Questions to Ask an Orthodontist in South Africa

If you are seeking out an Orthodontist in South Africa for an Orthodontic treatment plan, you should perform your fair share of research beforehand to make sure that you hire the right orthodontist for you. The primary goal of visiting the Cape Town orthodontist is to get proper treatment for your teeth, but you want your treatment to go by comfortably as well, so that you can have a good experience and get excellent results.

Let's say that you have put together a list of all of the Orthodontists in Cape Town, and now you have narrowed down that list considerably to a select few. You should schedule an appointment with each of these orthodontists, and then ask them some of these specific questions before making your final decision as to which one you want to go with:

1. Education

• You'll want to ask the orthodontist Cape Town what post-dental school program they graduated from. For an orthodontist to be considered a specialist, they have to have had a minimum of eight years of education, three years minimum of which must have been spent at a full time orthodontic graduate program, and the remaining years from a dental school.

2. Cost

• Going to the orthodontist is never a cheap try, so the overall cost must be a prime concern of yours. Most orthodontists offer a flat fee for the entire treatment, and you should get an estimate or a quote for this fee during your visit. You'll also want to ask if there are any hidden costs that you will be charged.

3. Treatment

• Ask questions about the treatment, and examine the professionalism and the clarity of their responses. Some questions you can ask include anything that you'll have to do to change your brushing or flossing habits during the treatment, how you can get food out of your braces, how you can brush your teeth without hurting your braces, and the length of the treatment.
• Most orthodontic treatments last anywhere from six months to one year at the most. Chances are that your orthodontist will not be able to give you an exact figure on the length of the treatment, so don't consider them unprofessional if they can't give you an exact number. As a basic reference figure, adult braces treatments can last over two years, while children should last around one to two years.

4. Alternative Treatments

• It also doesn't hurt to ask if there are any alternative treatment plans that you can embark on. Braces hurt and they can be embarrassing, despite their effectiveness at straightening teeth. You can see if all you need are retainers or invisible braces to straighten your teeth.