well, i had my 1st consult today. i managed to get an appointment due to a cancellation.
findings:
- 5mm overjet
- 50% overbite
- i think he said class I and class II malocclusion :S
- midlines are good
- moderate crowding
- narrow arches
- possible need for arch expansion...very vague here.
he said 12-14 months of treatment. possible candidate for invisialign. possible extraction. however, probobly not necessary if I didn't want total overjet correction. but, his prices were outragous!! $8400 for invisalign and $7400 for braces!!! (canadian)
he was friendly, but i didnt really get a good feeling from him. seemed like he just wanted to rush me along. i was asking him questions, and he was answering them. but, eventunally he just got up and said, "my assistant can answer any questions you have." don't think i will be doing treatment with him. all that for $70. another $350 to do the second more in depth consult with x-rays and molds, etc. plus, more $$ for the x-rays because they are done at another office. thankfully, i have another consult appointment in november with a different ortho.
on a positive note, the treament requirements look a lot better than i thought!!
1st consult...not sure what to think :S
Moderator: bbsadmin
Hey Pimpmyteeth!
I agree - this guy does does sound like he has the greatest bedside manner.
You will find out a lot more after the x-rays and molds - that is when you get the full treatment details.
As for the prices - you may be able to do a bit better but not much. I got three estimates and they were all between 6000 and 7000 for "normal" braces. So $7400 is not that far out of the ball park.
Good luck and keep us posted!
I agree - this guy does does sound like he has the greatest bedside manner.
You will find out a lot more after the x-rays and molds - that is when you get the full treatment details.
As for the prices - you may be able to do a bit better but not much. I got three estimates and they were all between 6000 and 7000 for "normal" braces. So $7400 is not that far out of the ball park.
Good luck and keep us posted!
I agree with the above posts - go with your gut. I went to several doctors before I made my choice and I am very glad I did. As to the cost, I think it depends somewhat on your area. I found all of my consultations were in the same ballpark (2,500-3,000) - there will always be someone cheaper, but don't make your decision based on finances alone.
For the price, I agree with the above post. I am in Canada too, my ortho is charging me 7500 $ for the whole treatment (not including retainers at the end) and the one I saw before him asked for 8400$. Although he was cheaper, I chose my present ortho not based on price but because I immediately clicked with him and also the fact that he didn't require extractions.
Good luck with your final choice, but if you can, it would be wise to see maybe a third ortho. We are not as lucky as our US neighbors since in Canada, there is no such thing as a free consultation (many orthos deduct the price of the first consultation from the whole treatment fee if one opts for treatment though).
Good luck with your final choice, but if you can, it would be wise to see maybe a third ortho. We are not as lucky as our US neighbors since in Canada, there is no such thing as a free consultation (many orthos deduct the price of the first consultation from the whole treatment fee if one opts for treatment though).
$ SHOP AROUND
Hey PimpmyTeeth,
I could understand your feeling of being somewhat brushed-off by your consultation, I mean, it is a big decision to make and should not be taken lightly. I personnally took a lot of time in deciding whether to get my braces or not.
I had initially gone for a consultation from a referral from my own dentist. The ortho's office was located in the richest part of the city. Everyone was very nice and I had a good feeling about the place. The only problem was that I wasn't expecting my treatment to run $7400!(':shock:')
Later I had found out that someone else in my office was planning to get braces too and she told me that I should go see HER Ortho for an evaluation. His office is located 5 minutes from my house, next to a huge mall. He is an older fellow, close to 60, obviously experienced and sweet. Quote: $5400(':lol:')
Now that's a difference! Shop around... you may just be lucky enough to get a good deal!
Lots of luck,
Spimpy (':P')
I could understand your feeling of being somewhat brushed-off by your consultation, I mean, it is a big decision to make and should not be taken lightly. I personnally took a lot of time in deciding whether to get my braces or not.
I had initially gone for a consultation from a referral from my own dentist. The ortho's office was located in the richest part of the city. Everyone was very nice and I had a good feeling about the place. The only problem was that I wasn't expecting my treatment to run $7400!(':shock:')
Later I had found out that someone else in my office was planning to get braces too and she told me that I should go see HER Ortho for an evaluation. His office is located 5 minutes from my house, next to a huge mall. He is an older fellow, close to 60, obviously experienced and sweet. Quote: $5400(':lol:')
Now that's a difference! Shop around... you may just be lucky enough to get a good deal!
Lots of luck,
Spimpy (':P')
PIMPmyTEETH, I think I would run too.
