How many ortho's did you consult?

[Sita]

Only one. I live in a small town and there is only one orthodontist practice here and they are only here twice a week. The next closest one is an hour away and I don't have the money or the good health required for driving that distance on a regular basis. My consultation was free. I have a pension card so I didn't have to pay for the x-rays either, though if I had it would have cost about $150.

[mollyluise]

My situation is a little unique, as my ortho is my cousin! He is one of the top doctors in our area so I would probably have went there even if we weren't related. The office does free consults, but that doesn't include x-rays or molds. My treatment is 16-18 months, self ligating ceramic brackets on top (In-Ovation C), metal on bottom and my full quote was $6100. The office does zero down, zero interest financing. I got a really good family discount thankfully, or else I wouldn't have been able to afford it for another year or so

[EbonyQ]

My dentist sent me to see the ortho working next door. My only concern was how he was with dental phobias, or "ortho phobia". Not everybody likes dental phobias. A friend working for a dental fear clinic sent this ortho an e-mail about my fear and a few tips on how he could handle this.

He took those advices seriously. When I arrived he found a regular chair for me to sit and we talked about my fears. He offered to put upper braces on over several visits even though he had never done that before (it was my friend who suggested it and he liked that idea). Even though his schedule was full the next week he let me come when the last pt had gone that week just so I did not need to wait several weeks for records.

Right there and then I knew that this was the ortho for me.

[30withbraces]

I saw just one too.
I have a wonderful dentist who highly recommended my ortho and I trusted him enough not to shop around.
My initial consult was $160 and it included the mould and plan. The xray was free, covered under our Medicare system. I don't know if the xray is usually free but my ortho gave the item code so I didn't have to pay.
I've been to him about 4 times now and I like him more and more. He's thorough, quick and very patient. He listens to me when I tell him what works and what doesn't and will do his best to change what he can to cause me little discomfort.

[Missers73]

I talked seriously with two of them. They both basically told me the same thing, which was also in agreement with others I talked to more casually. I chose my orthodontist because she as slightly cheaper (really not that big of a difference), she is also an alumnus of my University, and she is board certified.

[SunshineRay]

I'm amazed with all the comments about free consults...do these include the molds, all the xrays, the pictures, and the plan that the orthodontist comes up with? That alone is time consuming and costly...especially for people who may not choose to go with his/her service. From all the orthos I spoke to, they could only give me a rough estimate of what they might do and the length of time but it was certainly not exact.

Maybe I worded it wrong? I meant to meet the ortho, get xrays and treatment time, molds etc. If everyone got that for free then I def need to look around.

[Marigold]

Both of my free consults included just the panoramic x-ray. The ortho spent a lot of time looking at my teeth, asking questions, and taking notes. Then he sat down with me and explained the types of braces, what he'd do on me, and gave me the cost breakdown. Ortho #2 also showed me a computer animation of how my teeth would move, which I found really helpful. The molds and photos were taken at my first appointment. I think I paid around $1,000 for that visit and monthly payments of $165 for 2 1/2 years.

[BeautyMonster]

I only consulted one ortho, and I'm not too worried about having not consulted any others before deciding to move along with him. The most important thing is that I trust my current orthodontist.

[RedQueen]

I consulted with three orthos in my area. I chose my ortho because of his experience, his stuff, and the environment in his office, and how he could answer all my questions without putting pressure on me to choose him.

I think it's very important choosing the right ortho who you can trust and at the same time feel comfortable with since you are going to be seeing him/her for at least a year.

Good luck!

[kennyandrew85]

I went for one.

Local dentists were offering free consultation on invisalign.

I got there and they politely told me my teeth were beyond repair with invisalign and gave me a thorough examination and X-rays, and a long chat afterwards for free.

They were very professional and friendly so I thought, why go to anywhere else if I'm happy.