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Author Topic: Taking the plunge...  (Read 25164 times)

Offline MikeB

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #15 on: 06. July 2017, 18:31:34 PM »
I don't think $3000 for metal braces is all that uncommon. My wife's braces cost $3400 before insurance ($2400 after), and a practice here in Phoenix runs a Black Friday special every year for $2000. Admittedly, my wife's case is uncomplicated, though not purely cosmetic.

Interestingly, a men-only forum I participate in had a thread about "unusual turn-ons." Of about 150 posts, ten guys mentioned braces as something that they like. Some of the other things were :o

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #16 on: 10. July 2017, 02:31:36 AM »
First consultation is tomorrow at 2:00. I updated my instagram page to show my upper and lower arches.

Any suggestions on things I should ask the ortho about? (Aside from the obvious: cost, materials, length of treatment and appliances.)

I appreciate the views but I would love some questions or responses. Thanks to Mike and my regional neighbor Cassandra for their comments and questions.

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #17 on: 11. July 2017, 00:14:06 AM »
I had a consultation today! The doctor was surprised how far advanced my lower jaw was upon getting in my mouth compared to looking from the outside.

He recommended braces for roughly 18-20 months of braces but wanted to do x-rays and the like to see exactly what he would be dealing with.

Luckily they had a cancellation, so I was able to to get X-rays and impressions done. The excitement was showing, thank god no one looked at anything but my mouth.

The discussed plan would be 18-20 months of full braces. Full bottoms to start and the front four plus molar bands for the top to start. He wants to begin with elastics to pull the bottom arch forward. He wants to do everything to move the front 4 forward from the start.

My other consultation is on Thursday afternoon.

They were ready to install on my next appointment but I told them I had to talk it over with my wife first.

She was extremely supportive and said that it's ok to pay as much as he wanted ($5,400)if it would yield the best results.

I joked with her that I could shave my face and be a young man to her cougar. She said "that's your thing, not mine". She also said it would be interesting for me to "see things from the other side."

She remembers the long ago incident but seems to be at peace with it. She asked if I would be going crazy if the roles were reversed.  I just smiled.

More pics are up on Instagram. Follow me at Tin_man_80 . If you are having trouble seeing things there let me know and I'll make a Flickr account or something similar.

Ask any questions and leave your comments

Offline MikeB

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #18 on: 11. July 2017, 01:51:43 AM »
It's excellent news that your wife is supportive! That puts you a nice step closer to your goal, and definitely removes a (perceived) roadblock. Interesting comment about "the other side," though.

Everyone tells me I should create an Instagram account, but I'm trying to move away from social media rather than increasing my use! It's easy enough to see your pics without an account, though. You might get more views, if that's even your goal, if you link the Insta pics here in the thread as you take them.

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #19 on: 11. July 2017, 04:30:25 AM »
My goal is to do what you and Carrie did for me, to encourage others to follow their dream. Below is a link to a site that makes viewing Instagram viewing easy without the app

https://dereferer.me/?https://dereferer.me/?http://ink361.com/app/users/ig-4181203319/tin_man_80/photos

Offline MikeB

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #20 on: 11. July 2017, 20:37:31 PM »
Paying it forward, so to speak. I like it!

Good call on the link. Will make it easier for folks to follow your progress.

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #21 on: 13. July 2017, 21:14:28 PM »
My next appointment is in 3 hours!!!  This is the office that has the $2,999 braces. It would be a big savings. It does matter to me what the quality of the office is like. My wife said that quality is more important to her than money but if I'm not sacrificing one for the other than all the better. I'm curious to see how much their plan differs from the first practice.

Wish me luck.

Offline MikeB

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #22 on: 14. July 2017, 00:04:54 AM »
Good luck!

Carrie chose one of the least expensive practices she visited. It's been totally fine. Okay, it doesn't have an espresso machine and a video arcade like some of them, but whatever. Everyone is very pleasant and she likes the geeky ortho. Go in with an open mind and you might be surprised.

Don't forget to update us after the consult!

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #23 on: 14. July 2017, 03:19:41 AM »
I was very disappointed with the office today. I had to wait in a very small waiting room for nearly an hour so I could get a chair in the private room for a consultation.

The room itself was not a disaster but had damaged paint/drywall.  The orthodontist was very reticent to help me when my major issue was TMJ despite my class III bite.
He warned that it could make TMJ worse and we would have to remove the braces. Next he gave me a plan that would involve elastics (although he warned the don't work as well on adults) he also wanted to extract the baby tooth I still have. The only "up swing" if there was one was he wanted to take 22 months vs the 18-20 of ortho number 1.

