When considering which doctor to choose for your orthodontic treatment, we recommend that patients consider three important points in the orthodontist's past records.

1. Look at long-term results.
Fully one-half of our adult patients are re-treatments originally treated elsewhere. Inadequately stablized cases account for the lion's share of the instability. Check out our long-term fifteen year post-treatment results.

2. Evaluate the practice's testimonials.

Patients typically are seen by their orthodontist upwards of 24-30 times...plenty of opportunity for things to go right or wrong. What are the patients/parents saying about that practice and how detailed and believable are the observations? We invite you to review our testimonials as well for comparison.

3. Are the most current, reliable, and cost-effective methods of treatment being offered?
While difficult for the average person to judge, here are some sure signs to look for:

For cases where headgear is an option, are alternatives such as the Herbst, MARA, or Forsus also offered? Look at our complicated cases accomplished without headgear.

What type of retainers are used when treatment ends? Removable retainers even with the best intentions are often worn insufficiently to achieve long-term stability. In our practice we utilize both bonded retainers attached behind the upper and lower front six teeth and removable clear retainers worn at night.

We don't encourage gimmicks. Other offices sometimes refuse to provide written treatment estimates unless records (models, x-rays) are taken first...and then they will charge you for them should you go elsewhere. We are very comfortable with comparison shoppers and after your complimentary examination, we will provide a written estimate for our services, a precise explanation of what is and is not included and a "Value Fee Guarantee." If you should receive a lesser written estimate from another orthodontist for identical treatment, we will beat that fee by 5%. Why select a provider who won't give you a written estimate before you start treatment?

While we provide an estimate of treatment duration and the associated fee before you start, it is entirely possible that your case might take longer to complete due to factors beyond our control such as missed adjustments, broken appliances, or unusual jaw grwoth. Guess what? Your fee is locked in no matter how long it takes to complete your case. And, we won't remove the braces until Dr. Ziman is satisfied with the result, which is likely to be sometime after you are satisfied. In other words, the braces won't come off at a predetermined point in time unless the case is done to your satisfaction.

We embrace technology that makes sense to us based on science...not a salesperson's advice. Twenty five years of experience has taught us to be skeptical of the "latest," "newest," or "most popular" orthodontic innovations unless or until they are shown to be better than what we now have over some reasonable length of time. For example, while many newer technologies purport to achieve faster results, what will these cases look like as compared to ours 10, 15, or 20 years down the road, particularly if bonded retainers are not used to stablilize the results? (Check out our long-term results.) Will it matter ten years from now if your case was treated four months faster if the result is unstable? We continue to utilize the latest advancements in wires, adhesives, headgear alternatives, and temporary anchorage devices as they become available when our experience, common sense, and science indicate real value for our patients.