Confused about conflicting orthodontist recommendations...

[gingershell]

Hey everyone! This is my first post. I just turned 24 and will be getting braces withing 6 months or less. I wish I could have done this a long time ago (perhaps as a teen along with everyone else!) but it is happening now.

I visited one orthodontist which is about 90+ minutes away. They took multiple x-rays and photos of every angle. He said we could do damon braces with damon clear on the social 6, get great results, no extractions, and to "run for the hills" if someone else mentioned extractions. He estimated 6900-7900 dollars. I was shocked by the high price...

I went to a second ortho about 40 minutes away (there is no ortho in my town sadly). He looked at my teeth very quickly like a dentist would and the first thing he told me was that I could very well have to have teeth removed because of my small bottom jaw/crowding. While my bottom teeth are crowded I've seen worse cases treated without extractions! I asked if I could have extractions JUST on the bottom since my top jaw is fine, and he said it was 4 or none. Oooookay. He gave it a 50/50 likelihood of needing them out. His estimate was 6500, 7500 for linguals. This orthodontist said damon braces are most often sold to non-experienced dentists and that many orthos and dentists treat crowding without extractions which leads to a result that is not stable,etc.

So basically the two ortho consults are directly conflicting with each other. The first ortho had x-rays and was very confident, while the second one also seemed to think he knew better than the other. I don't want extractions at all. The second ortho is closer, a bit cheaper, but I would hate to start treatment and a year in him tell me he had to pull teeth.

I've though about invisalign more lately. My question is though, are invisalign results as good as braces? Most importantly, what were your experiences with extractions? My teeth are perfectly healthy and I don't think I will go along with having teeth pulled... I've heard a lot of bad things about having healthy teeth pulled. I'd be interested in invisalign but I've heard that sometimes the teeth don't go where they need to and a set of refinement trays need to be ordered? Thoughts? What are your thoughts on the conflicting opinions of the two orthodontists?

[roxie2519]

Both Dentist do not sound credible... They want to charge way too much! If you don't have an overbite or underbite problem then you could probably get invisalign. Find another doctor or move to a different town.

[sirwired]

I don't like the second one at all. There is nothing wrong with Damon brackets, and both new and "veteran" orthodontists use them. They aren't as "magic" as Damon's marketing materials would have you think, but they aren't bad either.

On the first one... does he sometimes do extractions and just thinks they aren't necessary in your case, or is he a "never extract" ortho. (I'd personally never use a "never extract" ortho.)

Is their a third (or fourth) orthodontist available that you could consult with?

[Huggypillow]

Yep, i agree the amounts you have been quoted i would consider to be a little over the top.

There is nothing wrong with having multiple consults, your gut will tell you when you find the right one, the right ortho with give you a few options that will work for you and you will feel more confident knowing that its your decision not just one based on what is easiest or more financially luctrictive for him or her.

Many a fellow archwired member has had serious doubts the whole of their treatment due to one persons feelings.

You will know when,

1 you feel at ease and comfortable with the orthos office and his staff after all you are embarking on a long period with trusting these people.

2 the options they give you are for your benefit to your health and happiness.

3 they will listen to your concerns and validate your feelings like a real person.

4 you want this journey to be as hassel free as possible.

I changed my general dentist because he was forgetting what i was coming to have done and he was prepared to not only remove healthy teeth to put bridges in at great expense to me by the way.

He had no consideration for all my crowed and crooked teeth that would or could give me problems down the road, he justified it with " oh they give me character" he didnt care about serious dental problems that i didnt know i had. He wanted me to spend 2 times the money on fake teeth and losing 1/2 of 4 other healthy teeth. If he was in the business of healthy teeth and gums then why was he so disinterested. I was paying for his expert advice he had 40 years plus experience and you would think that would count for something.


My gut told me to get the heck out and find someone else, i did and shes amazing so wonderful to me my ortho is in the same building too.

They treat me and my health as top priotory and care about me as a person.

I love going to all of my appointments and i have a lot of trust and respect with and for them.

Im so glad i made the switch and i often thank god that i listened to myself, sorry this is long winded but i just wanted to share with you my experience with my situation.

I often think where i could be if i had not, unhappy and mad is where i would be. But im not now.

[Ellebraced]

This is such a big decision and so much trust has to be put into our orthos and dentist. I would get a 3rd and 4th opinion maybe. I personally only got one but it was after a recommendation through my retired dentist who is also my aunts friend, not who my dentist recommended.

I am not a trusting person especially when it come to dentist, I feel many times they are just out to suck your insurance dry and upsell as much as possible. But this ortho had great staff, firm and detailed but not a know it all and it just seemed right.