I was a candidate for Invisalign, too, but I would have had to settle for a lot less, for a higher price. Invisalign could not have corrected my uneven bite (one side of the teeth/jaw was about 1/8 inch lower), and my teeth would have been repoxed, which would have left me with my narrow arch. I chose braces and have corrected almost everything. Jaw surgery was the only other thing mentioned but it wasn't too criticle, so I chose not to do it. I am very happy with my decision and will be in retainers as of next Wednesday.
I was a candidate for Invisalign, too, but I would have had to settle for a lot less, for a higher price. Invisalign could not have corrected my uneven bite (one side of the teeth/jaw was about 1/8 inch lower), and my teeth would have been repoxed, which would have left me with my narrow arch. I chose braces and have corrected almost everything. Jaw surgery was the only other thing mentioned but it wasn't too criticle, so I chose not to do it. I am very happy with my decision and will be in retainers as of next Wednesday.
Had Damon 3 / Smart Clips for almost 2 years
Now in Hawley upper 10 hours/day, permanent lower retainers
Now in Hawley upper 10 hours/day, permanent lower retainers
Yes, well I think we are actually pretty lucky in some respects. Sure, I had to pay $50 for my consultation, but I there are some US folks on this board who are paying $20,000+ for their jaw surgery (unless they are lucky enough to have insurance), and I will be paying $7000.We are not as lucky as our US neighbors since in Canada, there is no such thing as a free consultation
Originally the first ortho consult i had (who by the way is who I went with anyway) I decided he/she is who i wanted to do my treatment becasue I got that feeling. I had one other consult and while it was not that bad, I did not get that feeling. Although with the second consult my insurance would help pay for it, I did not care.
So sometimes you have to feel comfortable, cause if you are spending that amount of money you have to be totally comfortable.
Good Luck to You
TB
So sometimes you have to feel comfortable, cause if you are spending that amount of money you have to be totally comfortable.
Good Luck to You
TB
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PIMPmyTEETH
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:37 pm
thanks for the comments, guys.
my instincts right now tell me to stay away from this guy. i especially didnt like the way his assisant assumed i was ready to go ahead with the next consultation for x-rays and molds, etc. talk about pushy. i almost felt like i was in a car dealership.
i would also really like to get a consult from someone that uses the damon 3 brackets. i hear mixed things, but mostly good. and, i also like the fact that less appointments would be involved. that means less hassle getting time off work.
my instincts right now tell me to stay away from this guy. i especially didnt like the way his assisant assumed i was ready to go ahead with the next consultation for x-rays and molds, etc. talk about pushy. i almost felt like i was in a car dealership.
i would also really like to get a consult from someone that uses the damon 3 brackets. i hear mixed things, but mostly good. and, i also like the fact that less appointments would be involved. that means less hassle getting time off work.
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PIMPmyTEETH
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:37 pm
you guys are great! thanks for the info!
one other thing i thought i'd ask....does it make sense that he said i'd need possible arch expansion? i think his exact words were, "we need to expand those arches." because, i didnt think they did invisalign with arch expansion devices. when i asked the assistant after he left, she said that she wasn't sure how he'd expand the arches.
also, how would they expand both the upper and lower? maybe i misunderstood and he just meant that my arches need to be broadened, but the invisalign/braces (whatever i got) would take care of it?
one other thing i thought i'd ask....does it make sense that he said i'd need possible arch expansion? i think his exact words were, "we need to expand those arches." because, i didnt think they did invisalign with arch expansion devices. when i asked the assistant after he left, she said that she wasn't sure how he'd expand the arches.
also, how would they expand both the upper and lower? maybe i misunderstood and he just meant that my arches need to be broadened, but the invisalign/braces (whatever i got) would take care of it?
Some arch expansion can be done with brackets/archwires alone. I had this with my braces. I don't believe Invisalign can expand the arches at all - they achieve their final outcome by shaving the sides of the teeth to make room for adjustments.
Some doctors use RPE's (rapid pallet expanders)...
You might want to start jotting your questions down for your next interview...
Good luck to you
Some doctors use RPE's (rapid pallet expanders)...
You might want to start jotting your questions down for your next interview...
Good luck to you
Had Damon 3 / Smart Clips for almost 2 years
Now in Hawley upper 10 hours/day, permanent lower retainers
Now in Hawley upper 10 hours/day, permanent lower retainers
Pimpmyteeth, I realize this has been a while since you posted this thread, but which ortho did you end up going with? The one you are speaking of here sounds alot like my ortho, except I wasn't smart enough to join the board before committing to treatment. I wonder if we went to the same guy! 
Hopefully things turned out ok for you, and hopefully my decision to go ahead with my guy won't bite me in the butt.
Hopefully things turned out ok for you, and hopefully my decision to go ahead with my guy won't bite me in the butt.