At what points does it make sense for the patient to pay attention at the first consultation of the orthodontist and also before and after the diagnosing?
A highly professional orthodontist with extensive experience at the first consultation rarely calls for very fast orthodontic treatment periods, such as 1 year. He always talks about real deadlines, for example, that the whole process can take 2 years.
Before a patient is diagnosed, the treatment plan is never immediately announced, the orthodontist can talk approximately about what will happen, based on similar clinical cases from his practice. It is absolutely normal if the orthodontist at the first consultation does not tell everything completely and in detail, usually the doctors at the first consultations do not talk about unconfirmed diagnostic actions. For example, the need to remove teeth.
If the patient tells the orthodontist about one uneven tooth, then the professional will never make a treatment plan for only one tooth, but will tell in a complex about the situation and other possible problems. Many of them may not be directly visible to the patient — for example, bite problems or gingival problems. Modern orthodontists only for an integrated approach and collaboration with related specialists (therapists, orthopedists and others). Dentistry has already reached the level where it is important to “make” not just even teeth, but to ensure the health and beauty of the oral cavity. A good doctor will always first of all offer his patient not only aesthetics for several years, but a healthy and beautiful smile for many years. To accept or not to take such an approach is the personal choice of each patient.
A good orthodontist must be proficient in various bracket-system techniques, and he must take into account not only the information offered by national education and lecturers. A modern orthodontist is a doctor who also learns from foreign lecturers, is constantly engaged in self-improvement, attends seminars and trainings. If we talk about technology in orthodontics, then an orthodontist of a level above the average must analyze 3D images (CBCT), be well versed in the analysis of TRGs, and do it only in digital form - calculate TRGs not on tracing paper, as they did before, but in a special program.
And it is desirable to use modern digital orthodontic technology and individual braces. If the orthodontist uses an individualized Insignia system, then most likely it is a progressive orthodontist. Such preferences of the doctor should not be confused with the usual addiction to gadgets - this is completely different. Orthodontists use digital Insignia technology to shorten treatment times. Not just because it is fashionable braces and brand, but because it is a completely different level and timing of treatment for the patient.
What is very important for choosing an orthodontist? If a patient asks questions, an experienced orthodontist never leaves the answer, but always answers them. They may not always be specific to your case, but it is important that he answer the questions clearly and clearly explain to the process of orthodontic treatment in general.
Quote: An orthodontist can convincingly tell, but at the same time be not the best specialist. I recommend patients to look at the approach to work and to order. If a doctor consistently and systematically presents, without jumping from topic to topic, this means that he has order in his work. This is an indirect feature that is very important for orthodontic treatment.
Mikhail Morozov, The Head of the Orthodontic Department of the Clinic Konfidencia.
What is the correct test question to check an orthodontist?
Look at the presence of his completed clinical cases of treatment on braces and aligners. Be sure to ask to demonstrate a case with a similar diagnosis and ideally on the same braces - vestibular or lingual, self-ligating or ligature, metal or aesthetic sapphire / ceramic - those that you choose. If the orthodontist cannot show you the real completed case, but simply indicates that he has already performed such treatment with braces, then he is most likely a newcomer to orthodontics. Of course, any doctor has a large flow of patients, and from this he can find 10 normally cured patients out of 1000, creating an erroneous opinion of himself that he can be treated well. But if this question has caused some fluctuations in the doctor, then this is not a very good sign.
If you think that an orthodontist is very experienced in 40 years, to be honest, it is absolutely unknown. In modern orthodontics, age is no longer emphasized, because modern orthodontics are orthodontics of the generation of millennials or slightly older — from 25 to 40 years. The reason for this is that earlier education took place at another time in the conditions of a lack of information, and not everyone was ready to constantly improve their knowledge. Now, orthodontics is based on scientific data, information has become much more, more private education and seminars have appeared, where doctors of the age above the average rarely go, and younger doctors have become accustomed to regularly study, it is important for them to try and know the latest technologies.
At the first consultation without diagnostic data, the orthodontist never offers more than two treatment plans. Other options it can offer only after a full diagnosis. For example, options with or without removal. They are not fully described by the physician in order not to promise the patient in advance a result that may not be applicable to a specific clinical case.
After a complete diagnosis, the orthodontist can offer you up to three treatment plans on braces, each of which will take into account their pros and cons, the wishes and possibilities of the patient. Weighing all the options and making the final decision is always only the patient. An orthodontist never imposes an orthodontic treatment plan, because the patient must make a conscious choice in favor of treatment on a bracket system based on all the information provided to him.
An unequivocal opinion is good enough. The doctor assumes 100% responsibility for the orthodontic treatment of the patient and is fully confident in the diagnosis and treatment plan. In case of complete trust and understanding with the orthodontist, you can relax and simply trust the doctor. But make sure that you have thoroughly discussed all aspects of the process and the planned result, so that later you will not have surprises during the course of treatment.
In the Clinic Konfidencia, the criterion for the professionalism of an orthodontist, among other things, is the ability to speak to the patient in the language of the patient. A competent and experienced orthodontist is not one who speaks the same terms, showing his knowledge, but one who can understand what the problem of the patient and in accessible language is to clearly and in detail tell the patient what is happening to him.
When I come across an unfamiliar sphere for me, but they still speak their professional language, I don’t feel like communicating with the pros, because they cannot clearly translate the information into a language I can understand.
Mikhail Morozov, The Head of the orthodontic department of the clinic Konfidencia.
One of the main points for assessing the level of the orthodontist is the ability to solve the patient's problem, because if the doctor performed the treatment flawlessly but did not solve the basic need, then the patient would be dissatisfied and disappointed. It is important for an orthodontist to be able to hear the patient’s opinions and desires and to find a compromise in treatment. We recommend building a treatment plan for the main query or patient need. And the patient needs to tell as much as possible about how he sees his smile.
An experienced orthodontist himself reveals the needs of the patient, asking the right questions correctly, because patients usually explain their requests, limiting themselves to the phrase “I have uneven teeth”. An orthodontist himself must pay attention to all aspects and ask clarifying questions.
For example, if a patient says that his “tooth is unevenly growing,” then a good orthodontist will explain that there is also a middle line offset and will know if the patient is worried. Depending on the answer, the orthodontist decides: if the problem is non-critical and local, without the patient's high demands on aesthetics, the doctor can only offer to solve it and will not impose a complex and lengthy treatment plan. As a result, the patient receives a reasonable and balanced proposal both from his and from the medical point of view.
An orthodontist, as a smile specialist, must be a perfectionist with a sense of beauty. If the patient has an average aesthetic result for a short time and with treatment on an inexpensive bracket system, and he speaks openly about this to his orthodontist, then a good specialist will not impose a treatment stretched for 5 years to create a canonical smile, and will try to give a result higher than expected. , but take into account the requests of the patient. In our practice, we also worked with patients who were consciously ready for orthognathic operations and a complete transformation not only of a smile, but of the entire face and profile over several years. The main thing is to realize the desired result and be in understanding with your orthodontist.
