Braces from dentist?

[gappedmouth]

Is anyone here getting their braces from a dentist? I saw two orthodontists but didn't feel comfortable with them. I happened upon this dentist after having a dental emergency. He is significantly less expensive. What are some questions that I should ask him? Thanks in advance for the help!

[Angel269]

My treatment is not an orthodontist. However, he has been a dentist for 30 years and carried out extensive ortho work in my local hospital and has continued to prooide ortho treatment eer since. He offers Clearstep and fixed (ceramic and metal).

Just ask lots of questions, along the lines of how many cases have been treated. How long have they provided ortho treatment for etc.

[anarchy45]

I won't say that there aren't skilled & capable dentists out there who do orthodontics - but as with my tattoos, I'm dropping a ton of money to have it done by the best, to do it right the first time. It ain't cheap, but in the long-run what's a few thousand bucks? Definitely get a consult by an ortho-by-profession first.

[sweetcynic]

Some things to ask(whether a dentist or ortho):

How many cases similar to mine have you treated? Can I see before and after pictures? Etc. etc.

Personally I had a dentist do orthodontic work on me when I was a kid and I'm having an orthodontist do the work now. The one I had as a kid was a great dentist but a lousy orthodontist.

[Dee17]

My regular dentist, a professional I've been seeing for about 27 years, told me that he is now doing orthodontics and offered to do my treatment for about 1/2 of what my orthodontist is charging me. In the end, I decided it was best to go with someone who had had specialize training in this field. Did not want to leave anything to chance. Too many horror stories out there.

[bbsadmin]

I would only recommend going with a dentist (versus an orthodontist) if the following were true:

* the dentist has many years of experience doing orthodontic treatment

* the dentist has many happy successful orthodontic patients

* your case is NOT complicated (simple tooth movement, no facial aesthetic problems, no TMJ or severe bite problems, no tooth extraction needed)

I would steer clear of a dentist who suddenly is offering ortho treatment as a new thing. All it usually means is that he has taken a course offered by the company that makes those ortho appliances or brackets (such as Invisalign or others). IMO, a mere course doesn't substitute for the years of SPECIFIC extra training and experience that an orthodontist has.

You have to remember that ortho treatment isn't just about making your teeth look straight. It involves jaw function and facial aesthetics. If you search this forum, you will certainly read stories from people whose treatment was botched by a dentist and had to spend even more money with an orthodontist.

That is not to say that a dentist can't do a good ortho treatment. If the dentist is very experienced and has done a lot of ortho, then they may be just fine, especially if your case isn't very complicated. It can be a great way to save yourself some money. But if you have any doubts, it would be best to go with an orthodontist, who is specifically trained in tooth movement.

[missblu3]

I agree with everyone else. Do you want someone (the dentist) with a little knowledge, training and experience in the area of orthodontics, or someone (the orthodontist) with a lot of knowledge, training and experience in their chosen, specialized profession? I am of the belief that you really do get what you pay for.

[Dee17]

I agree with the other postings. In the province where I live an orthodontist is a licensed dentist with an additional THREE years of specialized training. I think it's too important to go to someone who may or may not know what they are doing. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

[OldBikerBag]

I've been seeing a lot of this on these forums lately:

"The orthodontist is a jerk, so I think I'll just go to my dentist..."

Well, here's a question: Would you rather have someone who may not have the best interpersonal skills, but is great at what they do, or would you rather have someone who will mollycoddle you, but do mediocre work?

I'm not saying a dentist is not capable of putting out good results. But there is a reason orthodontists have all that extra training and education.

Here's another question:

Would you go to your friendly family physician for brain surgery? Or would you go to the crabby neurologist for it?

Some of the people who are the very best at what they do are so busy being good at their jobs they don't have time for hand-holding and tea.

My dentist is the jovial kind of guy I'd go to the bar with for beer. My orthodontist is a very soft-spoken, very business-like guy who simply says what's going on, what he's doing and where we are in the process. He has a half dozen assistants whose job is to be nice and chat people up.

My dentist can see which teeth are out of place and has a rough idea of what needs to be moved where and how to do it. My orthodontist is sure of these things, plus he knows the root cause and how to fix that.

