We went to our first orthodontist consultation yesterday. I had zero expectations going into it, other than it would be expensive. I took the girls and we headed over to the appointment. I was referred by my friend Misti. Misti has way, way, way more money than I do, just for the record. Imagine my surprise when we were greeted like rockstars when we walked in to the movie set-like waiting area. The entire office is a beach and sea theme, and Amanda had her name on a surfboard, welcoming her. I guess we even had VIP parking with our name on it. I didn't see it.
We signed in and had our choice of watching a newly released movie on a gigantic flat screen tv, or playing video games. Moments later we were ushered back to a submarine room where they took a full 3D head scan of Amanda. The girls had a choice of two different flavored slushees to make their wait more enjoyable.
Then we were guided through the entire facility where we learned that we could win an iPod if we refer our friends. All our friends already go there, but if I found new friends, we could win lots of super really cool stuff.
Then we went back to the sales room where we went over Amanda's teeth and her skull and her mouth with the doctor and we discussed the type of brackets they use, and the sales lady told us that they have a Hummer, painted like a cheetah, that provides limo service from school to appointments.
I'm not even making that up. I know your husbands think this blog is a work of fiction. But HERE'S THE YOUTUBE VIDEO.
Could I make this stuff up if I tried?
The Hummer limo doesn't go to my school because you have to have three people signed up. Amazingly it goes to the school that Amanda had her jump rope performance at on Friday. I have already found three people at my school who go there, including a child in Sarah and Gregory's class, so if we were to choose this orthodontist I can count gas out of my current cost analysis.
This is how we straighten teeth in Vegas, baby.
I'm going to go head down to the Bellagio and throw it all on red. If I win, Amanda gets the cheetah limo.
I showed Greg the video and he said, "Who are you taking her to? Vanilla Ice?"
"He had me at hello, Greg. He had me at hello.", I said just to annoy him.
Okay, people. Here's how he works. You pay one set price for the whole process and there is no Phase 1 or Phase 2. Whatever it costs to fix them, even if it requires a Phase 2, it is paid for in the one price. If you never need a Phase 2, it still costs the one set price. He uses damon brackets instead of traditional brackets. According to that link, extractions and palatal expanders are not required with damon brackets.
Clearly, I have no idea about anything. I had braces 30 years ago, never wore my retainers, and my bottom teeth are crooked as hell now.
But I figure you, the internet, can weigh in. Has anyone used damon brackets on their kid? How did it work for you?
Did your orthodontist have a Hummer?
47 comments:
Gemma gets her braces in a couple of weeks, and Elba has the appointment today where we'll make her appointment. Our clinic has fancy reward systems (they give out points at every visit, for everything from having kept your teeth clean to wearing their T-shirt to getting good grades), a game room, etc, although no limo.
They use the Damon brackets, too, and besides the lovely fact that we'll only have adjustments every 8-10 weeks (instead of every 4, as I remember from my years), they are so much smaller on the teeth. I get the feeling that the Damon brackets are more or less standard in most ortho offices now.
We have one set price, too. OMG it's a LOT. Thank goodness Wilder still has to lose about 7 baby teeth.
Isn't it too early for braces? I had braces when I was a kid and I know for sure I wasn't 7 or 8 when I got them. I'm pretty sure I was close to high school age before I got the mouth full of metal.
Enlighten one who will likely navigate this wonderful road as well.
Circus Circus vs LV Orthodontist = SAME-SAME
OMG, How do you think they are paying for those slushies? The boys must be sick they didn't get to go along.
I say run, do not walk.
Can't you tell him you'll get every triplet in the city of Las Vegas to go? I think you'd get some bonus points for that.
Renee
Laraine= they start at age seven now. SEVEN. That's why there is phase 1 and 2. He said they put them on the adult teeth and have some sort of spacers that guide the other teeth in. If the other adult teeth aren't guided in correctly, you go to Phase 2. He said 80 percent of his patients never need phase 2. There's a kid at our school that went to him and she's already done. She's in fourth grade. I'm going to be looking in her mouth today.
Shut the front door! A Limo! I thought it was neat that my son gets a dollar store toy when he leaves! Although, I secretly calculate how long until I can throw the toy away without him noticing!
