Choosing where to go for your orthodontic treatment can be a little bit of a mine field, how do you choose an orthodontist? How do you even begin finding a dentist that can offer orthodontic braces near you? in this blog post we’re going to look at a series of questions you could ask an orthodontist and how to go about finding one in the first place.
Finding and orthodontist
1. Ask for recommendations
“I can’t begin to tell you all just how much all your hard work and effort means to me. It was worth every minute and every penny.”
Mrs V. (Watford)
The best way to find many things in life is to ask your friends and family, personal recommendations are one of the best ways to ensure that your service providers are of the highest quality.
If you have friends that have had dental braces then these would make the ideal person to ask. Towards the end of this blog post will also give you a list of questions that you could ask your preferred dentist once you have found them.
2. Search on Google
Modern technology is extremely clever and it is likely that Google will know your geographical location, so searching for something like ‘orthodontist near me’ should return some good results. It is important to remember that just because someone is top of the search results does not mean that their clinical services will be good. Here are a few things to look out for on a dental practice website which would indicate that they are a trustworthy dentist:
- Lookout for patient testimonials and reviews, these tell you how good the service was from this practice, lookout for sites with lots of reviews, ideally recent ones.
- Does the dental practice offer a low risk way of seeing them in the first place, either by a free consultation or perhaps a refund of the initial assessment.
- Is the website regularly updated? Look for a date on the website, this is often at the foot of the page. ‘Last update’ or ‘copyright date’ are a good indicator of how often the site is updated. A frequently updated site indicates a dentist that wants to hand out the most recent and useful information.
- Does the website display registration numbers for all of the dentists? The General Dental Council require all dentists to list their GDC numbers on the website, this gives traceability and ensures you are visiting a registered dentist.
3. Ask your existing dentist
Another way to find a dental practice that can offer orthodontics near you is to ask your existing dentist. General dental practitioners often refer to a specialist orthodontist in the local area, if you ask your general dentist for a referral then they should be able to recommend an orthodontic practice locally to you.
Specialist orthodontists have extensive postgraduate training in orthodontics, they are able to offer more complex treatments which can deal with almost any orthodontic problem.
4. Other online resources for orthodontics
The following places give some good information on your options.
The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry aims to promote clinical excellence in cosmetic dentistry, that is carried out in an ethical, minimally invasive way. They have a list of various treatment options which explains how the treatment works and what it may end up costing.
This is a completely independent website which lists your options sorted by dental problem for example you could view ‘Straighter teeth’ and see all of your options available.
As ever, the Wikipedia community continues to keep this page updated with most of the modern treatments available.
We recommend you take some time to view each of these resources to see which treatment option may be best for you. We would then be privileged to answer any questions personally by way of an initial consultation.
Questions that you could ask before having treatment
Once you have found a dentist you believe may be right you or your child then you will need to book an appointment. Many dentists offer either as free consultation or perhaps a refund of your initial assessment fee. Ensure that you are given adequate time to ask all of the questions you feel appropriate, sitting in a relaxed environment, perhaps over a cup of coffee can help the conversation flow with your dental team member.
A few questions to ask your dentists at that assessment:
- Are you certified?
Each of the differing orthodontic systems such as Invisalign, Inman Aligner or Six Months Smiles have extensive training courses and certification programs. Dentists offering these systems should have certificates clearly displayed. Specialist orthodontists are the only dental professional entitled to use the word specialist, this means they have postgraduate training enabling them to offer a wider range of treatments.
- How long have you been offering orthodontics?
This question also helps you identify the experience of your chosen dental professional.
- How many patients have you treated?
Again, another question to help you identify experience.
- Can I see examples of your work?
A good dentist should have plenty of examples to show you, before and after photographs are a great way to help you understand your treatment. Your dentist may be able to show you photographs of patients treated with clinical situations very similar to your own, this will give you a good understanding of what the possible results maybe.
- How often will you review my progress?
Before you commit to treatment you will want to know how often you may have to visit the dentist, hopefully, you will find a dentist near you to make things as convenient as possible. With orthodontics, you may find that you need to visit the dentist roughly every 4-8 weeks.
Senova Dental Studios are a local dentist in Watford offering clear orthodontics with Invisalign & rapid orthodontics with the Inman Aligner and Six Months Smiles. If you live locally, around Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Bushey or Gerrards Cross and are looking for a dentist near you then please do give us a call.
A graduate of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Dental school, Dr Padayachy has been a dentist at the award winning Senova Dental Studios in Watford since 1998 focusing on comprehensive restorative and cosmetic dentistry.
Jay has previously been the president of The London Dental Fellowship.
He has been a member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry since its inception and serves on the Credentialing committee. Jay has lectured widely on all aspects of cosmetic dentistry, dental photography and comprehensive care.
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