Ortho Office ~ PLease move to Metal Mouth Forum

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#1 Post by **ThisIsMary** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:44 pm

So am I the only one who gets strange looks at the ortho's office? Every time I go into the office, all the little kids stare at me strange like they can't figure out if I'm there to pick someone up or if I have braces. The funny part is when my name is call and I walk back and all the little kids have this shocked look on their face. It's not like I'm old, I'm only 18 but I guess that's old to and 11 year old.

I was just curious if anyone else has the same thing happen when they go

#2 Post by **ThisIsMary** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:48 pm

I made an oops, I thought I was in the Metal Mouth Forum when I posted this (it's been a long day). Could I get this moved to the other forum since it really doesn't belong in this one?

#3 Post by **jcdamon3** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:27 am

I am usually so excited to be having an adjustment I don't pay attention to anyone else.

Also I go right before lunch and most kids go after school (except in summer) so I don't see that many kids in there.

#4 Post by **gunter8888** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:20 pm

I got that vibe at a couple of the consults I went to, but not much at my ortho's office. Although, I did have one kid and his parents look at me kind of funny as I left the office last time.

Most of the ladies (assistants, finance & front desk) in my ortho's office either have Invisalign or full braces so going in is like hanging out at a braces club. Its great because they totally understand what I am talking about when I describe what I am experiencing and they often have great advice and ideas.

I asked all of the ortho's I consulted with if they had many adult patients and they all said yes. My ortho said his oldest patient is in her early 60s and that 30%-40% of his patients are adults.

#5 Post by **lionfish** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:03 pm

I've almost always been into the office around 8 am. There are mostly kids there, as school doesn't start til 9 or after so it's a good time for them. I've noticed some adults at this time, but kids are in the majority.

My next adjustment is late afternoon, so I'll see if there is a difference.

#6 Post by **ThisIsMary** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:04 pm

I just thought it was funny to watch the expressions on the kid's faces. Every time I go in, there are kids in the office. I think I've seen two adults out of all the appointments I've been to. It's not that it makes feel uncomfortable or anything, I just kind of find it amusing to watch the kid's faces when I go back for an adjustment

#7 Post by **SDFD TSchott** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:03 pm

I've been to a consult and records appointment and I got looks from the young kids to! Now when I go in next week I will find out what more looks I get!

SDFD TSchott

#8 Post by **lionfish** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:34 pm

I find that the kids pay absolutely no attention to me. This is possibly because they think I'm someone's mother or - worse still - grandmother. Even when I get up to go to the chair, I'm still not aware of any interest in me.

#9 Post by **ShinySmile** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:48 am

My ortho's office treats 75% older teens/adults, and since I'm only 21 I look like one of the younger patients.

#10 Post by **ssfw** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:19 am

There have been a few times when I arrived for my appt. at the orthodontist, after I sit down in the waiting room, I have felt a child/parent having a look on their face wondering if I was the patient. There are usually 1-4 people in the waiting room when I am there. Once when I arrived, another adult maybe in her 30's was there completing her paperwork so I assume she had an appt. for a consultation. She smiled when I sat down and she had a look on her face like she was relieved another adult is going through ortho treatment. To be honest, getting stares or people wondering if I am going through orthodontic treatment does not bother me at all. The treatment area is L-shaped and unless I look around I don't usually see if there are only children there or other adults. Sometimes I do see adults and sometimes there are only children. Although all of the chairs are in a row, there is enough space between the chairs to have some privacy. I feel so comfortable at my ortho's office that I ask all of my questions and have never not asked because I thought another patient might hear what I'm asking or hear what my ortho. might be saying to me. I feel that we're all there for the same reason but at the same time I think people will always feel that it is unusual for an adult to wear braces even though more people are getting braces as an adult. Still, I think even today a majority of people getting braces are children, which ideally is probably the best time to get braces due to easier expansion, etc.

To any adults having a difficult time deciding to get braces, don't let this type of thing make an impact on your decision. Usually when I arrive for my ortho. appt., I always feel so proud of myself for taking this step and going through ortho treatment as an adult and I feel especially proud when I do feel people in the waiting room or treatment area stare at me or have the look of "are you an ortho. patient?" I don't ever have a reaction to the stares as if I am embarassed to be the patient, it just doesn't bother me.

ssfw

#11 Post by **Dramagyrl** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 2:40 pm

I get them from the parents there with their kids, especially because I work in a small city and most people recognize me from my work. Not everyone knows yet that I have braces, so it's shocked looks from that and, if they don't know me, it's still shocked that it's an adult having treatment lol.
I even had the human resources manager at work laugh in my face during a meeting the other day. Someone complimented my braces and asked how I was doing and I replied by saying my first adjustment (last week) went well and I am seeing progress. The manager started laughing at me. I started to say that they call them adjustments because they need to change or alter the archwire and she interrupts me to pretty much say:
"Oh I know, I went through all that with my son. It's just funny hearing YOU say you went for an adjustment - You're a grown woman, you're not supposed to have braces."

Obviously adults can be far more horrible about it than children.

I give children so much credit for:
a) tolerating treatment with less pain complaint than I have given
b) being respectful to me despite having them
c) putting up with the unkindness of peers, it's often harder as a kid

#12 Post by **Lisa65** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 2:57 pm

My ortho works on his own. He has dental nurses but he actually does all the work himself. So I never see any of his other patients because the appointments are all spaced out. A lot of his patients are adults although I am not sure of the ratio. He does share a waiting room with the community (school) dentist surgery, which offers free treatment to under 16s whose parents are on a low income. Anyone seeing me sitting in there would probably assume I was a mum waiting for her kid to get a filling or something.

I wouldn't care about being seen anyway. The way I see it is that I am doing something positive for ME, and if anyone thinks I'm weird or stupid for doing it, that's their problem. One of my workmates teased me a little saying "why spend all that money on your teeth when you could be dead in a year" to which I replied "at least I'll have a nice smile in my coffin"

#13 Post by **Betty Bat** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 5:24 pm

Last month, I went in for my adjustment. I was the only one sitting in the waiting area. I saw one of the assistants look into the waiting area, then go back into the "working area". A few minutes later, he came back to the waiting area, looked around again, then said (with a question in his voice), "Betty?"

He confessed that he had seen me the first time, but was sure that I was just waiting for someone. I gave him my biggest sapphire-and-metal smile, and said "Nope, it's me!"

I was a little surprised to see this from one of the assistants, but I think he learned his lesson

#14 Post by **Betty Bat** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:26 pm

Yep, he was relatively new - I had seen him a few times, but never had him work on me before. And, I've had him for the last two times! I had noticed him because he's the only male ortho assistant I've seen at my ortho's office. The two doctors are male but everyone else is female, except this one assistant.

#15 Post by **ssfw** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 7:10 pm

Dramagyrl wrote:"Oh I know, I went through all that with my son. It's just funny hearing YOU say you went for an adjustment - You're a grown woman, you're not supposed to have braces."

Dramagyrl,

Obviously your HR Manager doesn't have manners and is an idiot. She probably had braces when she was a child and does not have any idea of the various reasons adults are having ortho treatment as an adult and why a person did not have braces as a child, which really isn't any of her business anyway. It really irritates me when a person is intentionally mean/rude to a person.

ssfw