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The thing that bothers me is things like this: "the American Association of Orthodontists, a trade group, warned consumers against moving teeth without an init

The thing that bothers me is things like this: "the American Association of Orthodontists, a trade group, warned consumers against moving teeth without an initial exam and continuing supervision by an orthodontist. “Our concern is that patients who don’t see an orthodontist for regular checkups and/or for a complete diagnosis are more likely to be harmed,” said Dr. Rolf Behrents, a spokesman for the association" Everyone knows that visiting a dentist is better than not visiting a dentist. Same thing for doctors. Industry groups insisting that people visit health professionals seem oblivious to the reasons that people don't (or haven't) visited the professionals: cost. If someone doesn't have complete dental coverage and must front the cost out of pocket, the 6k for braces can be catastrophic. Thank goodness there are cheaper alternatives. Even if they aren't a complete solution (can't twist teeth, or whatever) the fact that some people can get their problems fixed without going deep into debt is a good thing.

radiorental 12y ago
I have better than average dental coverage and a pretty good dentist. The crowding in my lower front is starting to cause problems. Even with coverage, Invisalign would be 4-5K out of pocket. Faced with that or putting the money in my 401 or 529 - cheerio offending tooth when the time comes, it's been a pleasure chewing with you. I didn't know about the mail order option. Definitely going to look in to it. As an aside. Overbite, and hence one of the main reasons for lower crowding, only came about once we invented cutlery. Humans up to the middle ages ripped meat with their teeth. The wear & tear kept lengths in check and edge-to-edge. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/how-forks-gave-us-overbites-and-pots-saved-the-toothless/267252/ http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/how-forks-... Edit: I applied to one of the companies mentioned in the article. Background. My dentist had suggested that Invisalign could rectify my issue. This particular company took my credit card details, then asked me to submit photos of my teeth (great design, otherwise I may have not gone through with the laborious process). After inspection of the images they advised me to talk to my dentist and canceled the charge to my card. I knew it was a longshot and would have gone ahead. I'm impressed this particular service turned down the business when my dentist was willing to roll the dice.
- lern_too_spel 12y ago
  South Asians also have overbite, even in regions where people still eat with their hands. The thesis of the article in The Atlantic seems preposterous.
  - radiorental 12y ago
    Without delving too deep in to race differences, I think you're comparing apples to oranges. The research behind the article is based on analysis of western skulls/teeth.
  - krakensden 12y ago
    > Previously, when eating something chewy such as meat, crusty bread or hard cheese, it would have been clamped between the jaws, then sliced with a knife or ripped with a hand -- a style of eating Professor Brace has called "stuff-and-cut." Does not seem applicable to the South Asian food I'm familiar with.
- jonah 12y ago
  I'd probably add cleanliness of food. A little sand in your lettuce and gravel in your bread will wear on your teeth.
  - radiorental 12y ago
    At the molar end of things, maybe. I think the argument is that the bottom teeth were constantly being pulled forward and worn on the top.
pkaye 12y ago
I don't think many dental coverage plans cover orthodontics for adults and the cost can be significant.
- radiorental 12y ago
  I don't disagree with you. The downside, as so often is the case with the US healthcare system, is that this would prevent problems the insurance agencies will end up paying for when I need the tooth removed.
Sir_Substance 12y ago
The other reason people don't see these professionals is time, and under the Australian medicare system at least, there's a problematic time/cost tradeoff system. My last visit to a doctor went like something like this (it's been a while, excuse any slight irregularities): 1. Take a day off at your own expense to see the doctor 2. Submit a claim to medicare 3. Get called into medicare office because my medicare card has expired (???). Medicare is only open 9:30-4:30 weekdays 4. Take a day off to see Medicare and get issued a new card with exactly the same number on it. 5. Resubmit claim 6. Receive a cheque in the mail several weeks later addressed to the doctor, along with instructions to give it to the doctor before tomorrow 7. Have to take a day off to get it to the doctor because the post won't be that fast. Three days of lost time and money, it would have been cheaper not to claim the value of the consult. I don't see doctors often.
- nilkn 12y ago
  I went significantly out of my way to find a dentist in my city who accepted my insurance and worked on Saturdays. I finally found one and have gotten a lot of important dental work done since then without having to take any time off work. The sad thing is that if I hadn't found this dentist I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten the work done. My teeth were in bad shape and needed two crowns (two visits each), two fillings, and I ended up getting four veneers as well (totaling three visits). All that said, I'm extremely skeptical of the approach outlined in the article. It's going to work safely for the majority of patients and probably cause serious harm in a minority where the lack of one-on-one consultation causes significant dental issues to be overlooked (such as periodontal disease). We need more dentists and orthodontists in general to keep costs down, and in particular we need more who practice when patients are most readily available to see them (i.e., not when their patients are themselves at work), but we don't need DIY kits.
- TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
  The last time I saw a doctor -late last year- the payment was processed at the counter on the way out and I received payment from Medicare in to my bank account two todays later. Check out my.gov.au and get digital with government services.

