dentist fitting braces?

myomi

Hi there just wondering if you guys could give me some advice here.

Popped into dentist for regular check up and casually asked her if I needed referral for braces as my upper front teeth ( LC Biology terminolgy long since forgotton sorry!) are quite prominant with one quite bent and others crowding around it.

She took xrays and recommended removing 2 top wisom teeth which are compacted as well as taking out my 'number 4s' and fitting a brace. when I aked her how much this would cost she said new braces cost around 2/3,000 Euro. And I may need similar treatment on bottom teeth ( though only one wisdom tooth on bottom needs to be pulled- due to evolution!)She could do all this within 6 months she reckons.

She's an experienced dentist (and Ive no doubt that she's a good one either) but she was quite eager to start pulling teeth today which frightened the wits out of me!

Anyway a few queries here 1) is it normal for dentists to fit braces like this 2) Is she obliged to provide me with any plan as to how much this is all going to cost and even what kind of braces she plans to fit( I will be paying the credit union a visit!) and 3) should I seek a second opinion and if so can I without a letter from the dentist-I doubt she would be willing to refer me on to orthodontist if she herself is willing to get stuck in.

anyway any advice here would be great as I wasnt expecting this at all! I wonder if I hadnt said anything to her about front teeth in first place would she would even have recommended this course of action. anyway throwing it out there and thanks in advance!

Dixie Chick

I know you say that she is an experienced dentist, but is she an orthodontist?

myomi

Hi there yes she is a dentist, not an orthodontist.

Ardennes1944

normal dentists are not qualified to fit braces, although many are doing so regardless. my gf got her braces done in an orthodontist and she has got excellent service and no real problems at all. her braces are off 6months and still straight as a die. on the other hand...2 of her friends got theirs done in a dentist and got them taken off in the last year, they went back to 75% as bad as they were but its a much harder fix now seemingly. both of them are now going to the gf's orthodontist and that aint good on the pocket

honeymonster

I had braces. Don't go to a dentist. You need to go to a specialist. Go to an orthodontist. I can recommend you mine if you want.

cynder

I got braces fitted at 15 through the health board as i had a bad overbite i was over 1cm so the health board covered me if the overbite was under 1cm i would have or my parents would have had to pay the 3000 punts not euros that was 15 years ago.

I had 2 teeth removed and the braces pulled back my other teeth into the gap made by the 2 removals reducing my overbite, i lost the retainer and my teeth went slightly crossed at the front but nothing major, the pain of the head brace i had to wear an night was unreal and caused bad headaches, I never knew that my mouth and head could throb so bad. I still have a slight over bite of about 4 millimeters.

I was always seen by an orthodontist not a dentist.

fichillie

For financial reasons I was thinking about going to a dentist for braces, until I saw the work he did on 2 of my friends. I dont think its worth it. I'll be happy to pay out the extra E1,000-E2,000 to get it done properly by a qualified ortho.

ballsymchugh

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

normal dentists are not qualified to fit braces, although many are doing so regardless. my gf got her braces done in an orthodontist and she has got excellent service and no real problems at all. her braces are off 6months and still straight as a die. on the other hand...2 of her friends got theirs done in a dentist and got them taken off in the last year, they went back to 75% as bad as they were but its a much harder fix now seemingly. both of them are now going to the gf's orthodontist and that aint good on the pocket

strictly speaking, that's not true. there are plenty of dentists that have done nothing but braces for years that didn't take the academic route, but in any case, the basic dental degree does allow you to do orthodontics (apologies to any orthos there!)

day dreamer

Hi

I will try to answer your questions as best i can.

1) It would be unusual to start extracting teeth on the spot, you would need time to consider the options. Any dentist can fit braces but an orthodontist has many years further training and Masters degree in orthodontics
2) every patient is entitled to and should receive a written quotation, treatment plan and information on the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment
3) every patient is entitled to a 2nd 3rd or 4th opinion if they want and if your dentist wont give you a referral that you asked for, then phone an orthodontist directly, or look up www.orthodontics.ie

It comes down to what you are conmfortable with and it seems you are not happy with what the dentist has proposed. hope this helps

myomi

Hi there everyone, thanks for the advice especially the last post!

Definitely going to get second opinion there,as pointed out by one other poster I really didnt feel comfortable starting a course of treatment without some idea of cost or impact down the line. In fairness to the dentist she said she had done quite a few procedures like this before but given given the lack of information and her eagerness to start pulling teeth it made me somewhat uncomfortable.

will no doubt checking out this forum a lot more with the prospect of all those horrible wisdom teeth extractions ahead (maybe that should that be a toothless smiley!)

ballsymchugh

remember the wisdom tooth thread is mainly posted by people who've had bad experiences with it (the aftermath that is). the vast majority of wisdom teeth extractions are non-eventful

flowertree

I don't necessarily think you need an orthodontist to do braces.As another poster pointed out some dentists have been doing it for years with great results.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

flowertree wrote: »

I don't necessarily think you need an orthodontist to do braces.As another poster pointed out some dentists have been doing it for years with great results.

You are correct any dentist can fit braces, but why would you choose this option. The price is the same (some general dentist charge more than some orthodontists for shorter courses of treatment!) and an orthodontist will treat more cases, faster and better than a general dentist cause they concentrate on one area and have more experience and more knowledge than any general dentist. There are a lot of orthodontists out there check out http://www.orthodontics.ie/