Contemporary Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics
James
R. Waters,
DDS, MSD , PA
Board Certified Treatment for Children, Teens and
Adults
Should I consider “Discounted”
Orthodontics?
In a competitive market, we sometimes see a desperate blur
of advertisements as an effort to draw patients from one area or from another
practice. It may be a “price match” or
possibly a “discount for residents of ….” and usually it is from the least
experienced and least qualified practitioners.
Treating with Orthodontics is as much an art as it is a
science; unlike comparing prices with refrigerators or other tangible items,
orthodontic treatment can be very different from one practitioner to
another. This is not to say one practice
may be lesser quality just because the price is lower however you will almost
always get what you pay for; if the price is cheaper, you an expect lower
quality products used, lesser trained staff with an under-staffed office,
poorer customer service and/or the location is less than favorable. In short, if a Specialist in Orthodontics is
offering a broad discount, there is clearly a reason he or she cannot fill
their office and it may merit scrutiny.
“ … if a Specialist in
Orthodontics is offering a broad discount, there is clearly a reason he or she
cannot fill their office and it may merit scrutiny.”
So what should a prospective patient look for when
searching out a quality Orthodontist?
First, experience is probably one of the most important
attributes (experience as a trained specialist). Repetition however is not the same as
experience; such as a general dentist providing braces for years who is
inherently untrained to start with; experience only matters if the doctor
started with a good foundation and training then built on that training through
years of careful and considerate treatment.
An experienced Orthodontist will have treated thousands of patients from
the very simple to the very complex; they will know how to properly diagnose
the case, plan for variations and know how to price a case accurately. They will seek and become Board certified, attaining
Diplomate status with the American Board of Orthodontics. They will take records before quoting costs
and will usually sit down with you to discuss a full treatment plan using the
records and displaying other similar cases for comparison. They do not offer discounts across the board
and they do not advertise as if they are dealing in used vehicles.
“Repetition … is not the same as
experience; such as a general dentist providing braces for years who is
inherently untrained to start with; experience only matters if the doctor
started with a good foundation and training then built on that training through
years of careful and considerate treatment.”
All too often I see patients poorly treated or incompletely
treated because aligners failed or because the appliances used were not capable
of correcting the malocclusion; maybe the patient was told they could treat
with Invisalign (see below) or limited braces when in fact treatment required
much more effort (and cost). Maybe the appliances could not produce enough
force, or perhaps the design of the force systems used was inaccurate and
inadequate to control movements efficiently.
Instead of re-charging accurately to cover the necessary extended treatment
(with added or different appliances) or taking full records and planning a
thoughtful course of correction from the beginning, the doctor may simply quote
a generic or discounted general fee and ultimately end up removing appliances after
exhausting patience (usually advising the patients they could not get a better
correction).
The above adult patient came to me unhappy with results
elsewhere; note the over-expansion from clear aligner trays; this patient was told “that is how her teeth were
supposed to be” after being treated as an adolescent with braces by a general dentist
and later treated with Invisalign by another younger Orthodontist.
Records were taken and new plan formulated custom for this
patient; a plan to pull teeth back over the center of the bone to stop
recession and to re-align into a stable position.
One year following Orthodontic treatment, you can see I was
able to pull the teeth back over the bone while providing a beautifully aligned
and ideally functioning occlusion. This
correction could have been performed as an adolescent (the FIRST time if the
treating doctor has taken full records and planned a customized treatment plan. The SECOND treatment with Invisalign could
not pull the front teeth back so it was destined to fail from the start leaving
us to finish the re-treatment on the patient’s THIRD try. Overall cost: $17,000.
When I asked why she chose Invisalign, she said it was on
sale at the office she drove by and the doctor said it would work the same as
braces. That discount doesn’t look too good anymore!
I believe this kind of problem usually stems from
inexperienced (sometimes unethical) doctors trying to read the patient/parent
and tell them what they want to hear, including setting an unrealistic cost
just to entice a patient to start (or offering a treatment that is less than
ideal and telling the patient it works just as well as braces). A quality-oriented and experienced
Orthodontist knows there are no short-cuts for an excellent correction and they
will tell you if one treatment is not ideal even if it is not what you are
looking to hear. The cheapest treatment
is always the treatment that fixes the problem the first time; re-treating is
always the most expensive course.
“The least expensive treatment is
always the treatment that fixes the problem the first time; re-treating is
always the most expensive course.”
Aligning teeth is much more complex than the public has been
led to believe by advertisers such as Invisalign; every patient is different,
every bite unique. The doctors that attempt
to attract patients based on “discounts” or other salesmanship generally are
not going to take the time to accurately diagnose and treatment plan you or
your family as unique individuals.
Though it may appear at the beginning that you are saving a few dollars,
you may very well find that you are re-treating at a much higher cost later.
If you have questions or comments concerning this or any
orthodontic question, please feel free to make a complimentary new-patient
appointment at either my Steiner Ranch location or my North-central Austin
location on West 35th street and MoPac.
Dr. James R. Waters is
a 1996 graduate from UTHSC Dental School in San Antonio, 1997 graduate of
Advanced Dentistry from the UNMC in Nebraska and the 2001 Valedictorian
graduate from the prestigious Saint Louis University Orthodontic Program
receiving the J.P. Marshall award for clinical excellence in 2001. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Doctorate
in Dental Surgery, a post-doctorate certificate in Advanced Dentistry,
post-doctorate Degree in Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics and a
Master of Science Degree in Orthodontics.
Dr. Waters and his wife of 20 years live in Austin, TX with their 4
children where he has a thriving, multi-faceted Specialist practice with
locations in Steiner Ranch and North-Central Austin. You can learn more about Dr. Waters at
BracesAustin.com.
Central Austin
1814 W. 35th
Street
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 451-6457
Steiner Ranch
4302 N. Quinlan Park
Austin, TX 78732
(512) 266-8585
BracesAustin.com
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