Orthodontist second opinion?

[countthestars]

We go to a pediatric dentist 15 minutes east of our house. They recommend the orthodontist that they share a building with, and we have been using them for about two years for DD. So far she has had an expander and retainer. I haven’t been unhappy with this orthodontist, but haven’t personally seen or talked to him since day 1 of DD’s treatment.

DS is now being referred to an orthodontist and his mouth is more complicated. It’s very crowded and I think we’ll need to do quite a bit. We have a consultation today.

Everyone, everyone, everyone recommends an orthodontist 15 minutes west of our house. People rave about their great work, really feel like this practice knows them and their kids, and multiple people have said that their dentist recommends this practice.

Now I’m wondering if I should plan to get a second option for DS? I have no problem bringing my kids to two different places, or I could switch DD now while we’re in between phases, if we like the highly recommended place. Or, we could just stick the course with our current orthodontist.

How do you know if an orthodontist is good?? Do people get second opinions?

[Susie]

My DD goes to the same orthodontist I saw for Invisalign about 5 years ago.  But when I was choosing for myself without the benefit of recent prior experience, I mostly went with what my dentist recommended, and what other people recommended, which in your case sounds like the new one.

DD's pediatric dentist has a list, and from the list she circled 2 in particular that she felt would be good for DD's complicated mouth situation, and her strong recommendation that we pursue early treatment.  One of them was my orthodontist, so it was a pretty easy agreement that we'd go there.  If it was less clear, a 2nd opinion seems totally reasonable.

[buckeyegirl]

My 11 year old is close to needing braces. I had a consult with the orthodontist that shares a building with his pediatric dentist. His quote was really high and I felt like he didn't explain himself very well. Everyone around us seems to go to this guy but I just didn't love him.
I took my kid to another orthodontist who did my Invisalign 5 years ago. His price was very similar but I felt like he explained the treatment plan much better. We haven't chosen one yet because we still have about a year before we start braces. However, right now I would go with my guy. So long answer to say I see no problem with getting a second opinion.

[osulori]

We ended up with three consults for kid #1. Everyone that I talked to whose kid had had braces suggested we get two consults, but the two that we got ended up being just different enough in what they wanted to do that I wanted to get a third as a sort of tie break. Thankfully #3 was pretty similar to ortho #1 and both had the same reasoning for not wanting to do what #2 recommended (including a bottom expander and significantly higher cost), we ended up going with ortho #1 because my son liked the doctor and practice better.

[jinkies]

We got two consults and considered a third, but ultimately felt like we had enough info.

The price and treatment plans were pretty wildly different, so for that reason alone I'm glad we got more than one opinion.

It is definitely something that people do, and you shouldn't feel weird about it.

[nicolewi]

Yes, absolutely get another consult. Typically the consult are free, so why not?

[somersault72]

I did NOT get a second opinion and I wish I would have. I mean, it turned out fine. My son's teeth look good, but I think we chose someone on the pricier side, and he wore his braces for a good 6-8 weeks longer than he needed to because we couldn't get him in to get them off AND because they have no grace period for being late. Like even 5 minutes they'd make you reschedule (even though they had no problem making us however long). I see no downsides to getting a second opinion.

[sent]

So as the doctor, I would like to think everyone heartily agrees with my opinions and loves my practice. But realistically since there are other offices nearby that patients can choose, I know that I am not the right fit for every patient. Similarly, every patient is not the right fit for me. And that's ok. What I don't like is price shoppers. Those who try to get us to lower the fee or price match based on another office's quote. Or they just try to bargain hard because they think we're out to rip them off. No dude, I'm just trying to pay all those people you see out there doing their jobs to provide you that high level of customer service you're expecting for an out-of-pocket cosmetic-ish treatment. I do appreciate knowing when the patient has gone elsewhere and we are the second opinion or when they see us first and let us know they are also going to another place. Some offices are comparable to us but some offices are really not the same experience or treatment at all. We also get patients who were not happy with phase 1 at another office come to us for phase 2. I'm sure some of our patients go elsewhere as well because of some expectation that we didn't meet for phase 1 or kid #1.

[countthestars]

Thanks for your thoughts, sent! I am not particularly price sensitive for this, I really just want the doctor who will do the "best work" and with great service. I think I will have a consultation for DS now, before we decide who to work with for his mouth, and then will make the decision for DD based on that experience.

[waverly]

I only went to one orthodontist, but if I wasn't sure about him I could see getting a second opinion. I was deciding between 2 recommended ones, and the one I ruled out before meeting him and decided to try the other one.

[kitty]

We did three consults and ended up choosing the most expensive one (ugh). I'm happy with the service and treatment so far but there were some insurance issues I hadn't anticipated. For kid #2 I will probably do a consult with the place kid #1 goes and a second one with the place across the street that is in-network because I had a little buyer's remorse after not getting reimbursed as expected by insurance.

If the first consult does x-rays, you can request that they email you a copy and then forward this onto the other practice(s) so that he doesn't need to be irradiated extra times for nothing.

