Sometimes your dental nurse or dentist may recommend you to attend an orthodontist for an assessment.
If you are recommended to see an orthodontist, you can register by calling us at our Tauranga practice.
However, it is not essential to be referred in this manner. If you have concerns regarding your own or your child’s dental appearance or bite, you may simply self refer. You have the option of completing the self-referral form online and we will contact you to arrange a suitable appointment.
Need to know
What happens at the initial appointment?
Allow half an hour for the initial appointment. It is essential that a parent/guardian attend with their child to discuss concerns and potential outcomes. During this time a comprehensive x-ray of both the upper & lower jaw may be taken. The information from this one x-ray is extremely helpful in making an accurate diagnosis and highlighting areas of concern.
Our specialist orthodontist Mark Johnson will undertake a clinical assessment of your teeth, jaw and face and outline his findings to you. In general terms, this will include: the problems, possible treatment options (if any treatment is required), timing of the treatment, what the next step in the process is and answer any questions you may have.
What is the cost?
The cost of the initial appointment is $125.00. This covers the initial appointment, x-ray, any letters and referrals to other health practitioners, and your registration. All charges are payable on the day of the appointment by cash, cheque, credit card or eftpos. Note: there are no eftpos facilities at the Whakatane clinic.
What happens next?
Depending on the clinical findings your child may or may not require orthodontic treatment. In general most comprehensive (full fixed braces) treatment is not started until around the time the last baby teeth are lost (normally around the age of 12-13). However, it is important that we evaluate things earlier than this, as in some cases we can carry out less complex treatment to alleviate problems or, in some cases, prevent the need for comprehensive treatment.
We place some patients on recall to monitor their dental development. We will send a recall note to remind you of the recall appointment. There is no charge for recall appointments unless x-rays are needed.
If braces are the recommended treatment, two appointments need to be carried out. At the first appointment full records are taken including photographs of the face and teeth, x-rays to get measurements of the face and skull, and moulds of the teeth. These records are thoroughly evaluated and a treatment plan is formulated. This treatment plan will be presented at a second appointment along with a written quote for treatment. The cost of the records and the consultation is $260.00. This is payable at the records appointment.
The quote for braces will include a payment plan. In general, this consists of an initial fee, payable the day the braces are put on and the balance of the account being spread over the following 18 months. The fee includes upper & lower retainers once the braces are taken off and follow-up supervision of the retainers for 2 years. So in total approximately 4 years of treatment, please phone our clinic for approximate current rates.