Choosing The Right Orthodontist; Red Flags

OK, So your clueless about dentistry. How are you supposed to choose the right orthodontist for you or your child? Even if you get a second opinion, how can you evaluate which one is better? It is not easy, but here are a few things to look out for.

Beware of these red flags!

1 - The website pops up first: Good doctors don't need to spend money on advertising, as most of their patients are referred by other patients who appreciate the treatment they have received. It costs a great deal to position a website on the top of the list. You must ask yourself, "Why does this doctor need to spend so much money to attract patients?"

2 - The office boasts a large number of dental assistants: When you or your child are undergoing treatment, you would want as much of it as possible done by the doctor. Do the math, the more dental assistants in the office, the less work will be done by the doctor.

3 - You are told "the work must be done immediately:": The need for "emergency" orthodontic treatment is very rare. If the office is pressuring you to start right away, be suspicious.

4 - The office sees more than 40 patients a day: I did the math. An 8 hour work day has 480 minutes. If you divide that by 40, it gives the doctor 12 minutes to walk to the next patient, put on his gloves, check the chart, find out how the patient is feeling and then do his examination and at least dictate what treatment is needed. Feeling rushed? Some offices see 80 0r 100 patients per doctor!

5 - Appointments scheduled every 2 or 3 months: All kinds of things can go wrong in that period of time to slow or reverse the progress The doctor needs to monitor

the progress more frequently.