Need opinion

[the_red]

I'm getting braces this July 20.

I have consulted with 4 orthodontists and all of them say it's better for me to have extractions. More specifically, 3/4 said that it's better to have 4 bicuspid extractions while the other one recommended i took out a tooth (lower jaw incisor, but didn't like this since I lose symmetry on lower teeth arch). So I decided to go with the 4th orthodontist I saw since he was recommended by 2 of my friends. They love his office and they feel that he's intelligent and knows what he's doing. He was the only one who took xray of my profile and it showed how bad my teeth had overjet, in addition to panoramic xray, included in my consult. He was the only one who was most detailed about first consult and also plans to treat crossbite in my molars on the right side. I was impressed with him the most that I just wouldn't bother visiting the 5th orthodontist that I have an appointment with next week. So I paid for my treatment in full to get 5% off so I paid 3100 usd for ceramic braces (after $2000 credit from insurance).

However, my problem is, after reading some reviews from Merchant Circle today, I kinda lost confidence in my ortho. One author said that she had to pay so much for retainers; she felt ripped off. The other one said that she wasn't impressed by his work. I totally trusted this orthodontist based on my friends' recommendations and first consult. I feel nervous. I saw the wall at his office full of patients with great teeth that just recently finished treatment but with one author particularly saying that his work was of an amateur dentist, I'm unsure now. Any opinions? I know it's long. Thanks for the patience.

[Robot Teeth]

I understand the need to overthink this. I overcomplicate everything. That might not even be what you're doing, but at the very least, you can know that you consulted with a lot of different people about this, and he's the one you felt best about. Everyone is going to get a few bad reviews here and there. I'd give this ortho the same amount of faith you'd give to anyone else, and don't stress over problems that aren't problems yet. Good luck, though!

[Sunny]

I believe it's always best to go with your own gut feeling, as this is about you having treatment on your teeth ... not about what other people say ... especially anonymously on a forum. Your friends are 'real' people ... you know them and know if they'd be telling you the truth or not.

Many people have trust issues and no matter how great something is, it will never be good enough. Often those people are also the most outspoken, which is why we often read a lot of negative material and not a lot of positive stuff.

Please listen to your gut ... and if you're still confused give the ortho you've chosen a call and have a second consult with him, as hopefully this will help you.

Good luck with your treatment and although a single tooth extraction is a great way for many people ... go with your gut and trust your treatment will be fantastic!

[the_red]

thank you all for your reply. it has been helpful.