[Dee17]

I agree wholeheartedly, OldBikerBag. That was essentially the reason I decided to go to an orthodontist for my treatment. My teeth already looked bad enough. I didn't want to take any chances that they would look even worse after everything was finished!

[gappedmouth]

Thank you all for the replies. You are all right. I do think I am going to just pay the extra amount and go with an orthodontist.

[DrJasonKTam]

How many of you would go and see your primary care physician for a cosmetic procedure such as liposuction or breast enhancement/reduction. They have done rotations during residency and may have taken some courses as well. They can also legally perform these procedures and offer these services to their patients.

It is a silly question of course. Everyone would want to go and see a plastic surgeon.

There would be a large difference in the fees, but you would pay more because of the experience, better outcomes, and decreased risk of problems.

Why would you treat your teeth, gums, and jaws any differently?

[JumpTheDitch]

For what it's worth, my own experience doesnt bear out the popular feeling.

I went to a highly recommended ortho for my first round of ortho. My own (trusted) dentist referred me, he was a highly qualified & experienced professor of orthodontics, with a busy capital city practice, large retinue of staff & held a position of seniority at a prestigious university. I trusted his experience & qualifications, even when my own feeling was that my bite wasnt right at the conclusion of my treatment. Over the following 5 or so years, a whole collection of symptoms I later learned were TMJD symptoms appeared & deteriorated. After much pain & distress I finally was referred to a craniofacial chiro and 2 different neuromuscular dentists. All independently assessed my symptoms & provided the same diagnosis; my orthodontist-engineered bite appeared to be causing all of my TMJD symptoms (which went well beyond a simple headache). My treating dentist confessed I was not the first ex-patient of this prominent orthodontist that she had treated. My CF chiro says about half his patients are ex-ortho patients with similar issues. TMJD has caused my relentless pain & impaired life over quite a few years now. Id never heard of a Functional Orthodontist when I was seeking initial ortho treatment, I dont think they're very prominent in Australia as yet. Nor had I heard of Neuromuscular dentists. Had I my time again I would certainly be vigilant in my due diligence & insist on a practitioner who would take a holistic approach, and most importantly would be proactive in observing & maintaining jaw function, whatever their job title.

For me, a highly qualified ortho completed treatment that precipitated many extremely unpleasant & eventually debilitating problems. A dentist has been able to provide life-changing relief. Reversing ortho work is difficult, time-consuming (estimated 3 years expansion & braces again) & costly at roughly twice my original ortho work. Not fixing the problem is simply not an option.

Choosing your healthcare professional should be a thorough process, whether you're talking about teeth, eyes or your family GP care. While relevant qualifications and experience are of course vital, so too is the method & approach of the practitioner. Being dentist no more precludes an individual from producing quality ortho work than being an orthodontist guarantees it. The qualification won't be completing the work, the person will be. Like looking for a new car or a good teacher, just being a 'car trader' or 'a teacher' doesnt guarantee a quality outcome.

I told my ortho mid-treatment when my TMJD symptoms began to cause problems. He continued treatment unabated. My dentist is incredibly thorough, talking about correct tongue posture, correct breathing & considering my jaw dysfunction symptoms in relation to the rest of my body as a whole unit. She asks many questions, & amazingly listens to the answers! I'd much rather be treated as a person than another dollar coming in. My dentist is a life-saver, I honestly dont know what I would have done without her. Not all dentists are bad at orthodontics...

[kennyandrew85]

I went with a dentist, a young bloke mid 30s id say... he had a Bsc in orthodontics and is now his specialised area. A bit of a risk now looking back but ive been very happy with the quality of care and had a good feeling from the start.

An ortho with 30 years experience who hasn't kept up to date with the science may not be as proficient as you might think.

Remember a lot of orthos were telling people to stop using their retsiners after a year or 2. Now we know we need them for life.

[peppy]

My Six Month Smiles is being done by a dentist but I have since found out that he used to work in orthodontics but moved into a private practice where they didn't offer it... I suppose this is a good thing as he has more experience than a dentist would have in that area.