I think our orthodontist wants a "hummer"- just saying'
We go to Chenin Orthodontists in Green Valley. One of the twins has a retainer spacer. All my kids will probably need braces. Their baby teeth were too tight not allowing for the teeth to even come in. I love our guys and I wish I was going to their office. No fancy surfboards...but all the same stuff with prizes, etc. They have cool video games and movies too. Man my ortho was boring back in the day.
Angela- my neighbor Jo said to go to Chenin. So I'm calling for another consultation today. I have decided to see three before I make a decision.
Our dentist has recommended braces for our 8 year old as well. I am hesitant because I feel like it is so early!! What about all the teeth they still have to get in? Do they wear the braces until all their adult teeth are in? That's a long time! Is the "one set price" deal a lifetime guarantee for straight teeth?
When my babies were little, we thought the worst would be over when we stopped paying for formula, then diapers, then preschool. Then came orthdontia!
My husband and I have perfectly straight teeth - no ortho. All 4 of my children had terrible teeth. The total cost of orthodontia does not include pulling teeth, if necessary. So that's something that may pop up in the future.
We paid the ortho on a monthly basis. One set fee. I felt like he should have named one of his children for us, or at least a gold-plated dental chair!
And it's not too early for braces. Only one of my boys did two phases and that was because he had tongue thrust and was messing up his front two teeth. Otherwise, we did one phase and was done before junior high. Two were finished in elementary school.
bottom line is that you can NOT aline the adult teeth until all the adult teeth are IN. So to be done in the 4th grade is impossible. Hale only had appointments every 6-8 weeks after the full set was on, same with mine. Calista is on the same schedule too and should get her full set in the next few months. Not to mention that the child has to wear a retainers until the wisdom teeth come out because the wisdom teeth will push forward and mess up all the work the braces did. Basically if you want your teeth to stay straight you wear a retainer at night for the rest of your life. Hale is on his 3rd bottom retainer!!! First one was free but after that it is 250 to replace it when you break it or lose it! Make sure you talk to other Orthodontists before you make a decision.
I know nothing about the type of hardware used.
What I DO know, is I took my kids to a "rockstar" orthodontist who only did "one phase" as well. I was served hot tea by friendly attendants, while I waited in the expansive and luxiourious lobby with free wi-fi and my youngest watched movies or played with very high-quality toys in a special siblings play room. He put my eldest (4th grade) in expanders and the braces didn't go on until 7th grade when all the baby teeth were finally gone.
The braces were PAID FOR in the 3 years the expanders did their job.
Then, my rockstar orthodontist went through a divorce, suffered severe depression and went to a "facility for professionals in crisis" (I'm thinkin' it was in the Bahamas) and there was no money for refunds because the evil ex wife purportedly got it all.
My youngests braces were HALF WAY PAID FOR.
I had to find a NEW orthodontist (and I steered clear of any and all rockstars at this point) who could pick up where we were left hanging and not try to gouge me too bad in the process. So, um, yeah. Two sets of braces, about 3.5 sets of payments.
Rockstars. Bah.
Pam- OH......MY......GOD.
Just curious...does this dentist allow the parents to be with the child during treatments? Our only pediatric dentist in town does not.
When our family dentist sent us to him for our daughter, he did unauthorized work on her; which turned into an all our battle over billing, etc. including him sending me a letter telling me I was very lax in my daughter's oral care. I had been leary to go back to him after taking our son to him and getting a bad vibe, but he is the only one our family dentist would refer us to for an extraction with our 8-year old.
We immediately changed family dentists and I never recommend this particular specialist to anybody. He also treated the kids like visiting royalty. He put appliances on 3-year-olds, and most kids in town who see him have multiple sets of braces.
I don't mean to undermine your decision but I'm always a little leary of detists who present their patients with all sorts of "gifts." We've had much better luck with our plain old waiting room type of dentist who gives good, gentle, reliable care and service.
I hope you have good luck with this. I'm eager to follow your journey.