Trust your gut and get a couple more opinions. The prices do seem a bit high but mine including xrays and moulds (retainers, and 2 year follow up) was almost $7000 In BC, Canada. And many seem in the $4500-$6000 range on here.

[kellyb]

i totally agree with huggypillow. in fact i am also considering changing my dentist because i really don't blv he has my best interest at heart. i have been going to my current dentist for almost 5 years and from day one he has been suggesting me getting crowns and veneers instead of braces. in fact the only reason i am still with him is because he is less than 5 mins walk from my house and so that is abit convenient in case of emergencies etc.

regarding orthodontists, before i started this braces journey, i saw 2 different ortho's for consultations. the first one i visited was offering a free consultation and while the practice was a nice place, i felt the ortho was abit c*cky and kept on telling me how complicated my case was. this totally turned me off. him keeping on banging about how complicated it was drove me straight through the door. if it was so complicated, i thought i would relieve him of the misery. the other thing that turned me off was that this practice was more of a cosmetic clinic. i could have walked out of there with botox and a boob job as well if i wanted.

the second ortho i visited was recommended by my dentist and from the moment i walked into this practice, i fell in love with the place. the ortho, assistants and receptionists were warm and welcoming. even though the second ortho was costing about £1,000 more than the first ortho plus the second ortho predicted a longer treatment time, i followed my gut instinct and went with it anyway. as far as i am concerned, my comfort is far more important than the money or the length of time i will be in braces.

[Huggypillow]

I totally agree with you kellyb,

I had no idea what vaneers were until i googled it, infact i thought they were molded shells of your own teeth that they glued on.

I didnt know they vertually shave 3/4 of your own teeth away for good making you look like a vampire, until they rebuild them. Then you have to have them re done every 5-10 years forever until you either give up or spend more money on expensive implants or dentures.

No. Thank. You.

What happened to natural is best

More people should speak up,

I know a friend recently said they know their tooth had to come out, i referred him to my dentist but he went to another. It went like this

Consult fee, oh you need a root canal that will be $1000 please. Infection cost of antiobiotcs.

Went back tooth still sore $800 needed more work first root canal didnt work.

Almost 2000$ he went to my dentist and she said, your tooth couldnt be saved root canal wouldnt have worked.

Clearly but he was led by someone who should have taken more of an interest in his dental issue he is on a fixed income and is paying off this other dentist.

Im not wanting to make this thread a bad dentist topic but do these people think we dont go to google or something ummmm hello.

[CoryDaniels]

Here is my take....Invisalign is a great product for people who it will work for....thats just it. Its pretty much a gamble...some people do really well with it and some people see little to no movement at all or teeth come out not exactly straight...I REALLY wanted invisalign but was informed that it could not work and then Id be back in the same situation and out alot of money. Your estimate is not totally off on the damon clear...Mine are gonna be around 5500 but that is with the "girlfriend is a dental assistant" discount.

I thought I was going to need extractions and I am 5 months in and My lower jaw is no longer crowded at all and teeth are all very straight.....

BTW, I have the damon clear with clear brackets all around on the top.

[orthogeek]

Here is my take on picking an orthodontist- I have done a ton of research on Damon brackets and found that even if an orthodontist uses them they may not know how to use the entire Damon System. I ultimately chose an orthodontist that knew how to utilize the bracket system to correct my bite and straighten out my teeth without having to pull any permanent teeth out. (except that I did have my wisdom teeth extracted when I was 19)
I went with an orthodontist that only uses the Damon bracket system and has been using them exclusively in their practice for almost 10 years. I saw a bunch of pictures of actual patients that he treated so that I could see how the braces worked without having to have teeth pulled. When I was in the office everyone seemed really happy to be there and there weren't just a bunch of teenagers in the office getting braces.
3 pieces of advice: Do your research. Go with your gut. You get what you pay for.

Good Luck!

[conine]

When I started my journey, I got two wildly different quotes. I was a relapse case - bad overbite and midlines - and the first guy I went to said that the only way I would get a perfect bite was through surgery. However, being in a rural area, he didn't do surgical cases. He said he could improve my bite somewhat with 8 - 10 months of braces and elastics. He quoted me $3,800. I then went to the guy who treated my wife when she was a teenager. He was about 70 miles away. He said that he could treat me non-surgically, but it would be 32 - 36 months of braces with forsus springs. That was quoted at $5,600. Or, we could go surgical and have a near-perfect bite after 15 -18 months. However, that was almost $7,000. I decided to do the prior authorizations with my insurance companies to see how much would be covered. It took almost a year, but I got my insurance to cover all of the surgery and a small percentage of the braces. So, I went with the surgical route. 18 months later, the braces are off and I love the results. I agree - you get what you pay for.