Same treatment- $2000 difference WWYD?

[SunshineRay]

I have made up my mind that I am getting braces. Ive met with 4 orthos. The first and last have the same exact treatment plan. The first I didnt care for the office but it was the first and I didnt know if I would really go through with this. The last is my regular dentist who does ortho. I am totally comfy there and everyone knows me. I dont know if thats worth $2000 though. Also my insurance doesnt cover anything for me but my daughter will be getting braces next year and the first ortho is the only one that is covered so she will most likely have to go there unless something changes with my insurance.

Should I suck it up and go with 1 or stay loyal to 2?

(Yes Ive asked a similar question when I first started this journey but now I really have the prices and narrowed on all of them)

[Tobilei]

It depends on *how* less comfortable with number 1 you were. We met with one for my daughter and it wasn't comfortable at all so we went with number 2 (same price though at that time). I feel like the one we're with does a fantastic job and best of all he's super patient when you have lots of questions etc. If you feel you can't ask questions or pop in if you need to have something fixed up then I'd pay the extra for that peace of mind.

[isthistaken]

What about 2 and 3?

[SunshineRay]

2 was ok but they are similar in price to 4, my dentist....so if I was going to pay the extra I would go with mine.
3 suggested jaw surgery when none of the others did. He basically said he couldnt help me and I needed surgery.

[prairiehouse]

I'd be hesitant to get braces from a general dentist. Do you know how much work he does?

If he does it incorrectly you could end up paying full price for braces all over again to fix what he did.

I'd also ask whatever orthodontist you decide on what they think of surgery, considering the one orthodontist said he couldn't help you without surgery.

[sweetcynic]

I would say if you are reasonably comfortable with #1, go for them, otherwise do a couple more consults. $2k is a lot of money for what is supposed to be the same result.

[katsface]

If someone said they won't treat you without surgery, that's a pretty strong statement. They're basically saying that they think a purely orthodontic correction will not be an adequate result. That could mean you may have compromised facial aesthetics (particularly if extractions would be needed in lieu of surgery) or it could mean that you may have reduced functionality or a compromised bite with a risk of TMJ issues with a purely orthodontic treatment.

It might be worth contacting that ortho again to find out why exactly they feel you need surgery, and the kinds of problems you may encounter if you go with only orthodontic treatment. Even if you decide not to have surgery in the end, at least you'll be well informed about the potential compromises.

I also would be a bit wary of getting ortho treatment from a dentist. Dentists don't have the same training as orthodontists. While it might be more convenient and familiar to go to your regular dentist for treatment, in the end, this treatment will effect how your face looks, your daily comfort, whether or not you suffer from jaw/neck/head pain, and can even effect how you breathe. There's a lot more going on than just moving teeth. Even with all of their extra training, not all orthodontists get all of the pieces right. I would personally want the guy with the most experience and the most thorough explanation/diagnosis.

May I ask what the diagnosis and treatment plans were from the first orthodontists, and what surgery was recommended by the other one? I'm just curious.

[Ciara]

If someone said they won't treat you without surgery, that's a pretty strong statement. They're basically saying that they think a purely orthodontic correction will not be an adequate result. That could mean you may have compromised facial aesthetics (particularly if extractions would be needed in lieu of surgery) or it could mean that you may have reduced functionality or a compromised bite with a risk of TMJ issues with a purely orthodontic treatment.

It might be worth contacting that ortho again to find out why exactly they feel you need surgery, and the kinds of problems you may encounter if you go with only orthodontic treatment. Even if you decide not to have surgery in the end, at least you'll be well informed about the potential compromises.

I also would be a bit wary of getting ortho treatment from a dentist. Dentists don't have the same training as orthodontists. While it might be more convenient and familiar to go to your regular dentist for treatment, in the end, this treatment will effect how your face looks, your daily comfort, whether or not you suffer from jaw/neck/head pain, and can even effect how you breathe. There's a lot more going on than just moving teeth. Even with all of their extra training, not all orthodontists get all of the pieces right. I would personally want the guy with the most experience and the most thorough explanation/diagnosis.

May I ask what the diagnosis and treatment plans were from the first orthodontists, and what surgery was recommended by the other one? I'm just curious.

I would like to second all of this. I'd really want to know why one ortho recommended surgery and the others didn't. I'd also be very hesitant to get braces from a general dentist. I'd go back to the ortho who suggested surgery and ask some more questions. I'd also perhaps look for one more consultation.

[SunshineRay]

My issues are that my lower jaw needs to come forward and my upper arch needs to be widened.
My regular dentist (4) also does ortho and cosmetic dentistry.
1 (the cheapest) is just ortho and where my daughter will have to go next year unless I drive an hour to another city. (small town usa)
Ortho 3 (aka surgery ortho) did not have my xrays etc like 2 and 4 did. He doesnt correct bites unless it can be done by strictly braces. He is not a very well known ortho....I found him in with an internet search.

[SunshineRay]

I'd be hesitant to get braces from a general dentist. Do you know how much work he does?

If he does it incorrectly you could end up paying full price for braces all over again to fix what he did.

I'd also ask whatever orthodontist you decide on what they think of surgery, considering the one orthodontist said he couldn't help you without surgery.

I did tell 4, regular dentist about the surgery and he said that was old school (not his exact words) and there are much better, more modern ways to fix my bite.

[SunshineRay]

I would say if you are reasonably comfortable with #1, go for them, otherwise do a couple more consults. $2k is a lot of money for what is supposed to be the same result.

See, thats exactly what I keep thinking.

[SunshineRay]

I forgot to mention the treatment plan that 1 and 4 want to do.

Nance button to widen my top arch and teeth for 1 year and then braces on top for 1 year. Full braces on the bottom for 2 yrs to move my teeth forward.

[isthistaken]

Since it's so important that it's done right, if it were me I might consider the one hour drive, since ortho appointments usually aren't that close together. It is a bit inconvenient but two years goes by quite fast.

[katsface]

I needed the same surgeries, top jaw widened, and bottom jaw brought forward. I've just had the first one, and it wasn't that bad. My insurance is covering 70% of the cost, It's been a little over two weeks and I basically feel recovered. For this surgery I did not have to eat a liquid or blenderized diet, and my jaw was not wired or even banded shut. I'll have the next one (to bring my jaw forward) next year. It is scary, and it is not easy, but it's not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I am sooooo glad that I made this decisions.

Surgery isn't old school if it's skeletaly necessary in an adult. When you're a kid, the bones are mailable and they can use appliances to widen arches and promote proper lower jaw growth. I'm sorry to say, once you're an adult, if your top arch truly needs to be skeletaly widened, no appliance will do that without surgery. They can camouflage a problem, tip teeth out or shift them a little to mask the problem. If you only need a millimeter or two of space, maybe that doesn't matter. But if you need more than that, the camouflage treatment may be unstable and lead to bite problems and pain in the future.

I had two orthodontists tell me that my problem was just dental and they could correct me orthodontically. Then I saw an oral surgeon who said that would have been a nearly irreversible, and very expensive disaster. I've read so many stories about people who are looking to reverse prior orthodontic work that should have been treated surgically. I feel like I dodged a bullet.

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.

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.

[katsface]

Good golly, that was long. I'm sorry about that!!