What would you want your ortho to know?

[face of braces]

Hello fellow metal mouths!
I am now a metal mouth, as of Oct 16 2009. I happen to be married to an ortho and we'd both like to get feedback on what you have and have not liked about your treatment. Thoughts? Do you have feedback on the facility? The waiting room? Anything? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Here's to mushy food!

[starzz]

I think you should repost this in metal mouth forum section.

The office and waiting room are pleasant with lots of natural light. The best thing is they don't keep me waiting very long. I like their use of technology, such as touch screen log in on arrival and email appt reminders. Also digital Xray and computerized charts. The examination chairs are comfortable, the waiting room chairs could be more comfortable however. I don't like to hear the TV they have for kids in waiting area. I don't like the music played; it's boring IMHU. I'd prefer "relaxing" music with nature sounds or classical. More educational materials in waiting room could be interesting. See thread in metal mouth forum on "topics for patient newsletter" for ideas.

My main issues are I hate having people poking around in my mouth, I have a bad gag reflex, and my treatment is taking way too long! Not so much to be done about any of that.

I'm happy with the treatment. The staff are very friendly and nice as is my ortho. Occasionally I get a staff person who doesn't seem to know what they're doing in some regards, or some info doesn't get recorded in my chart and I have to recall it for them (such as my current elastic configuration). My ortho is great at answering my questions but I always have more questions than he has time for.

The most important things for me are I trust my ortho and find him to be highly competent in his work, and I can communicate well with the ortho and his staff.

[delightfulde]

I saw this question and I had to reply!

What I dislike about my orthos office is the smell. I have no idea what the smell is but I really dislike it. I really wish they do something about it.

The staff- all awesome people! They are pleasant, welcoming, and funny!

The wait- I never have to wait more that 5 minutes to be seen.

The waiting room- They have a television and some xm radiostation playing. I figure that they should have one or the other, however since I don't wait more that 5 minutes I really don't care.

My treatment- Is going very well, my ortho always asks if I have any questions before he starts. I sometimes forget my questions.

My ortho- Is very handsome, does great work!

[Lynne]

Hi

Congratulations on starting your journey with braces...hope it's all settling down and you're adapting well to them?

I am very happy with the service my orthodontist provides - no complaints at all.

The only thing I feel would be more helpful is a thorough explanation of what is trying to be achieved at each adjustment. I find it feels like an awful long time between each adjustment, and as an adult, I think you become a bit obsessed with looking at your teeth and waiting for changes to happen. I am sure that if I knew a bit more about where things were heading at each appointment, I would cope with the long waits between appointments much better. I do feel I can ask questions, but I am worried that I will get on the orthodontist's nerves if I keep asking about what she is doing - I feel worried that she may think I am challenging her judgement/work (which I certainly would not want to do).

[felicia]

I am very happy with my orthodontist...actually there is two of them working together. Very nice, big, modern office. Lovely people work there.
I don't know exactly how many assistants they have....maybe 8. When I started my treatment 4 and 1/2 months ago, I went in to get my spacers, and my teeth were so tight that the assistant could not get them in, a couple of times I thought that she chipped my molars, and one time she poked me in the roof of my mouth with that tool she was working with...so, after a while she realized that she cannot do it, so she asked one of her colleagues to do it. It was hard for the other assistant to get them in also, but she used a different technique, I believe she had more experience. I really liked her...so every time I schedule my next appointment, I specifically ask to have it with her....but, here comes my complaint: I only had her as my assistant one more time, and the other times I keep getting a different one. I DON'T WANT A DIFFERENT ASSISTANT EVERY TIME I GO IN!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm paying a lot of money to get my teeth fixed, I never complain of anything when I in go for my appointments, I'm a very mellow person, I never bug them with questions, I trust that they know how to do their job right. I only have one request....GIVE ME THE SAME ASSISTANT!!!...that's all I want.

[Under Construction]

This is a great post!

Just a few things I would request...

As someone else already mentioned, please explain what is being done and what the goal is at each adjustment.

Everyone at my ortho's office has been fantastic. They're all very friendly and welcoming. The assistants have all had braces so they know how to talk to you and how you're feeling through each phase. I really like when I have the assistants working on me. However...my ortho! He's not the most gentle man I've ever met. Often he will be pushing and prodding so hard that he'll actually grunt and make faces. It can be unnerving. He also has this habit of leaving his fingers in my mouth while he waits for the assistants to bring him wire or tools, even if they walk across the room! So, I'll be sitting there salivating and feeling awkward with his gloved fingers still dangling in my mouth. You know that feeling when you've been holding your mouth open for a long time and your lips start to twitch? Not so much fun.

Other than that I like the clean, friendly atmosphere, the music and the open room full of chairs so I can watch other people get their work done.