Choosing the best orthodontist in your area is all about asking the right questions. For instance, how far is the orthodontist from your home?
Do they accept your insurance? Can they perform the procedures you need? What do their previous patients say about them?
Likewise, find out if the office staff is friendly and if it’s easy to book an appointment. You should also check whether they accept child patients or adults only.
Through this research, you’ll easily narrow down your options to find the perfect orthodontist for your needs. To help you out, we’ve written this checklist of questions to ask when choosing a local orthodontist.
Read this guide to learn what you need to know.
1. What Do Online Reviews Say?
The first thing you should do is conduct an online search so you can get a full list of your options. While you’re at it, take note of each orthodontist’s user rating. This way, you can quickly eliminate any who are poorly rated.
Next, click on the user ratings and actually read some of the reviews left by previous patients. You want to look for compliments or complaints that are repeated often. These repeated reviews are usually the most trustworthy.
2. Is This Orthodontist in Your Insurance Network?
Now, you need to find an orthodontist who is within your insurance network. You might be able to obtain a list of in-network orthodontists from your insurance provider. Then, you can cross-reference this list with the list you collected in the previous step.
If your insurance can’t give you this information, you’ll have to collect it yourself. Call your preferred orthodontists from your list and ask if they take your insurance.
3. What Are Your Out-of-Pocket Costs?
However, you also need to know which orthodontic procedures, if any, are covered by your dental insurance. Depending on the procedure you need, you might have to pay out-of-pocket no matter who you see.
Call your insurance company to find out more about this. If your orthodontic coverage is lacking, you should probably increase your insurance coverage.
Otherwise, you’ll have to compare the out-of-pocket pricing of various orthodontists. Keep in mind, though, that out-of-network orthodontic care can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
4. Is It Difficult to Make an Appointment?
Next, call one of your preferred orthodontists and try to make an appointment. You may find that they can’t fit you in for several months. If this is so, choose someone else.
Think of it this way. In the future, you may have an urgent need for orthodontic surgery. Waiting several months before you can visit the orthodontist could worsen your already painful symptoms.
Prevent this suffering by choosing an orthodontist with a more open schedule. Specifically, you should be able to make an appointment within 2 or 3 weeks.
5. Is the Staff Friendly or Unpleasant?
A lot of patients have a phobia of orthodontic/dental care. Even if this doesn’t apply to you, many orthodontic procedures cause some level of pain and discomfort. Grumpy receptionists and rude orthodontists will add even more stress to the experience.
Besides, there’s no reason to let doctors treat you this way. When you call to make an appointment, check how friendly and welcoming the staff is.
6. Where Are They Located?
As mentioned, you could be experiencing painful symptoms on the way to the orthodontist. You may also experience post-surgery pain after the procedure.
As such, it’s crucial that you choose an orthodontist who is very close to your home. Imagine driving through an hour of traffic with an excruciating toothache.
Even worse, post-surgery pain medications impair your ability to drive. If you must drive yourself home after your orthodontic surgery, you must do so without medication. You’ll have to endure the pain until you arrive at your home.
7. Can They Perform the Dental Care Treatment You Need?
You should always do some research about your dental health condition before you visit an orthodontist. Namely, it’s important to know all the treatment options that are available to you.
You see, your orthodontist may only tell you about the procedures they themselves can perform. But there could be other solutions that they aren’t equipped to administer.
By doing your own research beforehand, you can decide which options seem best to you. Then, call and ask if the orthodontist is able to perform these procedures.
8. Do They Treat Children and Adults?
As skilled as your orthodontist is when treating you, treating children might be outside their area of expertise. Or, they may not have the supplies, equipment, or temperament necessary for treating children. To understand this better, click here for adult orthodontics information, specifically how it differs from pediatric orthodontics.
The point is that you may have to go through steps 1-7 all over again if your child ever needs orthodontic care. Or, you can save yourself the trouble by choosing an orthodontist who treats both children and adults.
When researching this, take note of how “kid-friendly” their office is. As per tip number 5, your child’s treatment environment shouldn’t add to their stress.
Use This Checklist to Find the Best Orthodontist
As you can see, finding the best orthodontist is actually quite easy. Just make sure you don’t forget any of these questions when making your choice. To that point, keep this page bookmarked for future reference.
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