Orthodontists often play a critical role in maintaining the health of your teeth. These doctors are responsible for ensuring that your pearly smile maintains its form and help prevent any issues with your jaw, bite, or teeth alignment. Braces or invisible braces such as Invisalign are becoming increasingly popular in today’s society. These devices help to properly align teeth so that your teeth are in the ideal position where they will cause no future issues for your mouth or tooth health. This also ensures that you will have no future bite or alignment issues regarding your teeth.
While some people seek out help from orthodontists for primarily cosmetic reasons, others require the assistance of orthodontists to resolve medical complications with their teeth alignment. It is important to note that there is nothing wrong with seeking out orthodonture help to achieve a perfectly straight smile from a cosmetic perspective alone. However, there are many cases where tooth overcrowding or jaw misalignment can cause serious issues with the overall health of your teeth. Severe misalignment with the jaw or teeth can result in difficulty eating, talking, or even breathing. In these more serious instances, seeking out orthodonture help is critical in maintaining a healthy smile. While these professionals are often essential for maintaining a healthy smile, there are some signs of a bad orthodontist that are extremely important to look out for before heading to your first appointment. This article will detail the top five signs of a bad orthodontist.
Overprescribing Tooth Extractions
It is sadly common for orthodontists to overprescribe tooth extractions. Tooth extraction is a process of removing teeth from the mouth completely. There are some instances of overcrowding where this procedure is needed to allow other teeth to grow or create more space in the mouth for other teeth. However, this procedure is sometimes encouraged prematurely by orthodontists before exhausting other means of creating additional space in the mouth for proper tooth growth. Tooth extractions can be quite pricy which can allow an orthodontist to make more money by utilizing this procedure. Due to the possible monetary gain, many orthodontists prematurely advise tooth extractions when the painful and costly procedure can be avoided using devices such as tooth expanders.
Their Office Or Workspace Does Not Meet Important Hygienic Criteria
When seeking dental help in any capacity, the facilities must meet minimum hygiene criteria. These are medical procedures that require proper sanitary standards to ensure a safe and effective treatment. This is especially important when working in the orthodonture field as this profession specializes in the treatment of teeth and mouth health. This means that sterilized equipment should always be used and the facility itself should remain orderly and clean at all times. Make sure to pay attention to these details upon your first visit to ensure that the orthodonture practice meets minimum health and safety standards.
Significant Patient or Employee Turnover Rate
If you are looking for an orthodontist, it is always a good idea to look up their patient turnover rate. If they struggle to keep patients for a long duration and have a high turnover, it may be smart to be wary of that specific orthodontist. A high turnover rate can often mean that an orthodontist lacks important skills that are required for a positive orthodonture experience. You can check out reviews for specific practices online or ask around your community about the best orthodontists in order to get a better idea of skilled professionals in your area. This can also be applied to a high turnover rate of employees at the office as well. If you begin to notice that there seems to be a constant turnover of employees at the orthodontist office, it may be a sign that your orthodontist is not the best choice.
Extremely High Prices
While orthodonture treatment is rarely extremely affordable, astronomically high prices or lack of communication regarding their pricing can be a sign of a bad orthodontist. The best orthodontists are understanding the high prices of corrective dental practices. Due to this, many orthodontists will take steps to work closely with their patients in order to craft a payment plan that suits their personal budgets. It is also concerning if an orthodontist is not transparent with the prices of specific treatments. Be wary of orthodontists that are unwilling to explain the price of specific treatments and refuse to work with you to create a reasonable payment plan.
Refusal To Update Their Practice Techniques
As with any medical field, the field of orthodonture is constantly evolving and advancing with new technologies and techniques. However, if your specific orthodontist refuses to learn more about safer and more efficient techniques, this can be cause for concern. Bad orthodontists may refuse to update their practices or continue to learn in the ever-changing field of orthodonture. This refusal to expand their knowledge in a way that can benefit patients, in the long run, should be a serious red flag to any potential patients. The best orthodontists trust medical advances and wish to ease the stress placed on their patients throughout their treatments.
Orthodontists play an essential role in maintaining proper tooth health and finding a great orthodontist can seem challenging and overwhelming at times. This article detailed just some of the signs of a bad orthodontist. Just like in any medical field, it is also important to look for an orthodontist with proper patient behavior and social skills. Make sure to do your research before selecting your orthodontist and do not feel afraid to switch to a different office or practice if you feel as though your needs are not being met. It is important to double-check any orthodontist’s credentials and inquire about transparency and payment plans before committing to any specific doctor or practice. With a plethora of information available online and through specific orthodonture resources, you are sure to find the right orthodontist for you.
