In this edition of Friday Focus, Dr. O, your Irvine Orthodontist from iSmiles Orthodontics, discusses some of the sneaky tricks orthodontists can use to hide fees in braces treatment contracts. “Only $99 DOWN to begin treatment” sounds like a great deal. However, lower starting costs are not always equivalent to lower costs for the total treatment. In this example, you may be signing up for an open-ended contract that can be […]
In this edition of the Friday Focus, Dr. O, your Irvine Orthodontist from iSmiles Orthodontics, discusses the hidden fees within “Staged Braces Treatment Contracts” and why you should avoid them. There’s no doubt, unless you know up front what to look for, contracts can be confusing. Orthodontic practices have many options when it comes to financial contracts for a treatment plan. Some offices take an a la carte approach […]
In this edition of the Friday Focus, Dr. O from iSmiles Orthodontics discusses braces treatment contracts, including what to look out for and how they are developed. iSmiles Orthodontics always welcomes potential patients who set up an appointment for a second or third opinion of a recommended treatment plan. With a copy of a Braces Treatment Contract from another orthodontic practice in hand, they always have a lot of […]
Welcome to Friday Focus. I’m Doctor “O” and today I wanted to let you know about a new, state of the art, impression system we’re going to be adding to our office this year – digital impressions. When impressions of the teeth and mouth were needed in the past to design removable aligners or retainers, orthodontists had no choice but to create molds using hard trays, filled with a […]
Welcome to Friday Focus with Doctor “O”! The orthodontic related question of the week is “Can you eat popsicles with braces?” Yes, you can! While it makes sense that hard foods can crack your teeth, break brackets, erode enamel, and weaken the overall structure of teeth, this isn’t the case with popsicles because they aren’t as hard as other snack options. You just need to use common sense when […]
Have you been considering getting braces for yourself or a loved one? Here’s something you should think about if you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). As we wind down the year and head into the holiday season, a lot of important year end considerations end up being overlooked, including FSAs. If you have an FSA, don’t forget that they can expire, typically at the end of the year. The […]
Orthodontic patients usually have a lot of questions. “Do braces hurt?” is one we get asked a lot. Well, you’ll be happy to know that after braces are placed, most patients only experience mild teeth or gum soreness. The soreness typically lasts about one week and is rarely difficult to deal with. During treatment, some patients find the soreness associated with braces to be uncomfortable, but manageable. When it does […]
Welcome to the Friday Focus. My name is Doctor “O” from iSmiles Orthodontics, Your Irvine Orthodontist and today I’d like to focus on a question we often receive from patients who have recently started treatment. The question is, “Why do orthodontic brackets break?” Generally, we find that broken brackets occur after a patient has eaten something they shouldn’t have eaten – hard, chewy or sticky foods. While it’s inconvenient for […]