I'm happy that I went so I can eliminate them and not second guess higher priced offices. Maybe it isn't always good to be a snob but you often get what you are willing to pay for in industries like this.

Offline MikeB

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #24 on: 14. July 2017, 19:31:15 PM »
Well, that's a bummer, but at least you learned something from the experience.

Carrie got a similar warning about elastics not doing as much for adults, so that may be a common thing with orthos who are trying to manage expectations.

You can always lengthen your treatment by postponing appointments and such.

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #25 on: 14. July 2017, 22:21:15 PM »
I called an orthodontist this morning who is willing to see me on Monday. He is only 15-20 mins away so it is much further than the 5 minutes of the other practices I've talked to but still not bad.

On a side note: over 1,000 views and only TWO commenters. If you are interested enough to check in at least say hello. I may just message Mike and Cassandra privately from now on. This is a community, I won't bite anyone (unless they are local). Lol

Offline MikeB

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #26 on: 14. July 2017, 23:07:56 PM »
15-20 minutes isn't so bad. I mean, you only go every six weeks or so when in active treatment. Carrie's ortho is about 20 minutes away (without traffic) and it's not a big deal.

I think the lack of engagement here comes down to two things:

- Lots of lurkers. It's common on internet forums. Most people just want to consume content rather than participate or contribute.

- You're male and most people here are straight males.

My thread about Carrie's journey got 13 people who replied (not counting Carrie and me). I'm very grateful for that level of engagement, especially since I didn't expect it, but it's still not a proportionately big number considering that thread is approaching 9000 views. It's just the nature of these things.

Offline mrmajestic723

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #27 on: 14. July 2017, 23:24:16 PM »
I agree with what you are saying Mike. However, I feel like we have had a good time networking on here and now off. I'm just hoping to make another friend or two.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #28 on: 15. July 2017, 00:29:41 AM »
About 6 years ago I had a bridge that was loose. I checked with an orthodontist about the possibility of having braces put on to close the gap where the bridge was. At that time the bridge had been in place for about 15 years. He told me that there would be surgery involved, and that even then I would not be satisfied with the end result. The gap was very close to the front and moving the teeth would not create a balanced look. After he had moved the teeth I would still need a crown on the tooth to make it look right. It would have been to costly to have all the work done.

Both my dentist and the orthodontist advised getting the bridge replaced, which is what I had done. After the bridge was replaced, my teeth began to shift. The old bridge had held the top teeth in the same place for that long. When the bridge came loose, they started moving a little. My bottom teeth rested against the back of the bridge, so they didn't move. My teeth in front had a small amount of height difference. After the bridge was replaced, my teeth had just enough room to shift slightly. I also had a couple of root canals done about the same time.

I started to notice a change in how I was chewing my food.

At the same time that this was going on, my wife went to her dentist to have a cavity filled. The dentist ended up cracking the tooth so badly he had to pull it. The choices we had were to leave the gap, put in an implant or bridge or get her braces to close the gap. We decided to go with braces because it would be cheaper than replacing a bridge a couple of times. We also didn't want to grind down healthy teeth if we didn't need to.

I went to see her orthodontist about what was happening to my teeth. Her orthodontist told me I would have to wait until my teeth had settled into their new positions before she would even consider doing anything. My dentist and my wife's orthodontist did give me a couple of temporary appliances to do some short term things to help. My dentist did try and talk me into just doing crowns and veneers , but that would not fix the problem only hide it. The orthodontist did talk about using invisalign at first, but I didn't want that because she was not sure about being able to do it without brackets at some point. At the time I was driving long haul truck, and she wasn't sure I could make all my appointments on time.

I changed jobs. We moved about 2 hours from where we were. I asked for referrals to new dentists and orthodontists near our new place. The new orthodontist was more willing to treat me.

I had some more dental work done, just replacing fillings and a very thorough cleaning.

My new orthodontist was confident that he could fix my teeth for me. He offered me several options. My choices were metal brackets, ceramic brackets or invisalign. I chose metal because I like the look, and it was a little cheaper.

It took over six years between the first time I talked to an orthodontist and I actually got braces.

Have patience, it will happen eventually.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: Taking the plunge...
« Reply #29 on: 15. July 2017, 00:41:37 AM »
As for replying to posts, I don't usually reply unless I have something meaningful to say. As for the color of elastics and powerchains, I think that it is a personal choice. I choose colors that I enjoy, rather than what I think others may want.