perhaps someone on here is nearby. You should probably go to one near wherever you are most. Some people have adjustments less frequently, but my adjustments are once a month, so those 2 hour trips could be a bit much...not to mention emergency appointments, like the others have said. I wonder if your mom thinks orthodontic treatment is just a matter of placing cookie cutter braces on your teeth and letting them straighten themselves out, which would explain why cost is the only concern to her, but it's a lot more complicated than that and you want someone who knows what they're doing! You are probably better off doing this on your own so that you can choose who you go to and where. Maybe you can work something out with your mom, like if you find a cheaper ortho than the one you want to go to, you'll pay her the difference. I can't see the prices varying that much anyway if you're talking about various orthos in the same town, provided that their treatment plans are similar. Maybe there are other orthodontists a little bit outside of your college town that offer free consultations? If not, I'd still try the $35 one.

#10 Post by **lizzoo** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:39 pm

Well, I found 4 orthos back home that I would like to see, but now I'm kind of scared it's too late to make an appointment for when I want. My spring break is in one month so I hope their schedules aren't full already. I'll be calling them tomorrow as soon as I have a break from classes. I talked to my dad a little while ago and he basically told me to make appointments with whoever I wanted and he also said I should still check out the $35 one here. As for my mom... I do think she assumes braces are braces and they are all the same. But she has gone through this before with my older sister (although she had braces more than 10 years ago). Maybe she thinks things have changed and progressed a lot from then. Anyway, I'm just glad I can make these choices on my own instead of hoping I can convince her to see things my way. It's just hard thinking about this and worrying about this now because I have so many other things going on with school. Thanks for everyone's imput, you guys are pretty much all the help I've got right now.

#11 Post by **lizzoo** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:54 pm

I just wanted to let yall know that I made 4 appointments all during my spring break. I did call the $35 ortho here but the only times they can schedule me is during my classes and I cannot afford to miss any of my classes right now. So I'm going to see how the 4 appointments go and maybe after spring break I can see the ortho here. Thanks to everyone for the replies. I will definitely use the info you guys have given me for my upcoming appointments!

#12 Post by **Jenny5** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:13 am

Good for you, Liz! That's your first step. Let us know how the consultations go.

#13 Post by **lizzoo** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 2:15 pm

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let those of you who helped me before know how my consultations went. I had four this week and all four of them said the same thing about my teeth. The only differences were the prices, but there wasn't a great difference. My parents and I decided today to go with the second ortho we talked with and I'm very happy with the decision. His office was very nice and the staff is so friendly and helpful and are willing to do whatever they can to accommodate me since I'm a college student. I went today to get my xrays and impressions done and it wasn't bad at all. Basically, all that is left to be done is the ortho needs to study my xrays and impressions and then he will call me and tell me what he thinks are my options. Apparently I could have extractions or I could not. The ortho said I was on the borderline when it came to how much room I had in my mouth since I have quite a bit of crowding. But when he finds out how much room I really have for sure, I'll know. Anyway, then in May I'll have a cleaning, then a consult with the ortho to go over the plan for treatment, then have any extractions if necessary, then spacers, then BRACES! I'm actually excited about it and I can't wait to get them on.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their help. I had my list with me at every consult and they were so shocked at how much I actually knew! haha... well, it's only because this website is SO helpful. So thanks again!

#14 Post by **Slickster** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 2:51 pm

If he said you're borderline for extractions, don't have them would be my suggestion (even if he comes back and says after all, let's pull them)! You can always have teeth taken out but not put back in!

If he said your borderline, there will be another guy willing to do the job without extractions (he might even himself, if you push the issue).

#15 Post by **lizzoo** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 3:09 pm

I definitely don't want to have extractions but if he thinks that it's best to do them, then I understand. What he said was that even if I didn't have the extractions, I may have enough room to straighten everything out, but not fix my bite and actually make my bite worse. Now, if he says it is possible to straighten the teeth and fix my bite without extractions then I will definitely jump for that option. I don't want to have to compromise my bite for keeping some teeth. The problem is I'm a very petite person, so I have a small mouth but I have normal sized teeth. Anyway, I've had four consults and each of them said the same thing when it came to extractions.