How long after 1st consult to get your braces on?

[lealicious]

Just curious because it seems like forever for me. Not because of complications, but because the orthodontist seems to be quite busy.

I had my first consultation I think in August or September last year. Then I had to get my X-rays done. And then I was booked in for a second consultation a few months after, October I think. Then he said I had to choose either to go the non-surgical route or surgical route. I was sent to the surgeon to see whether they agreed on my treatment plan. Then I had a third consultation in December and arranged a date to get my braces on, and was sent to get those extractions I needed. They booked my brace-day in March, so this month. But it seems like it has taken so long to even get my braces on! If I had of known, I would have started this whole process before I knew I could afford it.

How long did it take you guys to get your braces on???

[fosterp]

had my first consultation at beginning of december

and had a couple more consultations later that month and in january, and then had a second consult with the first ortho at beginning of feb and ultimately decided then to schedule the banding which is set for march 16. Most of the time was spent because I was undecided and wanted more consults, plus I had dental work that was still in progress which is going to be finished on the 8th

[appygirl82]

I had my consult done, then came back 1 week later for the records appt (x-rays and photo's) then they wanted me back the very next week to put them on. I still had one more dentist appointment to finish with my fillings so I did not get them for several weeks. But had I not needed to do that, it would have been 2 weeks from the very first time seeing him. I was pretty stoked!

[Vieve25]

I went to a few different Orthos within the past year so I could get the 'right price'..... but they all seemed able to get the braces on withina month or 2. The one I am going with now did my first consult in mid Feb, then records appt, then this morning I had my 2nd consult, I get my spacers put on March 22nd and my braces are getting put on March 24th.

[lealicious]

I'm kinda bummed that it's taking so long. From what I've been reading it's like within a month or two then BAM! they're on. It's been like 6 months of waiting for me.

I'm just being impatient, I know. Probably when I do get them on I'll want them off again!

Well 2 weeks to go... almost there

[HelenUK]

My wait has been a pretty long one, I had a first consultation with an orthodontist in June last year, then i was referred to the hospital because i need orthognathic surgery. My first appointment there was july, then another in september for moulds, then i met with the surgeon in january. 2 appointments with my dentist last month for extractions, and today (march 3rd), i'm going back to the hospital for spacers. I'm not sure when my braces are going on, but so far it's been 9 months!! Don't you just love the NHS? But then again, they are paying for it all!

[Steph in Sac]

I had my first visit in September to get an idea of what could be done and for how much. Then, in order to save the proper amount of money, I scheduled my records appt in January. Two weeks after that I had my final consultation and two weeks after that my braces. They were speedy--I was the one that took some time just so I could pay in full.

[Boohill]

I had my first consult on October 6, 2009. I had 2 more consultations with other orthodontists on October 31 and November 5. I had one more but I canceled it because I had already chosen to go with the first orthodontist. I had my molds and X-rays done on January 4th and got my top and bottom braces put on on January 11th. So that was about 3 months. But the wait was because I wanted to do more research and because my ortho was on maternity leave and wasn’t back until January.

[haywire]

consultation 26 june
instal date 27 july

[tsmurfenator]

When I was looking for a ortho (a few months ago) I walked into an ortho office in SPAM Mexico with no appointment, and they took me in right then and there (didn't even need to sit in waiting room) and they wanted to do X-rays and put spacers immediately and said they would put braces in 5 days. It was a very nice office and appeared cleaner and have much nicer and newer equipment than any USA dental office I've been to (which tend to be gross and ratty). This is not where I ended up going but where I did go, I had braces put on 10 days after my initial consult/x-rays/separators although my consult was about one month after I initially spoke with the office more for personal scheduling reasons than ortho availability. I truly believe my ortho is the best ortho on the planet.

Just for a different perspective ..
I don't know how it is in other parts of USA but in Austin TX, it takes 4 months just to get a dental cleaning appointment. I could not imagine how long it would take to get braces put on there. When I was calling ortho offices most of them did not even want new adult patient. Screw em if they don't want me.

[evilnel]

I had my first consultation in the summer of 2007 and got my braces on in October 2009. The wait was mostly because I had to get my wisdom teeth out and it took a long time to schedule that since I was away at school (I finally did it over Christmas) and then I was graduating and blah blah. I had another consult at the end of the summer 2009, maybe like August, and then it was two more months before I got them on. It's been a long time coming, that's for sure!

[orangeracer]

I finally decided to get braces as part of my self-improvement kick after going through a terrible year last year. As of this week, I'm on a wait list at a college program, they say the next consult is about 4-6 weeks after registration. Am looking forward to finally getting it done!

[veevianz]

I consulted a few dentist first before going for this orthodontist. Imagine how much i paid for only consultation. Although this ortho that i'm going to is much more expensive than the others, but he is good! My first consultation with him, i had my x-ray, pictures and mould done. Then schedule for braces the week after. Basically they are very efficient..so i got mine done last month. In half an hour. Upper and lower ceramics.

[Lewick]

It must've been around 7 months for me. I got reffered to my orthodentist from my regular dentist in June (I think) I then had my first consultation with my orthodentist sometime in july (got moulds and x rays done then) I then had to go see the dentist at the hospital so he could create my treatment plan (I think that was august time) I then had to go back to the hospital sometime in october so i could be told my treatment plan then I had an appointment with my orthodentist at the beginning of december to get spacers put in, then another appointment with my ortho in january to have my lower molar bands put on. I then had to go back to my own dentist to have 4 teeth taken out (4 separate appointments, and at my final appointment he didnt even take the tooth out! Which then meant another appointment at my orthodentist to get the tooth out) Then another appointment with my orthodentist for my upper molar bands, then the next day back there to get my 4th and final tooth taken out and then the following week (17th feb) my braces finally went on.
Wow, I hadnt noticed how many appointments i've actually had until I just wrote that little essay there haha

[Chicagogal]

i'm somewhere in the middle of the mix. like others, it took me a while to "go for it." so the time between my initial consultation and the records appointment was long by choice. My real journey has all been in the past 5 weeks.
1/8/10 - records
1/17/09 - additional records needed from dentist
2/12/10 - treatment plan/consultation (could've done a week prior though)
2/22/10 - spacers
3/02/10 - bottom braces

I also was presented with a surgical option. I chose non, but I think a surgical consult and those offices sending communications would've increased the timeline greatly...maybe not 6 months though.