ortho etiquette

[akabraces]

*hmmmm*

well i saw the post about do you
love your ortho, and it way
too early for me to tell,

BUT

i had a question...

after the ortho put my braces
on, he left the room to
go tend to another patient...
then the assistant put on
my colors and tightened the wire...
she gave me a kit for
flossing etc...but my
ortho never came in to
say i was done, or anything
as some closure to
the appt...its not that
i'm demanding, but
i would think that,
being put in metal for 2
years he might say
something like
good-bye, good luck,
do you have any questions,
they look great, whatever,
just something instead of leaving
the room...

am i wrong? perhaps...

just curious as i'm new
to all of this!

thanks

*aka

[paw655]

You're certainly not wrong, that would be the optimal way to handle things. In reality, in most "ortho mills" (i.e. where there are 6 chairs set up and the ortho just whips by one to the next) my experience is that the ortho, once they have done their ortho piece, is ready to move on. Generally they think they are there just for the ortho component and not any interpersonal stuff, that's what the assistants are for.

For the record, I know some people have great orthos who are very focused on the interpersonal, so I'm not saying all are like what I described above. In my experience, most are.

To be really blunt, and I know I will get grief for this, in many cases to the ortho you are just a mouth. That there is a live person with feelings and thoughts attached is not in their mindset when they whip off 60 patients a day.

Maybe you are going to a more "personal touch" ortho, so this will not be your experience. Having had several consults and seen that 3 of 3 were ortho mills, I'm not optimistic about finding something else.

On a better note, I'm glad you're here and congrats on getting braced. I hope you are feeling OK and will keep us posted with your progress or anything else you care to share.

[Way Too Old For This]

My ortho office has about 8 chairs and the ortho goes from one to another. However, all three orthos in the office know all of their patients by name. If they are in the reception area when someone comes in they always greet them by name. I don't get the feeling that I am in an ortho "mill" whatsoever.

Before I leave he always checks to make sure the assistant did what she was instructed to do. One time when I went to have a pokey wire snipped I hadn't seen the ortho at all. I passed him on my way out and he was on the phone. He dropped the phone and came running after me to ask if everything was ok.

I don't mind at all that the assistants do most of the actual hands on work. I think they are quite capable of what they do, and the more precise stuff like placing the brackets the ortho does. If the ortho stood and twisted on wire ties and changed ligs all day I'm sure the fees for the overall treatment would go up a bunch.

We don't think it is odd that a nurse or back office assistant takes our temperature or blood pressure at the doctor's office.

[paw655]

Vital signs are not part of treatment, they are measurement. Nurses are not allowed, by law, to treat patients with the exception of passing meds and under the supervision of an MD.

[Flora2006]

I am so happy that my ortho and his partner have no assistants; they do all the work. My ortho is an amazing doctor and person. I have zero tolerance for doctors that treat their patience like objects so I am so happy that my dentist referred me to someone who cares about his patience...

I agree, your ortho should have come back to ask you if you had any final questions or just to see how you were doing...especially since you got them on!

[akabraces]

Thank you for all your replies, very helpful...

I'm so lucky to have found this website, soooo
necessary and helpful...

The only reason I found my ortho strange
for not seeing how my braces were, etc.
is because he's not a braces mill...
in fact, at my consult last week,
he spent an hour with me just
talking! So who knows,
maybe he just had a busy day--
will be interesting to see how he
is next time! I just thought
the *first time* would be
special, or at least, notable...

thanks again--glad to be part of the club

*aka

[Way Too Old For This]

Vital signs are not part of treatment, they are measurement. Nurses are not allowed, by law, to treat patients with the exception of passing meds and under the supervision of an MD.

Nurses give injections, take blood, clean wounds, apply bandages. I would call that part of treatment. Certainly putting a lig around a bracket (that has been strategically located by a qualified orthodontist) isn't much different than applying a bandage.

It is my personal opinion and I'm sure others have their own opinion, but I don't mind at all that the assistants help in part of my treatment. They are constantly being observed by the orthodontist. I am quite comfortable with the set up.

I live in a fast growing community and wait weeks to get in to see doctors. I can't imagine how long the wait would be if the doctors, opthamologists, dentists and orthodontists in our city didn't have capable assistants helping. I can't imagine how long I would have to wait to get a pokey wire clipped if I wouldn't let the assistant do the clipping.

[paw655]

It's all a matter of interpretation.

"Treatment" in some professions, like nursing, and the one I am in, has a strict legal definition.

For me, until I gained the license I currently have, certain activities that might have "seemed" like treatment could have gotten me in legal trouble as my license level was not high enough to "treat" whether I performed the act as "treatment" or not. That is what I was alluding to - of course nurses treat patients everyday; the issue becomes one of the boundaries of treatment.

For the record, I have no problem with assistants in any profession. As long as they are well-trained, respectful, and operate within the boundaries of their position, I'm all for making things more efficient by having more staff.

[Way Too Old For This]

For the record, I have no problem with assistants in any profession. As long as they are well-trained, respectful, and operate within the boundaries of their position, I'm all for making things more efficient by having more staff.

Paw, I guess that was what I was trying to say. You said it better.

aka, sorry for straying from your original question. I agree that your orthodontist should have checked everything out before you left. Hopefully that was an off day and usually he does.

[meesoo100]

To be really blunt, and I know I will get grief for this, in many cases to the ortho you are just a mouth. That there is a live person with feelings and thoughts attached is not in their mindset when they whip off 60 patients a day.

i know exactly what you mean. when i was doing my sociology degree i did an essay on the sociology of medicine and whether doctors saw humans merely as machines that needed to be fixed as oposed to independent individuals with braians and the capability to interact and be heard. it was very controversial stuff. i mean i stand firm in the belief that doctors should build up a solid relationship with their patients so that they understand their wants and needs and any worries they may have. my orthodontist is a very experienced man and he knows what he's doing but at times i just feel like i cant express myself to him. for instance when i start to explain something to him or if i have a question about the progress i've made he tends to either cut me off or doesnt really answer my question properly. it's all very frustrating, especially for the patient.