Braces During Dental School.

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NotPennysBoat

NotPennysBoat

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When I was a kid (7th grade-9th grade), I had braces. My teeth were in perfect shape when I got the braces taken off my freshman year of highschool. Like tons of people, I decided that I didn't want to bother with wearing my retainer (even thought it only needed to be popped in at bedtime). As a result, my teeth have shifted some, making my once near-perfect teeth sort of crooked. I know at most dental schools the students get a highly discounted price on dental work.

My question is: How many of you are planning on getting braces (or alread have them on) during dental school?
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i'm planning on it... unfortunately. not too sure about the discount though, unless you have an ortho resident do it.
 
I would like to do it too. But not if it involves extractions. No sir No. No dentist is ever pulling out my Premolars!!!
 
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you should get a discount of about 25-50% what your d-school clinic charges (at least this is the case for ortho at my school). and keep in mind that d school clinic prices are approx 50% the cost of ortho in a private practice. additionally, as a student, we get basically all restorative work por gratis.

two students have braces in my class.
 
I got braces going into third year and wished I had gotten them sooner. At NYU it's a 50% discount so it comes to around 2200 for everything if I remember right?
 
Does your school also take your dental insurance for braces? My dental insurance covers $500 the cost of braces.... so $500 off. So would that be another $500 insurance discount on top of the 25-50% discount? 🙂
Are the braces/skill of the orthos at dental school just as good as braces you would get in the 'real' world or are you basically a guinea pig?
 
ToothBlaster said:
Does your school also take your dental insurance for braces? My dental insurance covers $500 the cost of braces.... so $500 off. So would that be another $500 insurance discount on top of the 25-50% discount? 🙂
Are the braces/skill of the orthos at dental school just as good as braces you would get in the 'real' world or are you basically a guinea pig?
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I'd bet that the quality of care is just as good as that of a practicing orthodontist. I'm sure that, just like being a student in the clinic your 3rd and 4th years, there is a teacher checking up on them at every step to ensure they are doing things right.
 
And thanks for the input to all of you who replied. I've been seriously considering it since I know it wouldn't take a whole lot of time to move my teeth around. The worst part is already over (removal of 5, 12, 21, 28).
 
I'm planning on getting braces when I start school. The financial aid advisor at Louisville said that we get a price sheet during our orientation so I'm going to see how much it costs. I'm still on my Dad's dental insurance and hoping they take that as well. I too had braces in the 5th grade so my teeth have shifted some.

For those of you considering braces are you going with traditional or going to try invisalign or something? I'm thinking traditional for the cost.
 
I heard invisalign does not work as well...
I have straight teeth, but I still have a huge overbite.... can that still be fixed with braces or do I need to extract some teeth or something? I don't want to extract any teeth if that has to be done haha
 
mflinchb said:
I'm planning on getting braces when I start school. The financial aid advisor at Louisville said that we get a price sheet during our orientation so I'm going to see how much it costs. I'm still on my Dad's dental insurance and hoping they take that as well. I too had braces in the 5th grade so my teeth have shifted some.

For those of you considering braces are you going with traditional or going to try invisalign or something? I'm thinking traditional for the cost.
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I'm sure that ortho residents don't get the chance to place them, but I'd really like to have the incognito braces that go on behind your teeth. I think they might be called iBraces. I'd venture to guess that they are pretty time consuming.
 
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a decent number of 3rd and 4th years seems to be walking around with invisalign at my school. I think they partner up and do it on each other for almost free. Something to consider if your teeth aren't that far off as you could save some money and get a valuable experience
 
23-26 are so forward.... I can't bite down properly because there is quite a gap. My smile is perfect save that. I'll probably have braces if/when in Dental school.
 
NotPennysBoat said:
I'm sure that ortho residents don't get the chance to place them, but I'd really like to have the incognito braces that go on behind your teeth. I think they might be called iBraces. I'd venture to guess that they are pretty time consuming.
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Are you serious? Think about how much it bugs your tongue when you first get your retainer placed. I don't even want to think how uncomfortable brackets would be, even after the pain wears off that is a lot of hardware on the lingual side.
 
Lingual brackets are a pain in the butt and limit the treatment.

I had always planned on getting braces (my 2nd round) in dental school but will probably get them soon at the ortho office where I work.
 
