In this state, it is legal for general dentists to offer and provide orthodontic treatment to their patients (irrespective of the intensity of their orthodontic education).  So, in my opinion, you should be clear on the differences between the levels of training, experience, and expertise that exist between a general dentist with a special interest in orthodontics and a university trained board eligible or certified orthodontic specialist.  Short answer:   the orthodontic specialist made the commitment of a full time 2 or 3 year postgraduate residency in our specialty, earned a clinical certificate (and a masters degree –credentials:  DDS, MS if they did a research project and thesis).

In comparison, the level of training for a general dentist with a special interest in orthodontics is based on the minimal dental school curriculum exposure to basic orthodontics and the weekend courses they have attended.

The orthodontic specialist has limited his practice to orthodontics alone, whereas the general dentist also provides other services.  In my mind, the compounding of limited specialty practice with a 2 or 3 year post graduate residency experience distills down to a substantial difference in levels of experience and expertise.

Here is another way to look at this.  If you needed a quadruple bypass, who would you choose to do it—an experienced, well-trained cardiac surgeon or the family doctor?

Secondly, follow these guidelines:  

Do not base your decision on price but on value. 

I believe the general erroneous assumption made by the public is that most doctors’ training, philosophy and results should be the same because our profession is regulated by the state.   Remember appearances sometimes can deceive.  And guess what?  In our community, fees don’t deviate all that much!  So the question is:  Do you want to be in a great practice and have a very positive experience for you or your child or do you want to save a few dollars a month?   May I suggest a checklist to help you choose?

If the conditions on the following checklist have been met, congratulations; odds are that you have made a great investment in your oral health.  You have found your new orthodontic home.

Checklist

You have been referred by another patient(s) who had a very positive experience in that office

The doctor can show you similar cases with pleasing results (there are before and after examples on our blog and website)

You feel that there is very good communication and direct and frequent interaction with the doctor

The staff is very friendly and caring

The office is conveniently located and offers office hours throughout the week and runs on time

The office implements contemporary technologies and infection controls

The office helps you maximize your insurance benefits and offers flexible no interest and no down payment options, and cash discounts

Choose the right office based on the above checklist/criteria–do not get bogged down in terminology or types of appliances used.

There are fads in orthodontics, just like in other professions and industries.  Decisions should be based on good diagnosis and treatment planning not on marketing fads, or using the latest, greatest widget.  I frequently see this kind of thing happen when the general dentist gives the patient/parent several referral cards; the patient dutifully gathers multiple diverse opinions and then becomes very confused.  Instead, use my checklist.  It will help, I promise.

Make sure your child is on board and encourage them to cooperate and follow directions to maximize results

I always tell my patients that a great patient and an average orthodontist can often get better results than the reverse.  Meaning, this is all about team work folks!  If you really want to get a great return on your investment, keep your kids on task with doing their part in treatment—compliance is paramount!  Treatment always turns out better and usually moves along faster, if patients keep their appointments, keep the teeth, gums and braces clean, wear their rubber bands consistently, and are careful not to loosen the non-permanent adhesive that attaches the braces to the teeth.

In our office we have many incentives and rewards in place to encourage compliance and responsibility.  However, if you can maintain tandem reward systems at home, the gains are more than doubled!   The side benefit of this is the maturation and personal growth that occurs when patients take responsibility and become active participants in their treatment.

By Dr. Steven Kineret

You can visit his blog here http://drjondds.com/blog/

People are afraid to go to the dentist because they think it could result in unnecessary treatment. It’s a valid concern. My advice:

Ask Questions

The best way to get over fear is to get informed and ask lots of questions. The initial examination is perhaps the most important visit. In our office, we take time to get to know the patient and really listen to them.

See Pictures

I find it very helpful to visually show patients what is going on. With the advent of digital technology, I use a video monitor any areas of concern. This takes away the guessing or doubt of weather or not any treatment is necessary.

Find out Your Options

Hopefully we don’t find anything that needs work but if we do, I give my patients options and one of them is always to do nothing. The majority of dentists have their patients’ best interests at heart. In any profession, there are those that are more concerned with the bottom line. It’s unfortunate that this occurs but I feel that by truly doing what’s best for the patient, by building trust, and by being honest, this fear can be over come.

What should someone do if they feel they could be getting false info/advice from their dentist?

This goes for any field, but do make an attempt to ask more questions about the risk and benefits of the treatment with the doctor or the office staff. The patient ultimately has the final say in doing anything and if it doesn’t feel right, I’d definitely say get a second or even a third opinion. A relationship between a doctor and the patient is a sacred one, especially in dentistry. A trust has to be established and if it isn’t, the patient needs to find a place where they can feel comfortable.

As humans, we tend to want to fix things when they break. How does dental care differ?

Preventative Care is Crucial

Our mouths are a constantly deteriorating environment. An analogy I use is that it’s like a road that gets a lot of high traffic…it eventually wears down. Cracks and potholes develop, making for a very bumpy ride! The same thing happens in our mouths—fillings wear down, they start to leak, bacteria seeps into areas that it shouldn’t go, and teeth start to rot from the inside.

