Testimonials
What Parents Say About Ziman Orthodontics After First Going Elsewhere:
Our dental office referred our 2 children for orthodontic check-ups at the age of 10 and 12 yrs old. We were informed that the 12 yr old needed extensive orthodontic work but the 10 yr old could wait a year. Of course we were concerned and proceeded to engage in an extensive orthodontic plan. I did inform the orthodontist at the time that the 12 year old was under the care of a pediatric endocrinologist for growth issues and had a bone age of an 11 yr old. The orthodontist proceeded to put braces and a MARA on his teeth. Within months we were instructed to have 10 teeth removed so that the permanent teeth could have room to come in. I thought at the time that 10 teeth at once was pretty horrendous but we proceeded to have the oral surgeon remove those "baby teeth". Unfortunately between the MARA and having no teeth the ability to chew was obviously greatly diminished and we had a problem with meal time. After many months of suffering through the inability to eat and a few other experiences of mismanagement I decided this was not a good place for our child. Each time he was in the office for care he was seeing a different person not his orthodontist of origin. I made an appointment, at my child's request, to discuss the care. He had looked at the photos of his mouth and avowed that this was not his record. We went in to see the orthodontist and at that time when I mentioned that he could not eat she asked why he had 10 teeth removed. When I stated that she had ordered it she denied this and said it was not part of her management plan. She went to talk to the other orthodontist and came back apologetically stating that this was a mistake. I proceeded to have the MARA removed and found another orthodontist. We did some research and went to see Dr. Ziman I was impressed by the fact that he does his own work and there isn't the packed waiting room with a revolving door. When we saw Dr Ziman he showed us the x-rays and explained the importance of Dental Age in relation to Bone Age and Chronological Age. I was not well informed as to the significance of these age relationships. In our case the teeth that were removed were not even close to being ready for the permanent teeth to come in. We were now looking at a year to 18 months before the permanent teeth would move into place. This has a serious impact on how long the orthodontic care plan is extended as well as discomfort for the child. The braces that were placed 2 1/2 years ago will now be extended for another 2 to 4 years. I don't think most parents want this for their child. I have learned a serious lesson from this kind of rushing into orthodonture just because the child is at a chronological age to be in braces. It would serve parents well to do their research prior to choosing an orthodontist. I think that dentists could serve their patients by better informing them more regarding dental age as it relates to chronological age. Unless teeth are impacted or there is another concern dental age is crucial to determining a healthy orthodontic plan. We are still waiting for teeth to arrive a year later.
P.R
Sept. 8, 2011