radiorental 12y ago

I have better than average dental coverage and a pretty good dentist. The crowding in my lower front is starting to cause problems. Even with coverage, Invisalign would be 4-5K out of pocket. Faced with that or putting the money in my 401 or 529 - cheerio offending tooth when the time comes, it's been a pleasure chewing with you. I didn't know about the mail order option. Definitely going to look in to it. As an aside. Overbite, and hence one of the main reasons for lower crowding, only came about once we invented cutlery. Humans up to the middle ages ripped meat with their teeth. The wear & tear kept lengths in check and edge-to-edge. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/how-forks-gave-us-overbites-and-pots-saved-the-toothless/267252/ http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/how-forks-... Edit: I applied to one of the companies mentioned in the article. Background. My dentist had suggested that Invisalign could rectify my issue. This particular company took my credit card details, then asked me to submit photos of my teeth (great design, otherwise I may have not gone through with the laborious process). After inspection of the images they advised me to talk to my dentist and canceled the charge to my card. I knew it was a longshot and would have gone ahead. I'm impressed this particular service turned down the business when my dentist was willing to roll the dice.

lern_too_spel 12y ago
South Asians also have overbite, even in regions where people still eat with their hands. The thesis of the article in The Atlantic seems preposterous.
- radiorental 12y ago
  Without delving too deep in to race differences, I think you're comparing apples to oranges. The research behind the article is based on analysis of western skulls/teeth.
- krakensden 12y ago
  > Previously, when eating something chewy such as meat, crusty bread or hard cheese, it would have been clamped between the jaws, then sliced with a knife or ripped with a hand -- a style of eating Professor Brace has called "stuff-and-cut." Does not seem applicable to the South Asian food I'm familiar with.
jonah 12y ago
I'd probably add cleanliness of food. A little sand in your lettuce and gravel in your bread will wear on your teeth.
- radiorental 12y ago
  At the molar end of things, maybe. I think the argument is that the bottom teeth were constantly being pulled forward and worn on the top.

pkaye 12y ago

I don't think many dental coverage plans cover orthodontics for adults and the cost can be significant.

radiorental 12y ago
I don't disagree with you. The downside, as so often is the case with the US healthcare system, is that this would prevent problems the insurance agencies will end up paying for when I need the tooth removed.

Sir_Substance 12y ago

The other reason people don't see these professionals is time, and under the Australian medicare system at least, there's a problematic time/cost tradeoff system. My last visit to a doctor went like something like this (it's been a while, excuse any slight irregularities): 1. Take a day off at your own expense to see the doctor 2. Submit a claim to medicare 3. Get called into medicare office because my medicare card has expired (???). Medicare is only open 9:30-4:30 weekdays 4. Take a day off to see Medicare and get issued a new card with exactly the same number on it. 5. Resubmit claim 6. Receive a cheque in the mail several weeks later addressed to the doctor, along with instructions to give it to the doctor before tomorrow 7. Have to take a day off to get it to the doctor because the post won't be that fast. Three days of lost time and money, it would have been cheaper not to claim the value of the consult. I don't see doctors often.

nilkn 12y ago
I went significantly out of my way to find a dentist in my city who accepted my insurance and worked on Saturdays. I finally found one and have gotten a lot of important dental work done since then without having to take any time off work. The sad thing is that if I hadn't found this dentist I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten the work done. My teeth were in bad shape and needed two crowns (two visits each), two fillings, and I ended up getting four veneers as well (totaling three visits). All that said, I'm extremely skeptical of the approach outlined in the article. It's going to work safely for the majority of patients and probably cause serious harm in a minority where the lack of one-on-one consultation causes significant dental issues to be overlooked (such as periodontal disease). We need more dentists and orthodontists in general to keep costs down, and in particular we need more who practice when patients are most readily available to see them (i.e., not when their patients are themselves at work), but we don't need DIY kits.
TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
The last time I saw a doctor -late last year- the payment was processed at the counter on the way out and I received payment from Medicare in to my bank account two todays later. Check out my.gov.au and get digital with government services.