My 15 yo just got done with braces in Nov. he had his initial consult at age 8. They actually didn't do anything for a year because his 6 yr molars weren't all the way in yet. He had expanders (top 3 times!). Phase 1 full set of braces, then phase 2 a few years later. We paid 2x.
Second kid - teeth not as bad. We had a consult last summer at 12. He still has NO 12 yr molars and 8 baby teeth to lose, and he'll be 13 next week. Ortho says it will be 2013 before he can start braces.
I don't know what Damon brackets are, but we only have adjustments about every 8 wks. Def no rock star ortho here. They even got rid of their free wifi, much to all our disappointment.
Rock stars are fun and all but I would not pre-pay for orthodontics unless I was putting the expense on my credit card, then filing bankruptcy.
That being said, let me tell you about a local periodontist who did dental implants in a pre-pay guaranteed for life plan. The extractions, dental implants and all follow up and maintenence were included in his price. Many patients were happy with his work and invested in mouth full of those pearly white, Texas choppers. To the tune of like 15K a patient. Everyone was thrilled with the dental guru until mysteriously, he was brought up on some confidential charges by the State Dental Board. Instead of cooperating with a full investigation, this dentist decided to just surrender his Ohio license.
This meant that he was legally not allowed to treat patients in Ohio and his patients were all left high and dry. Some of them with partial work, some of them in the very early stages of restorations. No refunds. No credits. Just a bunch of patients shit out of luck.
Funny thing is, he was able to get a license to practice dentistry in Nevada, where he changed his name and opened up shop.
Buyer beware- yeah, perhaps. It sounds like a huge gamble to pre pay that kind of service times FOUR. Roll the dice at the Wynn, not at the orthodontist office.
Helene- This guy is LDS and has five children. From my "expert" Googling skills, I see that his brother is an ortho in SLC. He's got a steady supply of Mormon children to keep him in Hummers for the rest of his life. So I'm not afraid he'll go out of business. I just want Amanda's teeth to look good at a reasonable price. This ortho shopping is going to be worse than fertility doctor shopping. GAH!
I don't have to pay up front, it's just that they offer a cash discount. I suppose I could make payments to hedge the bet.
Are most of her adult teeth in? I started the process of braces when I was in early third grade but I had all my adult teeth (I started losing teeth at age 3.5). I was in braces for 4 years and then a retainer a year after that. 1.5 years later my teeth started shifting again and I had to get a spring retainer. If you get her in braces please please have her wear the retainer (unless you get her those retainers that are permanent in her teeth) every night even if the ortho says its okay to stop. Your teeth shift your entire life! I had my wisdom teeth out in November of 2010 and my teeth are still shifting. I've been wearing braces/retainers since 3rd grade (minuse the 1.5 years I thought I was okay without them) and I'm 22 now. It's a life long commitment.
NEVER pay full fee up front!!!! If you didn't hear me I will repeat. NEVER, EVER pay full fee up front!!!!
Michelle-
I made payments to "hedge my bet" too. A 3-year payment plan. However, the braces didn't even go ON until they were paid for on child #1 (his baby teeth took AGES to fall out). So, the expander was in 3 years, with bi-monthly visits and free tea & wi-fi. Then, the braces FINALLY went on, and BAM! Out of business. Still 18 months to go.
Bah. Just be careful. He does sound like a stable guy, but be careful.
The "early warning signs" that made me go "hmmmm...." were that I ceased to get the "robo-call" appointment reminders, and the auto-email appointment reminders. Staff started to turn over, doc looked stressed, etc.
Jo- are you saying to not pay up front? LMAO!
Pam- they should have been serving you cocktails instead of tea. I don't know about you, but I like to be liquored up before I get raped. What a jerk!
is that a CRANIOFACIAL CT up on that PACS screen????? Please tell me he's not talking about doing one of those. The amt of radiation exposure associated with that makes one of Austin's head CTs look like a plain film.
Anon- I don't know. There's a picture of the xray machine in the video. Look at it and tell me what you think. I did request and received additional protection for her thyroid before they took them.
Okay. I googled it. They use a cone beam computed tomography.
http://www.m3dic.com/for_patients/patient_technology/
There's a typo in their video.
