Made the first step... and need advice please!

[my december]

So, after years of considering braces, I did something I've never done before; I made the first step!

I think I spent the better part of the afternoon on the phone with every orthodontist within 25 miles of my house. And perhaps I went a little overboard.

But I've made the first step. I actually set up my consultation... or really, I should say consultations. I sat taking notes of first impressions about the office staff and how friendly/accomodating/helpful they were over the phone, and most seemed great. It might be a bit of overkill, and I may end up cancelling some of the appointments, but I set up nine (yes, NINE) consultations. But all of the offices, except one, offer free consultations, and the one that doesn't is running a special now, so the consultation with her is free too.

I might cancel one anyway. All of them are between August 26 and September 15. It was SO nice to be able to get appointments so quickly, but the one office can't get me in until October 23. And my goodness, that just seems like WAY too long to wait. (Which humors me in a way since I've waited so long already, but now that I've made the decision, I want to get the process started so I can enjoy my fabulous new teeth sooner). That's sad too because he's one of the closest docs to my house. Part of me thinks that I should just wait it out until that appointment because the long wait probably means he's a fabulous doctor, but I also don't want a doc who is overbooked and will be hard to see in case of any emergency. And even if I cancel that one, I will have eight to choose from.

But really, from experience, how ridiculous is eight consults? I want to be able to get the most information so I can have a truly accurate comparison of various procedures suggested (extractions vs. not, surgery vs. not, type of braces, etc.), timeframes, and costs. And since the consults are all free, I just went with it. But is it too much?

So, based on your own experiences, here are some general questions so far:

- How many consults did you go to?
- Do you think you were able to get a full picture of various treatments available from those consults?
- How did you pick your ortho after the consults? What were the deciding factors for you?
- What do you consider the MOST important things to look for in a good ortho at the consult?
- What the treatment what you expected/were hoping for before you started? (i.e. Did you have to get extractions when you'd wanted to/expected to avoid them? Did you have to get brackets when you'd hoped from Invisalign? That kind of stuff).
- How many consults are TOO many?
- Do you feel too many consults makes a decision harder?
- If you have one and don't mind sharing, what kind of payment plan were you able to work out? Or, if you paid up front, did you receive a discount for doing so?
- How long after your initial consults and deciding on your ortho were you able to get the process start/get banded?
- What kind of braces do you have?

I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for bombarding you with all of the questions. I just know this is a major investment, will require extreme dedication on my part, and isn't exactly cheap. Therefore, I want to know as much as I can and start this process as well informed as possible.

In the meantime though, I've actually been having fun on a site I found tonight that lets you "paint" your braces planning color combos and stuff I'll have for mine. I want to have as much fun with them as possible.

So... the process is started.

Phase One: Consultation Appointments:
August 26
August 28
September 2
September 4
September 8
September 10
September 11
September 15
October 23
Yes, it seems I'm going to live at orthodontist's offices for a few weeks

[Brahma]

Hi december,

congratulations for taking the first step. They say it´s the most difficult one.

I haven´t had so much experience up to now, so that I can´t answer all your questions. But my decision is made and it has taken some years, too.

I think you shouldn´t worry, you´ll just know who is the right one for you. I met several orthos and with some I had a really bad feeling and there was even one who I didn´t even want to touch me. Some suggestions maybe sounding strange to you and you will see wether he or she wants to talk about it or just don´t want to "discuss" their plans.
One of the first ones I met was really sympathic and his suggestion was as well and much more than the others, so I soon thought I won´t ever find anything better. I´ll see how he will be doing and if I was right. Maybe you´re lucky, too and like one of the first ones.
My deciding factors were that I can talk to him and that he seems to know what he is doing and soesn´t stick to the way they went thirty years ago. One I met said "I won´t explain that to you, you wouldn´t understand it at all"; that was a kick-out factor.

I am sure you´ll be less confused after having met some. You might feel it.
Good luck,

Brahma

[mary.]

I can appreciate why you would be excited and eager. I recall when I made my appointment, I think in the back of my mind I had already made my decision to get braces.

My situation was a little different. My dentist had referred me to two orthos - and he had patients that had gone to both and he got good feedback (and saw their good work). In addition, his assistant actually had braces and had been seeing one of them and had great things to say. I made appointments with both of them. As soon as I got to my ortho's office, I knew that was the place for me. Even before the appointment, they sent me a super organized package of info with directions, etc. I really got the feeling that they cared. And, this turned out to be the case, they are very service oriented. When I met the Ortho himself, I immediately had every confidence in him. He was also open to answering any question that I had. He didn't put any pressure on me, but was ready to start the next week if I wanted to. I couldn't be happier. In the end, I felt strongly that it was right. In my case, it happened to be my first appointment, but it could very well have been my 5th.

