Ugh, someone please tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself.
I am stuck in a rut I cannot get out of.
I am about to sign a contract with an Ortho I am unsure of. He is "best of the best" in the city I am in but they don't have ceramics which I want. They use the damon system. And from some pictures I have seen the "clear" damons aren't in fact that "clear" at all. Anyone who has those on, how do you think they look?
Also I am pretty sure he is asking for a ridiculous amount of money. I am paying over 5000 for damons and that is with the "discount" they gave me.
In our initial meeting he told me 9 months, and then the paper said 18-24 months, and he acted like I was flipping crazy when I was like wait I thought you said 9 months. Before he told me invisalign could be an option and then this time he said absolutely not an option. SO TO ME it seems like this guy just told me what i wanted to hear and then made me pay 300$ for xrays/molds/whatever and changed it completely around.
I dropped out of college JUST so i could get my teeth fix, and now I'm two seconds away to saying screw it.
Someone tell me its worth it.
And sorry for the rant I just needed to get that off my chest, friends and family don't understand.
So Confused
Moderator: bbsadmin
I have regular metal braces so I can't help on the whole "clear" thing. If you ask me even clear braces aren't really clear. It still looks like something is there it just takes longer to figure out what is different.
$5000 doesn't sound too bad to me either. I paid $4500 for mine and like I said they're "generic." As I understand it Damon's are a little different, I think they don't have regular ligs and require less visits.
It does sound a little bit like he just wanted to make a sale. I met with several Dental/Orthodontic offices and I went with the one that I felt most comfortable at. If you're not satisfied during the consults give it a little more consideration before finalizing your contract.
$5000 doesn't sound too bad to me either. I paid $4500 for mine and like I said they're "generic." As I understand it Damon's are a little different, I think they don't have regular ligs and require less visits.
It does sound a little bit like he just wanted to make a sale. I met with several Dental/Orthodontic offices and I went with the one that I felt most comfortable at. If you're not satisfied during the consults give it a little more consideration before finalizing your contract.
Metal Braces: August 18, 2006-January 14, 2009
Essix-type Retainers: January 14, 2009--present
Essix-type Retainers: January 14, 2009--present
Well, it's worth it. I and MANY more people out there paid well over $5,000.
If I were you I would keep a good feeling about doing this for yourself but I would no matter what go for a second and even a third opinion.
Tell this ortho you are taking time to do this. What's he going to do about it. He should respect it.
You can find great orthos that will do the xrays and so on for no fee up front. I went to another before choosing and didn't get charged by either. You most likely can ask the ortho for your xrays/what ever else you paid for and take them along to the new orthos office if it will help. They will give you a opinion.
Best of the best...been there done that before. It's crap most of the time. Go to someone or two that have been doing this for a while and get honest opinions you're comfortable with then choose.
I've seen so many people with braces since I've had mine on and asked where they are going to for treatment. I always get differnt answers from people that are all from the same area. Their teeth always look really good. (Sometimes to myself I'm like wow I wish I went there by the way theirs look!!!!)
You must be comfortable.
If you aren't going to school because you want to do this instead then you are really serious about being in braces. Go for it, just do a little more ground work. Go into it with a good feeling.
Sorry this was so long!
If I were you I would keep a good feeling about doing this for yourself but I would no matter what go for a second and even a third opinion.
Tell this ortho you are taking time to do this. What's he going to do about it. He should respect it.
You can find great orthos that will do the xrays and so on for no fee up front. I went to another before choosing and didn't get charged by either. You most likely can ask the ortho for your xrays/what ever else you paid for and take them along to the new orthos office if it will help. They will give you a opinion.
Best of the best...been there done that before. It's crap most of the time. Go to someone or two that have been doing this for a while and get honest opinions you're comfortable with then choose.
I've seen so many people with braces since I've had mine on and asked where they are going to for treatment. I always get differnt answers from people that are all from the same area. Their teeth always look really good. (Sometimes to myself I'm like wow I wish I went there by the way theirs look!!!!)
You must be comfortable.
If you aren't going to school because you want to do this instead then you are really serious about being in braces. Go for it, just do a little more ground work. Go into it with a good feeling.
Sorry this was so long!
!!!FLOSS!!!
Bracket choice is so personal, but if it's important to you go with an orth that offer the system you want. I have clear brackets on the bottom and linguals on top, I do have to travel 25 minutes further though to get to an ortho that offered this combination, that said lots of orthos offer ceramics, so it really shouldn't be a problem. For me an ortho that only offered a limited choice of brackets wouldn't be flexible enough for my needs.
Definitely get more opinions. Maybe ring round and find out what kind of bracket systems they use before paying out any money.
Definitely get more opinions. Maybe ring round and find out what kind of bracket systems they use before paying out any money.
Thank you for all the replies. I think its the fact that I am naturally indecisive so figuring things out of this nature are particularly difficult for me.
I think I might bite the bullet and get the damon 3's and then switch to invisalign after 4 or 5 months. I know it would be 2000 more to do that but I guess I can pay it off for the rest of my life ha.
The hard part is figuring out what is most important to you, how much money you spend, or how socially comfortable you are... man oh man.
I think I might bite the bullet and get the damon 3's and then switch to invisalign after 4 or 5 months. I know it would be 2000 more to do that but I guess I can pay it off for the rest of my life ha.
The hard part is figuring out what is most important to you, how much money you spend, or how socially comfortable you are... man oh man.
I was so worried about what people would think. The reality is most people won't notice (average person on the street). The people who will notice (friends, family, co-workers, etc) will be the hardest to deal with, but even that isn't too bad.
I have In-Ovation C self-ligating ceramic brackets. I chose the ceramic because I thought it made it easier for me to go through with this. Hind site being 20/20 I am still not sure if I would have gone with the ceramic. At least from a distance with the ceramic you can't tell. They don't show up in photos well. That is a plus. Some orthodontist do offer really clear options with the white wire. Those are very hard to see.
I am familiar with the Damon 3 and the regular Damon brackets. I think the Damon 3's are just as easy to notice as the regular Damon brackets. I have read a lot of post on this site and I noticed that most people agree that you choose the ortho for their skill and not the brackets they use. In the end it is all up to you. Not sure if I was of much help.
I have In-Ovation C self-ligating ceramic brackets. I chose the ceramic because I thought it made it easier for me to go through with this. Hind site being 20/20 I am still not sure if I would have gone with the ceramic. At least from a distance with the ceramic you can't tell. They don't show up in photos well. That is a plus. Some orthodontist do offer really clear options with the white wire. Those are very hard to see.
I am familiar with the Damon 3 and the regular Damon brackets. I think the Damon 3's are just as easy to notice as the regular Damon brackets. I have read a lot of post on this site and I noticed that most people agree that you choose the ortho for their skill and not the brackets they use. In the end it is all up to you. Not sure if I was of much help.