[redheadk]

We didn't do any extra consults. I chose the orthodontist that I knew picky friends loved, did our consult, and went with them. I liked that the office is very organized and efficient. We've never had to wait past our appointment time, they get us in and out without rushing us, they just don't waste time (they also tell you how long to expect an appointment to take when you make it, super helpful when working around school schedules). They explained everything clearly, including why they favored a certain option over waiting for DD's particular case (and it lined up with what sent has explained about why some treatments plans start early so I felt confident in what they were telling me so thank you for that!). The pricing was organized and clear. Her ortho stops by to at least check in with us every time we go in, even if it's for something where he's not needed.

Basically, it came down to:
1) Great reputation
2) Clear communication
3) On-time appointments
4) Significant effort to help us minimize missing school

The price is typical of similar practices in our area. They aren't the cheapest but they seem to pay the staff very well, have low turnover, etc. and are efficient without making you feel like a number. We chose our practice over the one next to DD's middle school though that would have been slightly more convenient, just because we felt so confident in our first consult.

In your situation, since you've already experienced one ortho and aren't completely sold on them, I'd try the other ortho first then go from there.

[minniemouse]

Dd2 is in between phase 1 and 2 now. Dd1 is in the middle of a full treatment; she never did a phase 1. We went with the practice I went to as a teenager. The ortho I saw retired years ago, but after meeting the doctor that took over for him, I was comfortable sticking with them. We did not go for a second opinion. The price for phase 1 was cheaper than I expected. The full treatment was about what I thought it would be - around $5k.
We have been having some scheduling difficulty lately. I think they are short staffed like everyone else, so I try to be patient with that. It’s been especially hard to get after school appointments in the past year, when that was not an issue when dd2 was in phase 1.

[sagelily]

I agree with everyone who recommends the 2nd opinion. Our orthodontist for my oldest was great and we had no complaints. For my younger child, the main doctor has now semi-retired since several years have passed. The new person did not provide nearly as much detail on the initial plan and progress to date plus we have had a lot of additional appointments for broken wires. I know some of that could be my own child but I have been asking for orthodontist recommendations in our area since we never get to see the original doctor I knew and trusted (even though we are at the office much more frequently). I would rather understand other options before we get to the 2nd phase of treatment.

[VillainV]

We also went with the first place we were referred to, but we LOVE them for many reasons:

1) The orthodontist checks in at every scheduled visit, to say hi if nothing else, or answer questions. And she’s super friendly. When she found out we were vacationing someplace she had been, she wrote a very detailed email of some neat places to go and things to do.

2) The staff are amazing. There have been a few times that something popped off or started poking or whatever and they have always found a way to squeeze us in for a quick repair or adjustment same day.

3) They are super-close to our neighborhood and C’s school, which is very convenient

4) They came very highly recommended, and I can understand why everyone loves them so much.

[CloudBee]

We went to FOUR orthodontists before I found one I liked. Then after a few years of 4-6 month checkups, he retired and we had to switch.

I think at a minimum you should see two. I live in a very high cost of living area and all of our consultations were free.

[sent]

Jan 22, 2024 16:12:40 GMT -5 minniemouse said:

I think they are short staffed like everyone else, so I try to be patient with that. It’s been especially hard to get after school appointments in the past year, when that was not an issue when dd2 was in phase 1.

We have been short staffed since November. A new hire is supposed to start on Monday. I always hold my breath until the person actually reports to the office on that first day. On top of that, it takes so long in-office to train someone to be really good at working on patients so every time someone leaves, it's a huge void. I still haven't sent out my holiday cards. I was beating myself up about the cards for a while and I finally realized it's because I come home exhausted every time I go in since we're all running around picking up the slack. The week after Christmas was especially brutal because we were trying to fit in all those appointments so kids and parents wouldn't have to miss as much school and work. 

[AdaraMarie]

I had planned to look at three places, but the first place we went to was really good about explaining the treatment plan, was in the price range I expected, and dd was immediately comfortable there. I asked her if she wanted to check out anywhere else and she said no so we went with them.
She has only been going there about 6 months but we at least get a stop by from the orthodontist at every appointment and he and the staff are still great about explaining the progress and next steps and the purpose of any new stuff (different types of bands, etc).

[Ashley&Scott]

Definitely check into other options. When our oldest needed braces a few years ago my husband was the one to do the leg work on picking a place. Our pediatric dentist also recommended an ortho in the same building but DH did not like the vibe of the office at all, the receptionist was super unhelpful & they waited forever. He checked out a few other places & ultimately picked one that has been great. So definitely don't feel like you have to go with the place your dentist recommends.

[secretagent]

I went to the practice our dentist recommended. I have no idea how others compare price wise but seems fine. They have decent after school and evening availability for check ins, and I've been able to get late-school appointments for putting on braces etc on pretty short notice. The doctor sees us personally every visit, so I'm good with it. I don't want a cheap orthodontist, lol.

[gretchenindisguise]

We got a second opinion for L because we wanted to go where she felt most comfortable. I think it's fairly normal.

I also changed my orthodontist as a kid from a really high cost place to a university training place because my teeth were a freaking mess and it was so expensive. All worked out.