Concerns about cosmetic dentisty & short-term orthodontics

bureau2009

The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh have raised concerns about some cosmetic dentistry and short-term orthodontics. This item was posted on the Orthodontic Society of Ireland website:

www.orthodontics.ie/2015/03/warning-cosmetic-dentistry-treatments-rapid-orthodontics-2/

I would urge anyone thinking of having work done on their teeth to at least read this and get as much information as possible.

Much of what is said has already been mentioned on this forum.

A specialist orthodontist, having at least 3 years further training after qualifying as a dentist, is best placed to advise and carry out orthodontic work.

And while it might be tempting to "perfect your smile" by getting veneers it is an invasive procedure that involves the natural tooth being filed down.

There is always a place for high quality dental work with the dentist advising the patient of pros and cons of treatment and possible outcomes. Patients need to have realistic expections also.

I'm interested to hear the views of dentists and patients on here.

Big_G

Nothing new here. Some dodgy statements about permanent retention and veneers that I wouldn't completely agree with. The general thrust of the statement is accurate, some guys use the little knowledge they gain on short courses to treat everything walking through the door whether they should or not. I have seen some excellent work done with Short Term Orthodontics, and some excellent veneer cases that should last a very long time done on 'healthy' but severely discolored tooth structure. The key is that the practitioner needs to decide which cases are appropriate and unfortunately this may not be happening. I wouldn't necessarily criticize these treatments (they're just a tool, after all) but I would heavily criticize practitioners using them inappropriately and damaging the patient as a result. It may be fair to criticize the companies pushing these treatments also, as they do have a role to play in encouraging practitioners to undertake treatment after only short educational seminars.

I do not practice STO nor have I taken any of the courses so take my views on that with a grain of salt.

What should patients take from this? It probably is safer to see a specialist for these treatments as you are more likely (but not guaranteed) to get a good result.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I agree with Big_G, Limited objective orthodontics is a valid treatment option for a number of patients. Its a tool, and its how this tool is applied that is the issue.

There is a general trend in dentistry to commoditise it. By this I mean that patients are encouraged by advertising and marketing to treat dental work as individual treatment items to be tendered to the lowest bidder. Patients walk in wanting "invasalign", or wanting veneers. The patient does not want dental treatment, they want nice straight teeth which are stable over time. The dentists role is to provide the result using the best tool for that patient.

Everything works well when its applied with skill to the correct patient, however in this market the good dentist will not get the opportunity to apply his skill and make a patients life better unless they can attract patients.

I think that for the public protection the old dental act needs to be updated. Specialist registers need to be brought up to worldwide standards. And regulations on medical advertising need to the tightened and enforced.

Its a minefield out there, and I feel sorry really for patient trying to decide what to do and who to go to.

Joolzie

bureau2009 wrote: »

The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh have raised concerns about some cosmetic dentistry and short-term orthodontics. This item was posted on the Orthodontic Society of Ireland website:

www.orthodontics.ie/2015/03/warning-cosmetic-dentistry-treatments-rapid-orthodontics-2/

I would urge anyone thinking of having work done on their teeth to at least read this and get as much information as possible.

Much of what is said has already been mentioned on this forum.

A specialist orthodontist, having at least 3 years further training after qualifying as a dentist, is best placed to advise and carry out orthodontic work.

And while it might be tempting to "perfect your smile" by getting veneers it is an invasive procedure that involves the natural tooth being filed down.

There is always a place for high quality dental work with the dentist advising the patient of pros and cons of treatment and possible outcomes. Patients need to have realistic expections also.

I'm interested to hear the views of dentists and patients on here.

I'm glad you mentioned realistic. I need to get some work done, and got a quote from a specialist,( As BIG_G recommends) €180 for consultation, and work that I need starting from €21,000.....what to say?? no wonder people go to ordinary dentists for hard core treatments.
I have quotes from all over, but cannot find any reviews from people that have had successful veneers. I don't know who to trust. I don't think ordinarily qualified dentists have the experience. If they had why don't they have featured reviews? Most positive reviews are for fillings, teeth whitening, clean and scale, check up etc, nothing meaty of note.
I'm starting to think that the dentists quoting the cheaper prices have more experience, as they probably do more work.The daunting thought of a return flight from Turkey with a pain in the face does n't really appeal to me. Please feel free to advise..
I still need the work done, and feel very confused.

Big_G

Reviews aren't really that valuable anyway. Ask for before and after shots and see if you like them. I wouldn't say cheaper means more experience. In fact, the more a person does something, the better and more confident they get at it, the more they tend to charge for it.

Unfortunately I have no good answers for you except that you often get what you pay for.