Getting braces in Dallas

[symphonix]

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is....Sorry, had the Jay-Z song playing in my head there for a second. I am 25 years old male and I've been wanting to get braces for the last 7 years now, but kept delaying it due to many reasons. Last week I decided to take the plunge since I acquired a new dental plan this year which covers $2000 of my dental work and scheduled some appointments with a couple of orthodontists in Dallas,TX.

Went to the doctor today for a consultation and here are the issues we need to fix:

1. Deep overbite. 0.5mm
2. Crowding of the upper and lower teeth
3. Gap in the two front teeth. They point out and are slightly twisted. He said this could create a slight triangle in the middle after straightening them, but he will do the best he can to make the parallel and avoid it.

I need to have 2 wisdom teeth extracted, he said it was not necessary for the procedure, but I still want to extract them due the the occasional irritation I get there. Plues, I also have a baby tooth on the top that needs to be extracted so I am looking at an additional $300.00 to get this done with another doctor.

He would like to put Carriere distalizer for the first 4-6 months and only have a brace on the first 6 teeth on the top. After this he will put the Damon system braces on the rest of the mouth. I'd like to get ceramic braces and I was quoted $6980 for the whole procedure. This is including brackets, the carriere distalizer, and visits to the doc after the braces. Even with insurance I still have to pay $5000. I am going to get a few more consultations before I decide which doctor to go with. I had a good feeling with their staff and the doctor, but it's a lot of money for me. Does this seem to be a reasonable price for the procedures I am going to get? Also, anyone here from North Dallas and has a recommendation?

[Sunny]

Great you've started consulting to find out what is the best treatment and person to treat your bite. This can be a long process, but it's worth it to help your treatment go as smooothly as possible.

Good luck and please let us know how the process continues!

[symphonix]

I went to the other orthodontist and here is my observation. The office is not nearly as fancy as the first one I went to. It seems to be like a regular doctors office without the finger-scan login for patients and they don't have their own X-Ray machines that they own and refer patients to the imaging clinic on the 3rd floor of the office building. The doctor's assistant/billing coordinator was not as smooth and presentable as the other one, but she was nonetheless still nice and helpful. Never rushed me and was willing to listen to anything I had to say.

I've realized how high-tech and upscale the first office I went to when I compared it to my dentist, primary physician, dermatologist, and this 2nd orthodontist I visited. Nice leather chairs, flat screen, t-shirts for new patiets, etc. The first doctor is considered to be one of the best in Dallas metroplex and has been featured 3 years in a row in the biggest local magazine. He has also won some kind of award for one of his cases that he treated of a 13 year old girl.

This new office I visited both the assistant and the doctor said that he will make my teeth look great, but he said it may not turn out to be perfect, but very good indeed comparing to what I have now (rotated two from teeth with a gap, crowding, deep-bite). This kind of made me weary of him along with the one negative review I found of him on ripoffreport.com. I mentioned this to his assistant and she talked a bit about it and didn't deny a thing. The doctor was vindicated and the board didn't put this on his record. He is also a know doctor in Dallas, but not as upscale and expensive.

Overall, the doctor and the assistant were both very nice and willing to answer any questions I had. The price is much cheaper than the first doctor I went to. I was quoted $4650 for the whole procedure. Since he is in the network with my insurance, he turns out to be 20-30 cheaper than their regular prices according to my insurance and the office. Without insurance the total price would have been $5700. With insurance covering $2000, I only have to pay $2380 since they also gave me a 10% discount and much more flexible plan. This includes retainers and 2 years post-treatment visits.

Doctor #1: Upscale office with X-ray machines, fingerprint scan login, photo cameras, and other neat gadgets. One of the most famous doctors in North Dallas area.
Treatment plan: Damon System Braces, Carriere distalizer.
Total Price: $6980
Insurance covers: $2000
Payment plan: 50% down w/11 months payments

Doctor #2: Decently sized office. No high-tech new machines or flat screens like doctor #1. They actually have 4 local offices that belong to 4 orthodontists that work together.
Treatment plan: In-Ovation Braces, elastics.
Total Price: $4650
Insurance covers: $2000
Payment plan: $500 down w/20 month payments

[Sunny]

Great that you've had another consult ... and with such a difference, it might be worth another one or two, so that you can compare the treatment plans.

Remember that the office of the orthodontist does not reflect the skill of the ortho, and this is what you're going to be paying for. We have no high tech stuff in our offices and our patients report to the front desk upon arrival and then have to wait in a shared area with patients who are visiting the other specialists on our floor. When the ortho is ready for them, they're called in by an assistant and taken to a single room where the ortho will see them within a few minutes. These rooms are very basic with a laptop computer which is networked to our other computers, being the only obvious piece of equipment. Our aim is to offer our clients the very best, which includes having their ortho do all work on them at each appointment. We do not have any plans of including 'toys' in this plan, as that would increase our prices.

Good luck with your consults and making your decision ... a very important one!

[lauralea]

Seriously, Orthodontics has almost turned into a day at the spa!
Craxyness