PARENTS AND THEIR RESOURCES
Parents: Educate yourself! as early in the process as possible
The ultimate lesson, as with most things, is, if something is really important to you, make yourself an expert. You can delve into the finer aspects of orthodontia, but I think just a simple basic knowledge of the problems, the resources, and what kind of outcomes you could reasonably expect, can help you along. You might think that you are paying for a specialist to take care of things, but by being informed and asking questions you can better assure yourself that the specialist indeed is a specialist; and you can at least have a clue trying to judge if you are dealing with someone you want to let loose on you child's teeth, spending years and thousands of dollars. Don't wait for things to get to the point where you are handed a referral for extraction. If you start getting a sense that things are not heading in the right direction, get a second opinion.
The ultimate lesson, as with most things, is, if something is really important to you, make yourself an expert. You can delve into the finer aspects of orthodontia, but I think just a simple basic knowledge of the problems, the resources, and what kind of outcomes you could reasonably expect, can help you along. You might think that you are paying for a specialist to take care of things, but by being informed and asking questions you can better assure yourself that the specialist indeed is a specialist; and you can at least have a clue trying to judge if you are dealing with someone you want to let loose on you child's teeth, spending years and thousands of dollars. Don't wait for things to get to the point where you are handed a referral for extraction. If you start getting a sense that things are not heading in the right direction, get a second opinion.
The internet and the world of experts
Also, other people at the cutting-edge of treatment and research around the world are very accessible and not only shows an academic interest, but a personal interest and concern for the individual patient. Some articles that I couldn't access in full, have been sent to me, and my questions have been answered by Dr. Heithersay in Australia, Dr Al-Batayneh in Jordan and Dr. Araújo in Brazil.
I don't see why an interested professional can't do what I, a worried mom did, contact the necessary specialists when dealing with an unusual case.
Also, other people at the cutting-edge of treatment and research around the world are very accessible and not only shows an academic interest, but a personal interest and concern for the individual patient. Some articles that I couldn't access in full, have been sent to me, and my questions have been answered by Dr. Heithersay in Australia, Dr Al-Batayneh in Jordan and Dr. Araújo in Brazil.
I don't see why an interested professional can't do what I, a worried mom did, contact the necessary specialists when dealing with an unusual case.
The passionate and compassionate orthodontist, endodontist, dentist...
We live in the world of the Internet (I guess you are old, if you still marvel, like I do, about it) and you have infinite resources at the click of a mouse. There is information and second opinions to be found out there!
The world of orthodontia is pretty small, and it can be hard to go around locally for a second opinion, when everybody know each other and are reluctant to criticize a colleague's work. However, you have the world available to you. Ideally, if your orthodontist is stumped, he/she should disregard ego and go looking for advice from the experts, if not, I've found, you can do it yourself. As in any line of work there are professionals who stand out with their expertise, who are passionate about their work, and on top of it, feels good about sharing. They are interested in problem solving, want to spread knowledge and advance science, and have empathy enough to help and give advice to people in need, even if they are not patients.
I found Dr. Adrian Becker (http://www.dr-adrianbecker.com), whom I mention throughout this website. He invites questions from parents, patients and dental professionals alike. He is extremely clear in his recommendations, and you can tell he is an excellent teacher, knowledgeable kind and patient. He was more engaged and replied faster from Jerusalem to emails than my son's local UCSF orthodontists.
Now and then you find gems of information. I found this website http://www.sylvainchamberland.com/ by
Dr. Sylvain Chamberland in Quebec, Canada. He also answers parent/ patient questions and his website contains detailed information on impacted canines that is not dumbed down and where you can learn facts and benefit from his excellent photos showing the progress of treatment. (Also a thumbs-up for his photos of teenagers smiling together with their parents. Orthodontia takes a heavy toll on parents pocket books as well as peace of mind).
If you find interesting research, or experts on a special subject, you can try contacting them with an email.
The passionate & compassionate ones will respond.
By the way, you can tell something from looking at different office websites. If you put Dr. Chamberland's
as a 10/10, you can find varying degrees of substance. Lots do not mention impacted canines specifically, and other's use stock quotes and info that is quite superficial.
I borrowed a you tube video from Dr. Sean Carlson (see my CBCT page), www.carlsonorthodontics.com. where he explains the advantage of having your own CBCT. (Unfortunately, he did not reply to my email when I went looking for an orthodontist after UCSF).
We live in the world of the Internet (I guess you are old, if you still marvel, like I do, about it) and you have infinite resources at the click of a mouse. There is information and second opinions to be found out there!
The world of orthodontia is pretty small, and it can be hard to go around locally for a second opinion, when everybody know each other and are reluctant to criticize a colleague's work. However, you have the world available to you. Ideally, if your orthodontist is stumped, he/she should disregard ego and go looking for advice from the experts, if not, I've found, you can do it yourself. As in any line of work there are professionals who stand out with their expertise, who are passionate about their work, and on top of it, feels good about sharing. They are interested in problem solving, want to spread knowledge and advance science, and have empathy enough to help and give advice to people in need, even if they are not patients.
I found Dr. Adrian Becker (http://www.dr-adrianbecker.com), whom I mention throughout this website. He invites questions from parents, patients and dental professionals alike. He is extremely clear in his recommendations, and you can tell he is an excellent teacher, knowledgeable kind and patient. He was more engaged and replied faster from Jerusalem to emails than my son's local UCSF orthodontists.
Now and then you find gems of information. I found this website http://www.sylvainchamberland.com/ by
Dr. Sylvain Chamberland in Quebec, Canada. He also answers parent/ patient questions and his website contains detailed information on impacted canines that is not dumbed down and where you can learn facts and benefit from his excellent photos showing the progress of treatment. (Also a thumbs-up for his photos of teenagers smiling together with their parents. Orthodontia takes a heavy toll on parents pocket books as well as peace of mind).
If you find interesting research, or experts on a special subject, you can try contacting them with an email.
The passionate & compassionate ones will respond.
By the way, you can tell something from looking at different office websites. If you put Dr. Chamberland's
as a 10/10, you can find varying degrees of substance. Lots do not mention impacted canines specifically, and other's use stock quotes and info that is quite superficial.
I borrowed a you tube video from Dr. Sean Carlson (see my CBCT page), www.carlsonorthodontics.com. where he explains the advantage of having your own CBCT. (Unfortunately, he did not reply to my email when I went looking for an orthodontist after UCSF).