Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

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SunshineRay
Posts: 853
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:44 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#16 Post by SunshineRay »

No! Thank you for typing all of that! I didnt know that about dentist who do ortho. The cheaper one (1) is only an ortho. I would not need surgery on the top, only the bottom jaw to bring it forward. My overjet is 1cm/10 mm, I think.

I have no tmj pain etc but I am a mouth breather.

SunshineRay
Posts: 853
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:44 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#17 Post by SunshineRay »

I did a google search of the appliance you have in and that is what ortho 1 proposed.
I will look around for a surgeon and see when they could fit me in. I feel like now that Ive made the decision to get braced I need to do it asap before I back out.....again.

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katsface
Posts: 245
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:51 pm
Location: Virginia, USA
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Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#18 Post by katsface »

Since I'm 28, and finished growing, the appliance I have (hyrax expander, or rapid palatal expander) only works because I had surgery to split my palate. It wouldn't do anything but tip my teeth outward without the surgery. If an ortho said they could use one of those to widen your palate without surgery, I would ask to look as examples of cases he/she has treated to see if the palate was truly expanded, or if the teeth were just tipped outward.

On the other hand, my lower teeth tip inward (a lot!), so a lower expander will be installed -without surgery- to help 'upright' them. So, if your palate is narrow because your teeth tip inward, an expander without surgery could be a viable solution. Just depends on your case.
Treatment-
  • Braces: In-Ovation L (lingual) on top, and In-Ovation R (metal) on bottom
  • SARPE
  • BSSO advancement
  • estimated 18-22 months
SARPE
  • Expander installed Jan 14th 2013
  • Surgery Feb 18th 2013
  • Turn 26 days to 13mm. Gap between teeth maxed out at 12-13mm.
  • Gap down to 7mm Apr 18
  • Gap Closed Aug 6
  • Expander out Sep 19
BSSO
  • Insurance approved, surgery scheduled for Dec 18!

Spring1onu
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:13 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#19 Post by Spring1onu »

katsface wrote:...... I know you're leaning away from going to your regular dentist anyway, but I wanted to clarify this point. Any dentist, with absolutely no extra training, can do orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. The guy who was the bottom of his class and barely squeaked by dentistry school, who has never applied a set of braces in his life, can hang a sign that says they do orthodontics.

But to be called an orthodontist you need years of additional training. They are usually 'board certified' as proof of their extra training and knowledge (I wouldn't go to an orthodontist who wasn't board certified). Dentists who have not been through an ADA accredited graduate program can't call themselves an orthodontist.

There's also no standard in the US as to cosmetic dentistry. For example, the ADA doesn't recognize such a thing as a "cosmetic dentist". Much like a dentist who does orthodontic work, any old dentist can take a one hour course in applying veneers and say they do cosmetic dentistry.

These are easy ways for a dentist to broaden their market and offer services people will pay for. While I'm sure there are dentists who do excellent orthodontic work, I would just be extra careful about choosing one to do your ortho work. I'm not trying to bash your dentist, and it looks like you're leaning away from him anyway, but I wanted to make that distinction clear. A dentist who does ortho is not the same as an orthodontist.

I'm not trying to be pushy, but I wanted to emphasis that there are very serious potential side effects from getting inadequate orthodontic work. I just wanted to throw some stuff out there so you can thoroughly explore your options. Because you don't want to make a decision now that could cost you a lot more than $2,000 to correct in the future.

I'd like to second all of this! I so wish I had known about all these things before I agreed to the treatment that I did and my recent bridge that I had done in January. I went to a general dentist for Invisalign and "cosmetic" dentistry. What a huge mistake! It's definitely worth it to seek out a specialist for these types of things. I highly encourage you to really research all of your options and possibly see an oral surgeon for a recommendation, if needed. Better to be over-informed than to not have known near enough and find yourself in a situation where you have to find someone to correct the work (like myself). Good luck and wonderful advice, Katsface!

isthistaken
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:07 pm

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#20 Post by isthistaken »

I was told Invisalign would not correct my problems and veneers of course would only cover them up, and yet they were both pushed on me by general dentists with no mention of traditional orthodontics as an option. Plus most of them seemed to just think of me as a crown factory. Don't know how some of these people can sleep at night.

