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I decided to take everyones advice on seeing more than one Ortho. for consults. The first Ortho I called as you know has me scheduled for May 15. I called this morning to make 2 more appts. and one is for tomorrow and the other is for Thursday. Does it seem odd that the other Ortho has me scheduled so far out?
Anyway the Ortho on May 15 uses Inspire brackets and the 2 I will see this week use Clarity brackets. I did notice that the Clarity brackets have a metal lining where the arch wire goes that is supposed to help reduce friction. I have also read that the Clarity brackkets seem to blend with the teeth better. I read that if your teeth aren't really white that the Inspire would show up more. The Ortho I willl see tomorrow uses wire ties instead of ligs b/c they say they last longer.
I would appreciate any input/opinions about the Clarity vs. Inspire and wire ties vs. ligs.
Sorry I can't comment on the type of bracket...I have ceramic ones but I don't really know which brand exactly
I have a wire tie on one tooth. It got changed twice (out of three adjustments) but when it doesn't get changed, it gets tightened. Wire Ties are great because they don't stain. Ligatures stain. Apart from that, there isn't really any difference. Wire Ties are easier to manipulate...to get the tooth to move into a certain direction, i think....i also think it adds a bit more force.
As for the ortho who scheduled you on May 15...maybe he's just really booked. I can't really think of any other reason.
Hope that helps.
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Ceramic top braces: January 9th, 2006
Metal bottom braces: May 1st, 2006
Nille, I read that Inspire shows up more than Clarity unless your teeth are really really white. I read that in the Popular Braces Topics on this site.
Inspire won't stain. The ligs for Clarity will stain if you overdo it on red wine or spaghetti sauce, but of course you'll get the ligs changed regularly anyway.
I don't know anything about wire ties.
As far as the other ortho scheduling you farther out, I saw my 1st ortho about a week after making the appointment because someone else cancelled and I got their spot. With the 2nd ortho, I made an appointment for May but I ended up seeing him in March because again, someone cancelled. With the 3rd ortho the soonest appointment was 4 weeks from the day I called to schedule.
Meryaten wrote: See the orthos who can see you soon and if you like on of them and their office, consider stongly going with that doc - the other doc not being able to see you til far later rings alarm bells for me
I disagree, just because they cant offer you a consult straight away does not mean they are not a good ortho, your forgetting some offices are closed due to the easter season and the ortho may be away on a holiday (which im sure they've earnt). May isnt all that far away and its more than likely the ortho's office is just very busy. I urge you not to rule this ortho out just because of the wait for a consult.
Thanks for the help. I will see the 2 Orthos this week and see what
I think. If I get the gut feeling that one of them is good I may just go ahead and get started. If I still don't feel really sure about one of them I will wait for the other appt. The other thing is that talking to them on the phone the staff for the 2 appts I have this week seem really nice and don't seem to mind answering any questions. The staff at the appt for May just doesn't seem friendly and pretty much just wanted to schedule the appt and be done. She wasn't very friendly and didn't seem to want to answer any questions. I even called back again to see if I could get in sooner with the new Doc in the office and she just seemed kind of annoyed!
Thanks again! I just hope I ask all the right questions!
I have the Clarity braces and I really like them. I got an ortho consult in less than a week when I made a call. I agree with Meryaten, if I had an emergency would they be able to fit me in quickly or would I wait. I know my office gets you in ASAP.
As for the clarity braces they blend in very well with teeth. My teeth are no where near the pearly white color, too many years of iced tea The only part that shows up from a distance is the wire. I can't help you on the wire ties, I always have had ligs, and I stain them a bit but they get changed every 4 weeks so I make due. I hope this helps a bit.
My ortho office is only closed on Good Friday, they are open on Monday.
