sad..sad...confused.. please help

[jessicahed3]

Little background I had braces before from an ortho and he gave me straight teeth . But I never ended up wearing my retainer (Dumb choice) and now im 26 with slightly crooked teeth and want invisalign. So today I got my clincheck from a local dentist and he showed me the after results... which looked pretty well. But then he said on about five Front teeth (on Top) needs to do an interpoximal reduction of 0.2mm. And on the lower front teeth needs to do a 0.4mm interproximal reduction for 5 teeth.. I freaked out and said ummm..... Let me think about it... if I cancel now he wants to charge me $300... For "wasting his time"....... I never needed an interproximal reduction when I had braces.... do people only usually need them for invisalign.... should I cancel and go to a different doctor..... Also I find it very dumb they don’t tell me about the exact process and what I could need..... They never told me about attachments either.... I find it very irresponsible... what should I do? Im thinking of taking my teeth molds and going to another invisalign specialist... please help!!

[Zoso]

It's hard to say whether this particular treatment plan is the only way to get your smile back where you want it to be. You don't say how old you were/how many years ago it was that you previously had treatment. The teeth do tend to drift forwards, so it may be that this has resulted in too much crowding to correct with no IPR. But I am just speculating. (Moving the teeth backward is not so easy as it may sound)

If you are not confident in this proposed course of treatment, I think you should have a second consultation, and preferably with an orthodontist. As to the $300 fee, to be fair, that is not just for the dentist's time - he will also (I believe) have had to pay Align Tech to get the treatment plan to this point.

Anyway, good luck with whatever course of action you choose. And do be assured that IPR is neither painful, nor (as far as studies have shown) does it pose a risk to the long-term health of the teeth or gums.

[Sunny]

Jessica it's a shame you weren't told more about the process of preparing for treatment and the costs that are incurred along the way. Sometimes an ortho will add these costs to other patients treatment, but to be fair, I support the company I work for, who charge every person who comes in for a consult. The same as a doctor/lawyer/accountant would charge for their time.

IPR is a great way to produce space to straighten teeth, without the need to extract teeth. Where I work, we rarely extract teeth, but we regularly do some IPR, the amount depending on the space needed to straighten the teeth. I've had it done a few times, and for me it's been a pain free process and the space created has quickly disappeared as the teeth needing to be corrected have straightened out.

Due to you having doubts, I recommend you consult with more ortho's and listen to how they recommend to treat you.

Good luck with finding a person you trust!

[Lucy1986]

Hey
I've had some IPR on my teeth, and it was no way as bad as I thought. I wasn't happy about having 0.3mm bewteen my two front teeth, but went ahead, and I had it done last week. The process was painless and quick, and in all honesty I can't tell that its even been done. Hope this might help.
Lucy

[Adam]

I've had a lot of IPR on my teeth, and needed it too! However, did you sign anything with the ortho? I don't think they can just 'charge you' for it, unless there is a cancellation fee outlined in the contract. I would check that first if I were you.

Good luck.

Oh and a word of advice, the next ortho wont be able to tell you if you need IPR until they get the clincheck back, which is exactly what this ortho has said. And more than likely you'll receive the same advice again.

[PrincessLauren]

Jessica,

Snap! Straight teeth, never wore retainer, now doing it with invisalign.

My fixed braces just straightened my teeth and didn't widen my arch to improve my smile which Invisalign is doing. Check out my blog to see how 'scooped in' my upper side teeth are from fixed braces!

My clincheck shows a lovely wide smile, so worth it!

I had IPR when I picked up my sets and I didn't even realise it was IPR until I asked if thats what it was! Its really fine, I have a lot coming up on my next appointment but that should be my last lot.

Please don't be put off by IPR, but def call it a day with your ortho if you are not happy with how they work.

L xx.

[myhollywoodsmile]

hi there,
I have had unscheduled Ipr when my teeth got a little close and couldn't move as easily as they should. I have a full account on my blog (link is below) and it really wasn't bad at all.

I would say though if you have any doubts get more opinons. I would also see an experienced invisalign ortho rather than just a general dentist as I believe they are usually better able to predict tooth movement.

Good luck.