I think one of his kids made the video. I don't know that for a fact, but it has a school project feel.
My son started seeing the orthodontist at about age 7. They didn't do anything until he was about 8, just kept checking to see how he was growing and how his teeth were coming in. He had to have a few baby teeth pulled, then we waited a few months and started the expanders. We did not pay a dime until he started to actually work on my son. We did have a phase 1 and a phase 2, but the money we paid in phase 1 was applied to phase 2. He had two sets of braces, the first at age 10 for a year (top only) and then a complete set from 14 to 16. We didn't pay for anything in advance, just as we were going through the process.
It was expensive, but so worth it, my son has a beautiful smile.
I'm just going to keep closing my eyes when my boys smile. Then I won't be able to tell if their teeth are crooked :-). This whole post has me scared.
I guess its time to get them evaluated. I really thought it was too early. Guess I better keep my job until any potential orthodontia is complete :-)
@Pam - three years for an expander? Wow, that's a really long time. Poor kid and poor pocketbook!
My teenagers know kids who have had more than one set of braces.
I never understood why they would put braces on a kid who still had baby teeth. I think I would run from any dentist who would insist on it.
For the record, my oldest had horribly crooked teeth. I mean, awful!! I would have sworn he would need braces. He didn't, and his teeth have been perfectly straight since his secondary teeth came in. He has the most beautiful smile. You can see his pictures on my FB page.
The moral I take from that story is to wait, you can always decide to get the braces later if you have to. You won't necessarily have to!
Wow, why did that say I was anonymous?? The one telling you to look on my FB page. LOL. Sorry.
I'm not familiar with that form of dental imaging- I don't work in orthodontics or any kind of dental setting, so I wouldn't know, for sure. It just alarmed me to see so much of Amanda's sinuses and cervical spine imaged up there. She does not appear to have sinusitis or os odontoideum, based on those images, but I couldn't imagine what that had to do with braces. But if the website is telling the truth and there is less radiation exposure than with a conventional panorex, good on him.
Good lord, somebody advise all engaged couples to consult an orthodontist BEFORE they say I do!
My oldest had standard braces and it was a miserable experience. My second and third kids had Damon braces (at Dr. Damon's very own office, no less) and the experience was much, much, MUCH less painful. Also, it was $1000 less than the first kid's braces. No hummer, not so many bells and whistles in the waiting room, but a good experience anyway.
Lise I had standard braces and I can tell you that I thought I was going to die a thousand deaths the first 6 months. It hurt so bad that I was crying the first 3 days of any adjustment and eating Tylenol like it was candy(i am allergic to ibuprofen unfortunately). They had to yank back a eye tooth that was way angled and forward back into a space that I had a healthy adult tooth pulled to make room for it. That tooth was sensitive for a whole year. I could not chew on it AT ALL! I am a complete B.A.B.Y. when it comes to mouth pain. I told my ortho I would rather give birth than go through the first 6 months of braces again! Having braces as an adult is so different and much more painful cause the bone is more calcified, makes it harder to move the teeth. Both my kids have not complained AT ALL. They both think it is no big deal with adjustments and think I am a big sissy. You can see in my pic with Michele my teeth are beautiful and it was worth all the pain. now if I can just correct the aging process I'll be all set:-)
Another great thing about fraternals - you don't have to have all or none when it comes to jacked up teeth! Our girls have tiny itty bitty mouths, and I'm horrified to think about how all those teeth are going to fit. (Answer: they're not.) Maybe I could pass them off as the same kid and get cheaper services???
But back to the post... I love that they do all that "rockstar" stuff. Since that business is mostly children, it's important that they make the kids WANT to come back. It shows they care and reinvest into the business in positive, welcoming ways. I can tell you that I've worked in two separate companies (within the same industry) with VERY different ideologies about how to do business. The one I "retired" from was the one that really cared for its clients and it overflowed into the decor and little gifts... the excitement was contagious. And no, the product was not less of a value, in fact, the opposite.
My oldest son was referred to an orthodontist for a "consult." Of course, he needed braces. We got brought into the back room with the financial person, $5,000, blah, blah, blah.