I would encourage you to trust your instincts. Go ahead with the appointments until you find something that feels good and right. It will make all the difference in the world for you to have confidence in them. You deserve it. I would consider the other info, but trust my feelings to make a final decision.

If it were me, I would not hesitate to wait for the last appointment. If he's booked well in advance, it may be for good reason : ) However, you may find a good fit before then and see no reason to continue with the other appointments.

Good luck with your appointments, and congrats again... you'll be so happy that you did it for yourself!

[my december]

Thank you both so much for sharing your experience and encouragement.

I'm really rather excited still, and there are two weeks yet until my initial consults begin. I don't know how I'm going to stand the wait.

Again, thank you so much for your insight. If anyone else can weigh in or help with my questions, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm anxious to know as much as I possibly can, and different experiences are great to hear since every situation is so unique. It gives me an idea of various things that could happen for me.

[GiovanntiLawing]

Hi and Congrats on starting your journey!!

Honestly, you should do as much investigating as you feel necessary. None of us know your budget and none of us can really think for you, but if you feel the need that you want to shop around, you do just that!

But I will try my best to answer your question from my experience.

- How many consults did you go to? I went to two different orthodontists, Mainly because Ive had braces twice. When I was like 12 and again at 26. The second time around, I went to two consultations. The first one, it was just something weird about the Ortho. He just seemed too much like a used car salesman rather than a dr.
- Do you think you were able to get a full picture of various treatments available from those consults? Yes, I would say so.
- How did you pick your ortho after the consults? What were the deciding factors for you? I decided on my Ortho because my nephew goes to him and his teeth turned out pretty good. The environment was friendly, he lets me voice my opinion and gives meanful answers and explanations. Some Ortho's (the used car salesman), I felt, as though he was just trying to give me BS reasons as to why I needed braces again. It was like he was more focused on the money, versus fixing my teeth...if that makes sense. So I went with a recommendation from my sisters-husband-- hence, my nephew!
- What do you consider the MOST important things to look for in a good ortho at the consult? I look at the honestly, a plan of action-- that makes sense. The explanation they give me. The dental school they graduated from, and HOW the office appears to run. I ask a lot of questions because Im nosey...I guess.
- What the treatment what you expected/were hoping for before you started? (i.e. Did you have to get extractions when you'd wanted to/expected to avoid them? Did you have to get brackets when you'd hoped from Invisalign? That kind of stuff). Well, I kinda knew I needed braces, so this is kinda tough to answer. Im currently getting the treatment I hoped for because Im scared of extractions. So at first, he told me I may need them. Then he said no, I will just be wearing rubber bands for like 6 months-- which im perfectly fine with because I had to wear them the first time I had braces like 10 years ago. So that literally was the highlight of my whole treatment. Invisi's were not an option for me. But I didnt really ask either. I didnt really want to pay for them so it didnt really bother me. He actually recommended ceramic braces because I am older and work in corp america. So it was kinda like he (the ortho) was telling me everything I really wanted to hear.

- How many consults are TOO many? Never too many. You go to them until YOU feel comfortable- You gotta remember, you are the one paying!!


- Do you feel too many consults makes a decision harder? I guess it could, but again..you have to do whats best for you and your wallet

- If you have one and don't mind sharing, what kind of payment plan were you able to work out? Or, if you paid up front, did you receive a discount for doing so? My braces total cost 5800.00. I put down 900.00 and was on a payment plan for 200.00 a month. But I just paid them off half. They offered me a discount to pay it off in full in a year instead of two years, so I took that option. But the payment plan was an option. Most ortho's will let you pay what you can afford.
- How long after your initial consults and deciding on your ortho were you able to get the process start/get banded? I went on a consultation on a Monday and had braces by the end of that week. He doesn't use molar bands and spacers. He uses the buccal (i think i spelled it right) tubes, so literally the it was quick
- What kind of braces do you have? I have ceramic braces.

When I was a kid I had metal- which didnt bother me because thats all i knew...i guess...

Ceramics are great! You cant really notice them unless you are really up in my face, but they are really nice to have. I had braces for 2 weeks before my supervisor noticed.

I hope this helped. I live in NYC, so everything is done pretty quick here...but if I have to give you any advice...you take as long as you need to investigating your treatment. Its a big investment and you should not feel pressured or rushed.

Good Luck!