It’s never too early to start thinking about your kids’ teeth, and there are plenty of ways to do so. You can take them to the dentist for regular checkups and cleanings, but if you’re looking for long-term treatment or prevention of dental problems, you’ll want to work with a trained orthodontist.
These professionals, like the ones at Supersmilesortho.com, specialize in correcting crooked teeth, misaligned bites, and other oral issues that can affect growing children. Here’s everything you need to know about how to find an orthodontist who’s right for your child.
Location
Your orthodontist’s location is an important factor to consider. If you have to travel long distances to see your child’s orthodontist, this can be a big inconvenience. A good rule of thumb is that it should take no more than 20 minutes for you to get there.
Keep these tips in mind when choosing an affordable location for your children’s orthodontics:
- Consider how far away from home it will be (in terms of time spent driving).
- See what kind of public transportation options there are nearby.
- Consider if it’s in a good school district or college town with low crime rates.
Office Hours
Office hours are important for many reasons. You want to ensure that the orthodontist you choose has office hours that are convenient for you, your child, and your family’s schedule as a whole.
For example, some offices are open during school hours but closed on weekends. This may make sense if your child is a teenager and they need to be able to pick up their braces after school without the hassle of going on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
However, if this isn’t an option for you then it’s best not to choose an orthodontist who offers these kinds of limited hours.
Services Provided
A good edmonton orthodontist will offer a wide range of services, from dental hygiene to educational programs. This is important because it allows the children to have a routine with their dentist and feel comfortable about coming in for checkups or treatment.
There are several ways that an orthodontist can provide this comfort, including:
• Dental hygiene: The teeth should be cleaned daily by brushing and flossing. You should also use fluoride products to help prevent cavities or tooth decay. Visiting your local dentist regularly allows them to monitor any problems so they can be fixed before they become too serious.
• Educational programs: Teaching children how their teeth work (and don’t) is one of the most important things you can do because it helps them understand why they’re at risk of certain diseases (like gum disease). If you know what’s going on inside your mouth then there’s no way anything bad could happen.
• Orthodontic treatment: Braces are used to straighten out crooked teeth so that when everything is done then all the spaces between each tooth line up perfectly together.
Payment Options
The payment options you choose should be discussed before treatment begins. This way, everyone involved in your child’s care will be on the same page when it comes to cost and expectations.
It’s also important to note that while orthodontic coverage is often included in dental insurance plans, some companies don’t cover all aspects of treatment. This can vary widely depending on where you live and work, so it’s a good idea to speak with your employer about their specific policies before making any decisions about which provider or plan best fits your family’s needs.
Is Dental Insurance Accepted
Once you’ve chosen an orthodontist, it’s time to find out if they accept your dental insurance. This is incredibly important because, if they don’t accept your dental insurance, then you’ll have to pay for the treatment yourself.
Check their website and/or call them directly. You can also ask other people who have been there before or whose children are currently going there. Some orthodontists will list whether or not they accept certain insurances on their websites; others won’t be so forthcoming with this information until after you’ve scheduled an appointment with them (which is why parents must ask around).
Many dentists only take payment from patients in cash or cheque. Some may also charge interest on unpaid balances after a certain amount of time has elapsed (such as 6 months). If this happens, then there are still ways for parents who don’t have dental coverage through their employer or government program such as Medicaid.
Affiliation With Your Dentist
If you have a dentist that you trust, it can be helpful to ask them for a referral. If the orthodontist is affiliated with your dentist’s office, then there’s a good chance that their practices are similar and they’ll work together seamlessly.
Are They Friendly With Your Child
It’s important to be able to tell if your child likes the orthodontist. If they aren’t comfortable with them, they’re probably not going to cooperate during appointments or wear their retainers as they should. And while this may seem like a small concern, it can have serious repercussions later on in life.
If you want to know if your children are comfortable with their orthodontist and vice versa, there are several ways you can go about this:
- Ask your kids what they think of the doctor and what their experience has been like so far (e.g., “How did your appointment yesterday go?”). If there were any problems or concerns raised during that visit, address those issues directly so that nothing gets in the way of future progress.
- Observe how well-behaved your child is when visiting an office for appointments or checkups, are there any problems? How does he or she interact with other patients? And how does the doctor react? Do they smile at everyone equally or just give preferential treatment to certain individuals? This will give you an indication of whether things might need adjusting down the road before anything becomes too problematic for everyone involved.
Check On The Facility’s Condition
To know how they maintain or what’s their facility’s condition, check on the following:
- Check the condition of the office.
- Look at how clean the facility is.
- Observe how new and well-maintained their equipment is.
- See if they have a nice waiting room for parents to wait in while their children are getting the treatment done. Remember, this part of your experience may be what you remember most when you leave.
- Go into the bathroom and see if it’s super dirty or really clean.
If there’s anything wrong with any part of this whole process, then it may be time to look elsewhere.
Experience
When looking into orthodontists, you’ll want to consider their experience level. The longer they’ve been practicing and the more patients they have treated in general, the better. The same is true for children’s orthodontists: if they have worked with children for a long time, they’ll likely be able to help your child.
You should also consider how much experience an orthodontist has with your child’s specific condition. Some conditions are very rare, so even though a doctor may be very experienced overall, they may not have treated many people with whatever condition you’re concerned about.
Reputation
You should also check and know their reputation. You can check online reviews on their website or ask your friends and family. If someone you know has had experience with an orthodontist, they’re likely to have some insight into their practices and quality of care.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has collected information on thousands of businesses around the country including doctors’ offices, dentists, and more, including orthodontists. They keep track of complaints against businesses so you can see if there have been any issues reported by customers before deciding which office is right for your family’s needs.
Ask your child’s dentist about their experiences with specific doctors’ offices for children’s treatments such as braces or retainers that require long-term care over several years because these professionals will also be able to give recommendations based on experience too rather than just opinions alone.
Consultation Process/Cost
The consultation process can last about 20-30 minutes. During this time, your orthodontist will discuss your child’s specific needs, the treatment plan, and the timeline for said plan. They may also ask you a few questions about their health history to make sure there aren’t any issues or concerns that need to be addressed before proceeding with treatment.
Your orthodontist will also perform an examination of your child’s teeth and mouth using X-rays and/or digital photos of their smile. These images provide them with a better idea of what needs correction as well as how long it might take to achieve ideal results
Specialties/Special Techniques
Some orthodontists specialize in specific types of orthodontics. For example, some work only with children or adults only. Others are more interested in cosmetic dentistry and want to make you look better while they make your teeth straight.
To find out if your child’s orthodontist has a specialty and what their specialty is, ask them during the first appointment. They should be able to tell you immediately if they have a specialty or not and what techniques they use for treating your child’s teeth.
Be sure that the orthodontist you choose makes you feel comfortable as well as your child. They will be working closely with both of you during treatment so they must have good communication skills and aren’t afraid to explain everything in detail from start to finish.
Conclusion
It’s important to note that all these factors are equally important in assessing the right orthodontist for your child. It’s not just about the experience and reputation of the doctor; location, hours, services, payment options, insurance accepted and affiliation with other providers are equally important factors that should be considered when choosing an orthodontist.