DrJasonKTam
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Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:50 pm
Location: Toronto and Markham
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Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#21 Post by DrJasonKTam »

While they may have the same treatment plan, the treatment is not necessarily going to come out the same. This should be a huge consideration when potential patients are seeking out an orthodontist and one of the reasons why cost might be different.

You're paying for the experience and result and those can be drastically different even with the same initial roadmap.

It's a good idea to speak to current patients, ask for before and afters, etc to help you make your decision.

Good luck!
Dr. Jason Tam
Toronto Invisalign, Scarborough braces, and Markham Orthodontist
Diamond Plus Invisalign Provider
Thrice Published in the Invisalign Case Gallery

http://www.mcosmiles.com

Learn all about Toronto Invisalign at http://www.torontobraces.ca.

Before and After Invisalign Video 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNTVxoTQqR8
Before and After Invisalign Video 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywcwlyL-sg8

isthistaken
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Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#22 Post by isthistaken »

In other words, "biter beware." :roll:

ellenpf
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:58 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#23 Post by ellenpf »

[quote="katsface"]
I would seriously consider talking to an oral/maxillofacial surgeon and see what they think. I would ask them specifically about your airway, profile, and the health of your jaw joint.

Like I said in an earlier post, lots of factors are affected by the position of the teeth. Your jaw, neck and shoulder muscles can be affected and lead to chronic pain. Your jaw joint can be affected, leading to TMJ disorders and degeneration of the jaw joint. Your airway can be effected, and cause snoring, sleep apnea, forward head posture, mouth breathing... You may have no pain or breathing problems now, but I've read so much about orthodontics causing these problems because they don't address the underlying skeletal problems.

[/quote]

I can vouch for the direct link between train-track braces and bicuspid extraction to sleep apnea. I had braces and also teeth removed when I was a kid and now have severe sleep apnea as a result of this orthodontic treatment as told by the sleep apnea dentist I am seeing now. I now wear a sleep apnea mouthpiece as well as cpap in order to breathe when I sleep. I'm currently seeking treatment to reverse the damage by having my lower jaw lengthened as well as my palet expanded with the use of Twin-Block and hopefully a palate expander in the future, as the cost is very expensive. I can hardly believe powerchain braces are still allowed in this country. But then, orthodontics is an unregulated industry, isn't it. And I also had all 4 wisdom teeth removed when they weren't bothering me a bit. Tooth extractions only lead to your jaw regressing into your airway. Throw braces on top of that and you've got a recipe for disaster.

isthistaken
Posts: 678
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:07 pm

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#24 Post by isthistaken »

I definitely agree that wisdom teeth are taken out far too routinely. And now they are saying your own wisdom teeth may be used to regrow your teeth at some point in the future. Wish I still had mine, they weren't bothering me either.

I had a bad experience with total anesthesia for my wisdom teeth in the office. I would not allow total anesthesia to be done on my children in the dentist's office. I was told by a doctor that should only be done in a hospital.

ellenpf
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:58 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#25 Post by ellenpf »

I often think that if I ever got the opportunity to be First Lady, the first thing on the agenda would be to warn America of the unethical orthodontic treatments practiced by corrupt orthodontists and dentists who do othodontic work that disfigure people's faces and crush their airway. I swear I would. I have lived a living hell with sleep apnea because of them.

JillianElizabeth
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:30 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#26 Post by JillianElizabeth »

Personally..I wouldn't trust orthodontia to a regular dentist no matter how well I liked him or her. and you'll find that regular dentists don't charge as much so that might be why the difference in price..Just a personal opinion

SunshineRay
Posts: 853
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:44 am

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#27 Post by SunshineRay »

My regular dentist was 2000 MORE then the ortho place for the same treatment.

isthistaken
Posts: 678
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:07 pm

Re: Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

#28 Post by isthistaken »

I think it's entirely possible that a fantastic general dentist could be superior to a mediocre bona fide orthodontist, although I always lean toward the credentials.

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