ToothBlaster said:
I heard invisalign does not work as well...
I have straight teeth, but I still have a huge overbite.... can that still be fixed with braces or do I need to extract some teeth or something? I don't want to extract any teeth if that has to be done haha
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Either extraction or use of an appliance like a herbst (which will make you look like terminator. )
 
I'm applying to dental schools for the upcoming cycle. After I get accepted, I'm going to get braces. I had them when I was in middle school, but my teeth shifted a little. I probably will get the normal ones for a year or year and a half max. My teeth aren't that crooked, they just are perfect.
 
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FutureDDSDMD12 said:
I'm applying to dental schools for the upcoming cycle. After I get accepted, I'm going to get braces. I had them when I was in middle school, but my teeth shifted a little. I probably will get the normal ones for a year or year and a half max. My teeth aren't that crooked, they just are perfect.
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DrReo said:
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Oops!! Yeah... that last part I wrote did not make sense. I meant to say "my teeth are not that crooked, they just aren't perfect." I figure my teeth should be nice and perfectly straight if I want to work in the field. I have nice teeth but they look "naturally" straight... which I guess is okay. I'm just being picky and want to fix my crossbite.
 
Just a funny story from work at the ortho office:

A patients mother approached after we put the braces on her daughter upset bc the braces were placed "crooked" (relative to the horizontal plane) on the teeth. She didn't think the doctor noticed they were crooked, wanted them to be taken off and placed back on straight.

(if they are placed in a straight line, the teeth will not align)
 
slm266 said:
Just a funny story from work at the ortho office:

A patients mother approached after we put the braces on her daughter upset bc the braces were placed "crooked" (relative to the horizontal plane) on the teeth. She didn't think the doctor noticed they were crooked, wanted them to be taken off and placed back on straight.

(if they are placed in a straight line, the teeth will not align)
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I probably got asked that question once a month, now I just explain that to my patients at the bonding appt.

To the OP if you want to save money just wait until you graduate from dental school. I am sure you will find an orthodontist who will treat you for next to nothing if not completely free if you are going to be able to toss them an occassional ortho patient. I am currently treating atleast a dozen referring dentists, dentists' children, or dental spouses at the moment.
 
No discount at Temple. Think they charge $3700ish. A couple people in my class are getting/have them now. When we applied the students had gotten a discount. They were $900 before!
 
Dental school has definitely made me more conscious of my teeth... I've noticed that the anterior inclination of my lower incisors is producing some periodontal issues, not to mention crowding. I think you really begin to appreciate the value of an "ideal" Class I occlusion once you begin to the learn the aspects of how important that design is.

Will probably start ortho this summer.. Half off🙂
 
cybermech said:
Dental school has definitely made me more conscious of my teeth... I've noticed that the anterior inclination of my lower incisors is producing some periodontal issues, not to mention crowding. I think you really begin to appreciate the value of an "ideal" Class I occlusion once you begin to the learn the aspects of how important that design is.

Will probably start ortho this summer.. Half off🙂
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Just have a classmate take some dual-sided finishing tape to slenderize those lower anteriors 🙂.
 
FutureDDSDMD12 said:
Oops!! Yeah... that last part I wrote did not make sense. I meant to say "my teeth are not that crooked, they just aren't perfect." I figure my teeth should be nice and perfectly straight if I want to work in the field. I have nice teeth but they look "naturally" straight... which I guess is okay. I'm just being picky and want to fix my crossbite.
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What the... you have a crossbite (where?) but you had braces before? That's some hardcore shifting...
 
I've been in ortho since the beginning of D2 in August and had orthognathic surgery over spring break in March. I've had to make some time sacrifices occasionally at school but nothing that's been too bad. I'm being treated in a professor's private practice though. After doing diagnostic casts and mounting them in D1 occlusion, I was pretty convinced I needed to do it.
 
AlcoHulk said:
What the... you have a crossbite (where?) but you had braces before? That's some hardcore shifting...
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It wasn't shifting - it was bad orthodontics. My ortho was about to retire and playing golf had become more important so he would reschedule every other appointment of mine. After 4 years (when it should've only been 2), I was tired of it and demanded that they take them off since my teeth were straight enough. My teeth look straight and nice to the untrained eye, but since I want to go into dentistry I figure they should really be perfect.
 
