Maybe I should have had a more in-depth consult

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#1 Post by **stacy19201325** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:31 pm

After viewing this board for a few weeks, I'm wondering if maybe I should have been given more options or thought to ask questions at my consult. (I only had the one). My only questions were how much will it cost, how long will it take, and when can I start.

I was offered one choice: all metal for $5200 or ceramic on top for $5600. That's it. Not different kinds, colors, brands, no choice about molar band or not, NOTHING.

Is that bad? My ortho is the guy who does my regular dentist's kids' braces, so that was as good a recommendation I needed as for whether he was or wasn't a quack, but I'm wondering why I wasn't offered any choices whatsoever in anything to do with my treatment.

My first adjustment will be in about a month, should I have any questions at that point?

#2 Post by **CactusZAF** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:31 pm

I don't necessarily think it's the end of the world if you go with the first and only ortho you consult with, as long as you're comfortable and confident in his/her ability. I also went with the first ortho I spoke to, and am still more than happy with him and have no regrets about my choice (this almost 19 months into treatment).
As for choices of brackets, appliances, etc etc, the way I look at it is that your ortho is running a health care business not a supermarket, if you went to your doctor with pneumonia would you expect to choose weather to have physio or not or what drug you prefer?
Don't get me wrong, I think choices are great if you're offered them, but I think your ortho's ability as well as your trust in it are much more important than bracket brand or style, or even the color of them. So if you're happy that your ortho can do the job you're paying for, then you've got nothing to worry about.

#3 Post by **LCARA** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:01 am

Why would you have molar bands? They are only necesary for certain problems. I think with the colors, they don't normally ask adults either, cause they assume they want the most discrete choices.

I went with the first ortho I went to, either way this is how I see it:

You are paying them to do a job, if they dont do it they aren't fulfilling their contractual obligations, to their own expense.

Also, it is in their best interest to treat you in the quickest, best way, so they can start taking on more patients once your treatment has ended.

Hell, I don't even know half of the names of the wires I've had, or why the ortho has done what hes done to my mouth over the past two years. All I know is my teeth are essentially straight now and I've been relatively more uninformed than most of the people on here.

#4 Post by **sauerkraut** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:37 am

Stacy I think I know just what you mean! Sometimes reading this board I could get quite an inferiority complex

. But I think some people just take a much more detailed interest in their treatment and like to be really well informed -- which is perfectly understandable, as it's our health at stake at the end of the day. Others, having made their choice, are happy simply to let the professional get on with it, without needing to understand all the details or make too many more decisions. And I think I tend to fall more into the latter camp. My ortho does explain things, of course, but half the time I'm too thick to understand it all anyway!

If it's any consolation, by the way, the deciding factor in my choice of ortho was that he's convenient to get to! With myself and 3 kids undergoing treatment I don't want a mega journey every time someone's wire needs tweaking. Having said that, my kids' dentist is a great fan of his and I'm sure would also send his own children there as well. And for myself I did get a second opinion (at the behest of my own dentist, who I think might have preferred me to go to an ortho more experienced in surgical cases). But I really didn't like the other practice at all. I found them very condescending and I feel sure I would have dreaded every consultation. As it happened the suggested treatment plan was pretty much the same anyway.

So I'm quite happy to bumble along knowing I'm in the hands of an expert. Maybe I'm too trusting, but for me personally I don't think I'd actually like being asked my preferences all the time.

Sorry, I've waffled on for ages here when all I really needed to say was: I agree with Cactus!!

#5 Post by **TumbleDryLow** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:37 am

Normally I would tell people to get multiple consults---but those are cases where it seems reasonable to do so. If you don't have an extraordinarily complicated case, if you felt good about the first ortho you saw, if the treatment plan seemed reasonable--great! You saved yourself a lot of time, money, and potential confusion with multiple consults. As for questions, as lay people we often don't know what to ask. That's OK. You can always ask questions if you think of them or as they come up during treatment. If you don't have any questions, that's ok too. I really don't ask much at my appointments. Things are going swimmingly, and that's all I need to know.

As for choices and options, each ortho usually has one brand of clear and one brand of metal bracket they know and love and that's what they use. They also have their own personal preference on when to use molar bands and when not to. You probably never had a choice with that so don't beat yourself up about it. Brackets are brackets---there are subtle differences and advertising would have you believe that some move teeth faster than others, if true, we're talking about a matter of months---if that.

And while this board is a great resource, you need to take it with a grain of salt. Most people do not post if things are going smoothly--and I think that is the majority of people. You will always hear from the people who are having problems, who have a very complicated case, or who want to be very involved with their treatment. You can drive yourself down crazy creek really fast if let yourself get too consumed with the "what if's" and the "should I have's" after reading some of the posts here. Don't worry. Odds are, things will go perfectly, even if you never ask a question.