Waiting Too Long Could Means Worse Problems

The main idea with dental care is to fix something before it hurts because when it starts to hurt, it’s usually too late. When it hurts, it usually means there’s something serious going on. We want to prevent that late night emergency when no amount of pain medication helps with the pain of an infected or broken tooth. It’s an extreme visual but it’s very true and it happens more often than it should. Emergency room doctors get a tremendous amount of visits from patients for this reason.

Dental Work Does Not Last Forever

A huge misconception about dental work (fillings, crowns, veneers, root canals) is that they will last forever. Unfortunately they don’t. There’s no product or service in our society that has such a high expectation for success like dental work. On top of that, dental work, such as fillings and crowns, undergo an immense amount of torture every time our teeth come together to chew.

Preventative treatment saves time, money, and pain.

Doing anything in dentistry at an early stage saves people time, money, and helps prevent pain. Often times the pain is even emotional pain; emotional in the sense that when someone loses a tooth, he/she identifies that with getting old or not taking care of themselves. Guilt is ever present of not doing something as well. This happens especially with parents when their child needs multiple fillings or develops that not-so-fun abscess. It’s a great sign when something isn’t hurting. That usually means that it can be fixed simply versus a more complicated procedure—such as when there is a lot of pain or if the tooth is cracked or broken.

About Dr Jon Vongschanphen, DDS, LVIF

As a 2001 graduate from Loma Linda School of Dentistry, Dr. Jon also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from CSU Sacramento and continues to be educated and trained on the latest dental procedures. He is a LVI Dentist (premiere post-doctoral teaching facility) and proudly earned his Fellowship status at the end of 2008 upon successfully completing a rigorous live patient curriculum. Dr. Jon has now been operating a dental practice in the Roseville and Rocklin, California area for over 6 years.

Dr. Jon has been successful in creating a very personable office environment, where patients have designated times to meet with him and are not rushed. He makes sure that patients are very comfortable and know what to expect with each procedure. Living very close to the Roseville / Rocklin area office allows him to be available to anyone with a dental emergency.

When he’s not working, Dr. Jon is spending time with his two beautiful kids and their black lab. He was raised in northern California and enjoys golf, movies, barbeques, exercising, bicycling, and staying up to date with the latest in technology. If you were to ask his family, his friends, or his patients, Dr. Jon is known for his caring nature and true passion for providing the best dental care possible.

Beautiful Smiles Make Confident Kids!

Kids with crooked teeth or misaligned jaws suffer from more than dental problems. They often become self-conscious about their appearance and even smile less often.

Dr.Kineret and his friendly staff specialize in helping kids improve their health and appearance – and even boosting their self esteem!

Often, treatment begins around age 9, when some of the permanent teeth have begun to emerge. This allows for easier more comfortable treatment, and longer-lasting results.

We Give Kids Reasons To Smile At Every Visit!

Our kid-friendly office has all the amenities that make kids more comfortable and more likely to get the most out of orthodontic treatment.

Sometimes it’s tough to get our younger patients to understand the importance of things like oral hygiene and regular use of orthodontic elastics. That’s why we offer special incentive programs to reward kids for keeping their teeth clean, keeping their appointments, wearing their rubber bands, and avoiding foods that damage their braces.

We’re dedicated to making orthodontics a really fun, educational, positive experience for you and your child. We encourage parents to participate in their kids’ appointments, because learning about their treatment is a great way to help them get the most out of their orthodontic treatment.
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• Monthly drawing for prizes like iPODs, shopping sprees and video game systems.
• Nintendo games
• Mini appliances for greater comfort
• Gold and silver braces
• Clear braces – less noticeable and ideal for teens who are self-conscious.
• Colored bands – the biggest selection of vibrant color choices in Placer County.
• Invisible retainers

You have several choices when it comes to your braces, but there are some factors that can determine which treatment can be applied to your particular case:

• The severity of your bite or tooth crookedness problems
• If extractions are needed
• If jaw surgery is needed
• If head gear or other special appliances are necessary
• The amount of time you will need to wear braces
• How much you are willing to pay
• How long you will have braces to correct your problems
• The preferences of your orthodontist

For your convenience we have complied a list of pros and cons for clear and metal braces to help educate you:

METAL BRACES:
Metal brackets tend to be the least expensive of all the types of braces.	They are more visible than ceramic clear braces
They tend to take the least amount of time among all the types of braces.	They tend to be a bit less comfortable at first, (but that feeling wears off after a couple of weeks).
They are strong and rarely break.	When you have a canker sore, they tend to irritate your gums more than ceramic brackets.
Shorter treatment time with less pain.
Self-ligating brackets do not contain rubber ligatures (bands), so staining will never be a problem.
You can choose a darker ligature, which will not show smoking or black coffee stains.
CLEAR BRACES:
They blend nicely in with most teeth, especially if they are not perfectly white. They are not very noticeable at a distance or in photographs.	The clear or white ligatures or “bands” can stain, cause your braces to look shades or yellow or pink. The good new is that the bands are replaced which each visit so you don’t live with the problem long.
Some people feel that they are more comfortable than metal braces and irritate your gums less.	Ceramic brackets are usually more expensive than traditional metal brackets.
Ceramic brackets do not usually break or come off your teeth. They are strong and stay on like metal braces.	Treatment can take a several months longer.
	They are a bit larger than metal braces.
	Under severe cases, your orthodontist cannot use ceramic brackets because they may not be strong enough to withstand the forces of some types of treatments.