I had bad orthodontics, I still have a slight overbite (small lower jaw), a few crooked/rotated teeth, and slight incorrect occlusion (maybe class 1?). I was considering getting braces during/at dental school, and I asked my own dentist about it. He was highly against it. He said that my teeth are good (enough) and its not necessary to get braces again, especially in dental school, where the students do not really know what they are doing, and thus my situation might worsen. Especially if they want to extract my teeth or something. He also said I won't have the time to get them since dental school takes so much time and is rigorous. Any thoughts to this? Is it worth getting braces during dental school? Do the orthodontists know what they are doing at dental school? I do not want my situation to worsen or something...
 
I got my braces on last week and start dental school this Aug. I got them at the ortho office where I work now for free, although I had always planned on getting them in dental school. This is my 2nd round of braces (I stopped wearing my retainer when i was 12, my lowers have shifted and I have overjet and overbite.)

The orthodontist who I worked for recommended getting them done at the school at first bc she is about to leave the company. She said not to worry and to have confidence in the ortho residents who are watched over by the faculty orthodontists. When school starts I may try to see if I can transfer my case to the schools ortho program, but if they charge too much I'll just make a trip to my orthodontist every 6-8 weeks.

Ps having braces sucks. To fix my deep bite we placed bite ramps on the lingual surface of my #8,9 so when I bite my 24,25 occlude with the ramps and no where else. Since my posterior teeth are not occluding they will extrude until they meet, opening my bite. Not being able to bite down with my molars stinks bc I can't chew my food completely, but can only mash it up. I'm also getting used to talking with the ramps on, trying to get rid of the lisp that I've developed. I can deal with the sore teeth/raw cheeks, but these ramps suck. They are good at opening the bite though.
 
those ramps dont sound fun at all, hopefully things balance out for you quickly
 
NotPennysBoat said:
When I was a kid (7th grade-9th grade), I had braces. My teeth were in perfect shape when I got the braces taken off my freshman year of highschool. Like tons of people, I decided that I didn't want to bother with wearing my retainer (even thought it only needed to be popped in at bedtime). As a result, my teeth have shifted some, making my once near-perfect teeth sort of crooked. I know at most dental schools the students get a highly discounted price on dental work.

My question is: How many of you are planning on getting braces (or alread have them on) during dental school?
Click to expand...

Lots of students get braces in dental school, I didn't read the above post so I am not sure if this was answered, but students spend thousands of dollars in dental school to get braces. We learn about the "perfect" occlusion and for some reason they need it right then even though they have lived for years with mal occlusion which actually doesn't look bad. If they would wait until they graduated and talked to an orthodontist they would be able to get free ortho. Simply they refer all their patients to the orthodontist and he gives you free braces.
 
NotPennysBoat said:
When I was a kid (7th grade-9th grade), I had braces. My teeth were in perfect shape when I got the braces taken off my freshman year of highschool. Like tons of people, I decided that I didn't want to bother with wearing my retainer (even thought it only needed to be popped in at bedtime). As a result, my teeth have shifted some, making my once near-perfect teeth sort of crooked. I know at most dental schools the students get a highly discounted price on dental work.

My question is: How many of you are planning on getting braces (or alread have them on) during dental school?
Click to expand...

At IUSD, and at many other schools I expect, the cost for braces from a D3 or D4 is at cost or a little more. For an ortho resident to do it is much more expensive, but still cheaper than a gradurtated orthodontist.
 
Doc Smile said:
At IUSD, and at many other schools I expect, the cost for braces from a D3 or D4 is at cost or a little more. For an ortho resident to do it is much more expensive, but still cheaper than a gradurtated orthodontist.
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D3&4's are allowed to take on ortho cases? How does that work when they will often graduate before their pts finish tx? And who looks over their treatment plans? I assume these schools don't have an ortho pgrm?
 
slm266 said:
D3&4's are allowed to take on ortho cases? How does that work when they will often graduate before their pts finish tx? And who looks over their treatment plans? I assume these schools don't have an ortho pgrm?
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We have an ortho program. The D3s and D4s only get student cases and these usually only go to people pursuing a career in ortho and are done under the supervision of an orthodontist/resident. Basically, it is a cheap way for dental students to get braces.
 
I would definitely NOT hesitate to get braces while in dental school if your school has an ortho grad program. The residents are well-supervised by faculty. You will get a well-planned, comprehensive, thorough treatment plan in a dental school, due to the input at case presentation seminars from faculty and other residents. Cases are efficiently transferred between residents as they move on. It does take time, but you will get quality! It is extremely important for you in private practice to have great looking teeth and a perfect occlusion, if possible. How you represent yourself regarding dental health in your practice is essential. I would do it ASAP!
 
