 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / October 2005Question regarding adult orthdontics - two very different consultations
I have a severe overbite with mild crowding on top, moderate crowding on the bottom.. i saw an orthdontist today and he said two years of braces and some optional jaw surgery and i'd be good as new, no mouthpieces required during the process, afterwards a permanent wire on the bottom teeth and a 24/7 retainer for 6 months, nights after that. Another orthdontist I saw said it would take three years, I'd defintely need the jaw surgery and I'd have to wear mouthpieces 24/7 throughout the process, AND he would remove one of my bottom teeth.. My question is, with such drastically different consultations, how the heck am I supposed to decide who to see? I want the most painless and hassle free process but I also want results that are great and last.. the first orthdontist was reccomended by a dentist who also referred me to a wonderful dental surgeon that took my wisdom teeth out, didn't feel a thing, didn't even take painkillers. he'd also sent his daughters to this guy after another orthodontist screwed up their teeth.. his office is in the most affluent part of town and its very nice and shiny and all that, although it seems kind of assembly line-ish. The second dentist teaches adult orthdontics at the university of pennsylvania, his office grubby and small but personal and in a cruddy part of town.. i don't know if you can judge a dentist by the condition of his office but there you go :) suggestions? > I have a severe overbite with mild crowding on top, moderate crowding on the > bottom.. i saw an orthdontist today and he said two years of braces and some [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > suggestions? Honestly, these treatment plans seem to lie within the realm of normal differences in technique, treatment philosophy and goals. There is seldom one "right" answer in situation such as yours. I'm certainly not qualified to judge which is proposing a more appropriate treatment plan for you--even if I examined you. I'm not sure what you refer to as "mouthpieces". Certainly jaw surgery will require fixation for a while (archbar, teeth wired). Certainly the majority of situations like yours will require retention afterwards. Sometimes treatment plans change midstream, based on the way treatment progresses. Neither of these processes are easy or hassle-free. Both are likely to give good results. My suggestion is to speak specifically about the points in either treatment plan that concern you and ask the orthodontist to explain in plain English why that portion of the treatment is necessary. Remember that there are legitimate differences of opinion between doctors, but there are also legitimate requirements and treatment goals of the patient. In the end you should be comfortable in the office--not just the decor or equipment but personally--can the dentist answer your questions to your satisfaction and put you at ease. Don't minimize the importance of personal style. You're going to be with this guy for a while. Steve  SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 > I'm not sure what you refer to as "mouthpieces". Certainly jaw surgery >will require fixation for a while (archbar, teeth wired). Certainly the >majority of situations like yours will require retention afterwards. >Sometimes treatment plans change midstream, based on the way treatment >progresses. well with orthdontist #1 the surgery would only be optional and while wearing braces for those two years i wouldn't need to wear a mouthpiece/retainer type device of any kind.. just the braces, nothing else. to me this is a huge bonus, i had them as a child and -despised- them.. but then orthdontist #2 says 'mouthpiece for 6 months prior to braces, then for three years while wearing braces and then 6 months after braces are off, 24/7 for four years'. that seems like an awfully huge difference, i just don't understand how such drastically different techniques can achieve the same results and if they can, what the heck is wrong with orthodontist #2?! :) >> I'm not sure what you refer to as "mouthpieces". Certainly jaw > surgery [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > achieve the same results and if they can, what the heck is wrong with > orthodontist #2?! :) Probably nothing, find out what the "mouthpiece" is and what the rationale for it's use is and get back to us. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. From your initial post I would probably run from #1. What do you want from treatment? Just straight teeth. Straight teeth with no overbite. The best result possible????? A third and fourth opinion are probably in order for you. carabelli >>> I'm not sure what you refer to as "mouthpieces". Certainly jaw >> surgery [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >Probably nothing, find out what the "mouthpiece" is and what the rationale >for it's use is and get back to us. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. yeah but in this case one is a hell of lot better.. the mouthpiece? i dunno, what do people with braces usually wear a mouthpiece for? probably to widen my arch, thats why i wore them when i was a kid.. i breathed through my mouth at night when i was young. >From your initial post I would probably run from #1. What do you want from >treatment? Just straight teeth. Straight teeth with no overbite. The best >result possible????? >A third and fourth opinion are probably in order for you. why run from #1? i have to admit i was really put off by his assembly line style when i first visited.. i was worried he might just be some dentist who was about quantity not quality.. but then i got my wisdom teeth taken out by a surgeon reccomended by the dentist who reccommended orthdontist #1 and he ran an assembly line too and things couldn't have gone more smoothly.. so then i started thinking, maybe these guys are just really productive/busy/efficient/indemand/good. and then i found out the dentist who reccomended orthdontist #1 sent his daughters to this guy to get their teeth done, one of whom's teeth had been botched by another orthodontist.. and everything went perfectly. so basically thats all i'm going on :) i asked him what he thought of orthodontist #2 and he said he doesn't really know him but noted that some consider him to be a little too old fashioned. i have an appointment with a third orthodontist but its a month away, hopefully someone will cancel and i'll get it earlier.. cut to the quick. lots of times assembly line means you won't hardly ever see the ortho - just assistants. Not always. If #2 is truly teaching at an ortho dept - well they don't let schmucks do that. get some more opinions. carabelli >cut to the quick. lots of times assembly line means you won't hardly ever >see the ortho - just assistants. Not always. from what i could tell he would just go from patient to patient and the assistants did all the grunt work. kinda like when you go for a cleaning, the assistant does the cleaning and the dentist only shows up for a couple minutes at the end to make sure everything is good. while i was there i saw about six patients come and go and he spent time with each of them, some only for a minute, some for a few minutes.. bottom line is all i care about are results and if this guy can get me solid results with one less year in braces and no mouthpieces/retainers until the braces are off, then how could i say no? the big question is, will it get me solid results :) >If #2 is truly teaching at an ortho dept - well they don't let schmucks do >that. get some more opinions. >carabelli yeah his name is harvey levitt, i checked. thanks for the advice Will the first two treatment proposals really achieve the same results? Ask each orthodontist what the anticipated final result will be and what it will look like. Maybe the two treatment methods will give different results, and you might just like one better than the other. Wait for the third opinion before you make any final decisions. It will be interesting to see what a third, qualified orthodontist will say about the surgery. After all, the biggest irreversible stress to your body will be the surgery, not any "mouthpiece" or ortho wires. - dentaldoc >Will the first two treatment proposals really achieve the same results? >Ask each orthodontist what the anticipated final result will be and [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >- dentaldoc well to be fair orthdontist #1 reccomended surgery but he said it was optional however overall results would obviously be better with surgery. both orthdontists seem to be agreed on the surgery part.. i just find it strange that one involves removing a tooth, 3 years of braces and 4 years of mouthpieces.. while the other has no extraction, 2 years of braces and no mouthpieces. both seem competant.. i'll have to talk to them both again and have them give me detailed description of what they hope to achieve and question their methods. and of course get a third opinion. > well to be fair orthdontist #1 reccomended surgery but he said it was > optional however overall results would obviously be better with [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > hope to achieve and question their methods. and of course get a third > opinion. If you get a third opinion, you will most likely get a third and different treatment plan. Remember the orthodontist is trying to balance function and esthetics with the overall person. yes, they have some set goal in their treatment plan for the "idea" numbers, however everbody who presents with the same issues will not be treated the same. In fact the "ideal" numbers are different for everybody also! Take for example, if you ask two different master painters to paint your self, both will create a masterpeice of your liking, both will give you the painting, however they will not look exactly the same. this is the same with orthodontics. Hope this helps. >>>> I'm not sure what you refer to as "mouthpieces". Certainly jaw >>> surgery REPLY Mouthpieces are lawyers. Some people call them "counselor," but they ARE mouthpieces. Joel >>>>will require fixation for a while (archbar, teeth wired). Certainly the >>>>majority of situations like yours will require retention afterwards. [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] >i have an appointment with a third orthodontist but its a month away, >hopefully someone will cancel and i'll get it earlier.. Who said they were going for the same results, there are many ways to correct function and esthetics. >> I'm not sure what you refer to as "mouthpieces". Certainly jaw > surgery [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > techniques can achieve the same results and if they can, what the heck > is wrong with orthodontist #2?! :) |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.