How to Choose an Orthodontist?

We visited four orthos. When I made the apt. I told them I needed a consultation for braces. After a quick evaluation, they will walk you thru their process, timeline and cost (they all had a payment plan w/ a small down payment). We were told by 3 of the 4 to hold off for 6-8 months and let his jaw move forward more and let his 'fangs' drop down more. We had no pressure except from one - the one who wanted to start right away. The costs were very close to each other so now it is just a decision of convenience....how far do I want to drive?

Ask around. Ask other parent, colleagues, neighbors, etc. Word of mouth is sometimes the best referral!

Make sure what days and times you will have to come for the adjustments. I was working and they fit me in twice during my break. As soon as I got them on, I had to come before 4pm or they could not see me. Luckily my boss let me leave early, but he was not happy and I thought I was going to have to get them taken off. They were not really upfront about the hours.

Hi--I don't know anything about this, other than what's at the link, but I recently heard about this alternative form of orthodontics, and thought it might be useful to you. Supposedly, it is a different method that works differently/better with the formation of facial bones. I'm not associated with them in any way, other than that I saw their link, it sounded interesting and worth checking out.

http://orthotropics.com/

We're going through this process now, too, for our son. We started with a list from our dentist. The first one we visited shocked us with the cost. Really. I was blown away. Then I started asking around and found that we must have gone to the cadillac of orthodontists (he did have about 18 large flat screen TVs in his office). I got names of other orthodontists from friends; some were on my dentist's list, too. From what others have said, cost varies drastically. We have an appointment next week with an orthodontist who has a good reputation that is supposed to be much more affordable. I will be asking about time frame. We already know he is ready to start soon based on what our dentist and the other orthodontist have told us. Location is important to me because I want to find something close to school. I know I will have to pull him out of school sometimes for appointments, and I don't want him to miss even more school because of driving far for appointments. Good luck!

Costs should be comparable. If someone is really high or really low, there's a reason for that, and it would make me nervous. Certainly your child has friends with braces? Ask those families. I always think a personal referral is best.

I see that I am a little late with this reply, but I also see you are in Tarentum. I live in Penn HIlls and had orthodontia late in life (I got my braces on at 23 years old). My orthodontist is Dr. Brad Smith
www.smilesbysmith.com
I really like everyone in the office and he has flexible hours. If you haven't already committed to a dr., you should give him a call