Has Anyone Used a Dental School for Braces?

[jstbcuz]

How do you find out if there is a dental school that does this near you.
I live in KS and my daughter is in need of braces.

 

[MrsPete]

DD will need braces soon. They're waiting for some adult teeth to come in before beginning. Even with insurance, the cost will be quite high.

I was wondering if going to a dental school would be more cost effective? Do dental schools even do braces? The nearest dental school is about 2 hours drive away. It might be worth it for significant savings, but how many visits should we expect to make during a year for braces, adjustments, etc? It would involve time out of school, gas, etc. Just wanted to know if anyone has used a dental school for braces, what the cost and quality is like.

Interesting idea. If I lived near a dental school, I would investigate the possibility. I imagine the students' work is carefully supervised. Do they take insurance?

I'd be leary of the two-hour drive though. You'll be taking her about once a month for several years, so a four-hour round-trip drive will get old -- unless, of course, there's shopping or other things you need/want to do in that area.

Things may have changed, but when I had my braces, setting appointments was always a headache. No parent wants her child to miss school, so my orthodontist had a rule: if you have a morning appointment this month, you must have an afternoon appointment next month -- or vice versa. It was a way of spreading out the more popular afternoon appointments. Anyway, you should ask about appointment policies. What if you end up with an 8:00 AM appointment? Are you okay with leaving the house at 5:30 AM to drive to the orthodontist? If you go to a local doctor, she can probably miss one class period and be back at school; the dental school would probably necessitate a half-day's absence -- again, once a month. What's her school's policy on missing days for doctor's appointments?

Most months her "chair time" will only be 15-30 minutes; however, we all know that some months she may wait an hour to get into the chair! So you could potentially be looking at 5-5.5 hours per month for ortho visits (2 hours to drive, 1 hour to sit, 30 minutes in the chair, 2 hours home).

Do you work? Can you easily miss the time to take her to the orthodontist /schedule around her appointments?

When will she get her license? Would you be okay with her driving to and from the orthodontist herself?

I don't know if I'd do it or not. Too many unanswered questions.

 

[BARBARAAPPLE]

How do you find out if there is a dental school that does this near you.

That is what I have been wondering about
How do you find the dental school in your state ?

 

[MrsPete]

I was on the receiving end of dental school about 33 yrs ago. I hated it. The worst for me was when my Orthodontist graduated and they gave a new one who was a real jerk. When he would adjust me it would hurt more than was necessary (after a couple of year I knew what it should feel like) and the instructors wouldn't listen.

Oh, I didn't think about that: she'd very likely be treated by multiple orthos-in-training during her treatment. That would be disconcerting.

I don't know if my experience was typical or not, but when I had my braces, the orthodontist himself didn't actually DO much. He had a big room with chairs in a big oval, and lots of assistants worked for him. When you got into a chair, he'd come around and look at you, and he'd tell the assistant to adjust this or that way . . . then he'd come around again in 15-20 minutes to see that it was done to his satsifaction. HE himself put the braces on, and HE himself took them off. In between he pretty much just told the women what to do. I'm not knocking his part: he had the education and the know-how to make my teeth straight; he just didn't do it himself.

Well, it's kind of like going to the regular dentist: the dental hygenist does most of the work, and the dentist just comes in for a few minutes to look you over. At least, that's been my experience. I've never had a cavity or anything that actually needed work. Yep, one thing's perfect about me: my teeth. If I had been allowed to choose, I think I would've chosen something else! Something more noticeable, more profitable . . . I mean, good teeth are great, and I'm glad I have them, but they're probably not the greatest gift in the world!

 

[tar heel]

BARBARAAPPLE -- There's a dental school in Chapel Hill at UNC.

I've never had treatment at a dental school but knew several people who did when I lived in Chapel Hill. One of the problems is that everything takes a long time b/c it has to be checked by one or more professors or even other students. Also, they don't just take anyone b/c the students have to have to learn to do everything. If your need is real common, you might not get in b/c the priority right then is for some other kind of problem.

I think it would be really hard to do orthodontic work if you weren't near the school, too.

 

[jstbcuz]

Do all dental schools participate in this program?

 

[thompson princesses]

Many larger universities have dental schools. My daughter goes to the University of Michigan Pediatric Ortho School. We had 3 estimates (all over $4500-) the U of M charged us $2300-for complete treatment including retainer and follow up. Most will take insurance and all income levels. Try calling Universities near you or Google 'em!! ~Barb~

 

[HM]

You need to meet low income requirements or have state medical assistance in order to go to a dental school for any treatment.

The dental school near us doesn't have this requirement. They do look for specific things at times and often turn people away that don't fit thier needs, but once you're in, you are in. One of my coworkers has been going to the dental school for years for all his dental care.

I would certainly have the OP look into it. You never know.

My son just got braces in February (not dental school)....the total cost will be about $4800 of which our insurance paid $1500. My DD will be getting hers about when he gets his off.

The first guy we went to was going to charge $6000. I started asking around about where other people took their kids and used a recommendation for the lady we go to. So definitely do some interviewing of orthodontists before you make a decision.

 

[MEM]

You need to meet low income requirements or have state medical assistance in order to go to a dental school for any treatment.

Not true! At least not in Massachusetts. I work for a senior administrator at one of the three dental schools in Boston. Both DS12 and DD10 are receiving orthodontic therapy - I pay nothing because of my job here but anyone can be seen in our clinics - the cost is lower than in private practice because you have to commit a lot of your time (and your child's) and because you are treated by a postgraduate student. The students are overseen by orthodontists who are board-certified.

 

[Hope73]

We live close to U of Iowa and many in my area do this. At least get a consult. Like one other said they may be the most up to date and are always looked after by a pro

 

[pjlla]

You need to meet low income requirements or have state medical assistance in order to go to a dental school for any treatment.

I didn't read all of the replies, but I don't believe that this is always the case. There is a dental hygiene school nearby here and ANYONE can go and get their teeth cleaned there. Don't know anything about braces.... I suppose it would have to be a school that also taught orthodontics. ...............P

 

[vhoffman]

Hey, thanks for the infor about dental hygiene schools. There's one right down the road from us, part of a community college. I just never thought of going there for cleanings. Even with insurance, seems we always walk away with a larger than expected bill.