We were told he ONLY needed braces, nothing else. After they made the mold of his mouth, it was decided that he needed that horrible expander (the thing that needs to be "cranked" once a day - it was so many years ago I can't even remember what it's called).
I asked how much more the braces would cost now that he needed this expander: "nothing."
How could they not charge more? I think it's because everyone gets charged the same amount whether their kid needs it or not!
For the record, we pre-paid cash for the discount (and used our flex plan pre-paid tax dollars to boot) and the ortho is still in business.
Son #2 also needed braces, no expander, also $5,000.
For the record, both boys are now in college and have beautiful smiles. Child #2, however, did not bring his retainer to school and I predict that his teeth will move right back to where they used to be.
The next set of braces is on him!
My kids had braces after all their adult teeth were in but I think the difference is that they had too much space instead of too little. They also had permanent retainers put in to keep the teeth in place. We had the option of the permanent retainers or the one you put in daily. In insisted on the permanent ones knowing how many we might have to replace if we didn't. The kids were not too happy about that so I told them when they were adults and could afford to buy the replacements they could change - neither one has looked back.
When I was a kid I don't remember seeing many others with braces - only those very severe cases. Now I don't know any kid who hasn't had braces! What a business!
Good luck!
Oh also, regarding wisdom teeth... Our dentist referred us to an oral surgeon as soon as he could see the buds of the wisdom teeth forming. The kids were 16 when they had them out. Getting them out before they disrupted the other (now perfectly straight teeth) avoided any issues. It is also a lot less invasive to get them out before they form roots and get bigger. Just an FYI... for later:-)
Can you pay up front and get insurance on that? I mean, I have no idea. But if the issue is that he might go out of business, maybe you can see if that's possible. I have no clue tho.
He had me at the 27" Mac desktop... which is what I have!
I come from a place where teeth are a tool. You use them to chew your meat, you use them to chew the bottoms of Ugruk hides for the underside of your winter mukluks. You use them to cut rope, to cut fishing line, and rip open Gogurt like the best mom ever.
I was born with straight teeth. Lucky me. 99% of Eskimo's are NOT. And 90% are born with "dog teeth" protruding from the top of their gums.
My grandmother asked me where I got my teeth from. She thought they were fake.
My children have been SUPER LUCKY so far, but my daughter looks like she MIGHT have to get braces for a little bit.
Oh yeah...and we don't have a orthodontist here, so everyone who gets braces has to fly down to Anchorage with their parents, stay somewhere, go to their appointment and fly back home. At $600 per ticket, they're sort of expensive, so no one really gets braces here.
The phase 1/phase 2 issue is pretty common everywhere these days. Some kids have issues that are best corrected before the adult teeth come in, some kids are not. There's a family up the street who were advised to do a phase 1 set of braces for 12 months for one of their fraternal twins, but the other daughter didn't have the same issues, so she didn't get them. None of our three kids needed phase 1 adjustments, but they'll all need Herbst appliances before they move to rubber bands (it's the internal version of headgear, which is why you don't see very many kids in headgear anymore).
We considered paying upfront to get the discount, but then realized that we have a limit on our annual health savings account and, by spreading out our payments, we can claim much more of the expense to the pre-tax account. I'm guessing this isn't an issue for the self-employed, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
Your friendly dental assistant from Traverse City here. Since last I posted I have switched to an Ortho office. We do Damon as well as Invisalign and the traditional braces. While Damon states that you don't need expanders or extractions. that is a broad statement and every case is different. While we use fewer expanders with Damon's there are still cases that the expander is used. When the mouth is small and the teeth are coming in large or severely crowded, by expanding the palate you get more room for adult teeth to come in. Braces are done earlier because the palate and bone is more pliable at this age. Moving them early gives the rest of the teeth more room to come in Often the phase one treatment only last 6-9 months. Then when the rest of the adult teeth are in then in is decided if the second phase is necessary. This is also usually a shortened period of time if it is needed as long as the child does the elastics and everything they are told. Sometimes it can be as short as 9 months to a year.
That makes sense, Jillian! My friends are very happy there. It was a very pleasant experience!!!!! I have two more appointments lined up before I make a final decision.
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