Does anyone know the approximate price of getting braces during dental school?
How long does the entire process usually take? And how long does each office visit take?
Will there be enough time to get braces during dental school?
Do they provide twin blocks or herbsts if you have a small lower jaw or something?
Thanks
 
ToothBlaster said:
Does anyone know the approximate price of getting braces during dental school?
How long does the entire process usually take? And how long does each office visit take?
Will there be enough time to get braces during dental school?
Do they provide twin blocks or herbsts if you have a small lower jaw or something?
Thanks
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Discount depends on the school, if you do them with ortho resident vs d3/d4, etc...
The duration of braces depends on
1. Severity of the case (extraction? Appliances needed? )
2. System used
3. patient compliance with elastics
4. Age of patient, etc...

Most traditional cases are around 2 yrs, some systems in about a year

For a smaller mandible if you choose not to have the orthognathic surgery done there are some options to protrude it slightly, but you should just consult with them.

I don't know how long office visits take in dental school, but generally the first couple visits are longer blocks of time to bond the brackets/bands, but once all the hardware is on you have shorter adjustment visits every 4-8 weeks.
 
So is there a good time to get orthodontics done during dental school?
Should I wait for a specific year? First year? Third year?
 
ToothBlaster said:
So is there a good time to get orthodontics done during dental school?
Should I wait for a specific year? First year? Third year?
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I say ASAP if you don't need any restorations. I don't want to be in braces once I'm seeing patients (they make me look really young), although I have the clear braces which aren't as noticeable.
 
Sorry, what is the approximate price if I do the braces with a ortho resident? What about with a D4?
I just want to know ball park....
Also, will dental schools take my cigna health insurance for braces? 🙂
Thanks
 
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i've been in braces since my second year (fall) and been seeing patients since then. it serves as a conversation piece if anything - i've never had anyone say to me "are you sure you're not too young to be a dentist?" i would suggest getting them as soon as possible to try to sure up being done by the time you get out of school.. would you really want to have to come back to school or find another ortho to finish your case?
 
Hey NotPennysBoat, I go to your school. I'm guessing you'll be a new student this fall, so congratulations! The fees for ortho in the undergrad clinic for dental students are ridiculously cheap and since you've had braces before there's a good chance that you could be accepted as a patient in the undergrad clinic. I suggest getting braces your first year or starting them during the summer break between 1st and 2nd because the first few appointments are the longest and you'll have a lot more free time and flexibility your 1st year and very little free time the 2nd year. I have braces right now and although I can't wait to get my braces off, I've had nothing but good experiences in the clinic. If you have any questions please message me.
 
So yeah, I am getting this posted like wayyy late...But I'm getting braces too!
 
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haha; do it!!! i got mine in september and they are about ready to come off. best decision and money WELL spent!
 
I didn't wear my retainer either. My teeth have also shifted slightly. Its not extremely noticeable, it doesn't bother me or how I feel about myself, but I would prefer them to be straight. I don't know If I would go all out braces, or if I would look into something else, or just live with it. Its only #7 and #27 that have slightly turned. I guess it depends on how you feel about them. I'm sure I'll want perfectly straight teeth upon getting accepted to dental school so my mind is subject to change. :laugh:
 
hey guys my upper teeth look perfect but my bottom teeth are not (not so bad tho, just not perfect), they dont show when I smile (my face/jaw/smile only shows my big upper teeth even when I force my smile lol) so I wasnt thinking about braces yet ($$$$)

but I feel that maybe my bottom teeth are not well aligned with the upper teeth, not that bad because many of the teeth are aligned, do you think I can force my bottom teeth with my jaw for some time and it could be good? like keeping them forward with my jaw force? or do I really need to get braces?

sorry if thats a stupid question lol!
 
FlyingSky said:
hey guys my upper teeth look perfect but my bottom teeth are not (not so bad tho, just not perfect), they dont show when I smile (my face/jaw/smile only shows my big upper teeth even when I force my smile lol) so I wasnt thinking about braces yet ($$$$)

but I feel that maybe my bottom teeth are not well aligned with the upper teeth, not that bad because many of the teeth are aligned, do you think I can force my bottom teeth with my jaw for some time and it could be good? like keeping them forward with my jaw force? or do I really need to get braces?

sorry if thats a stupid question lol!
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no one on the internet can tell. get checked out at your school 😉
 
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