Midlife
Metal Mouth
An adult’s perspective on orthodontics by Lynne Schneider
en Espanol
I consider myself a typical Baby Boomer. Like most 41-year mothers, I suddenly realized that I’m not immortal, and that I don’t look quite as young anymore. This is a pivotal time when women get boob jobs, tummy tucks, or Botox treatments, and men join a gym or start using Rogaine. Did I do any of those things? Ok, I’ll admit that my hair color comes out of a bottle, but that’s a cheap quick fix. I spent about $5,000 to make myself look better, and it was the best investment I’ve ever made. Plastic surgery? Hardly; I got my teeth straightened.
“Hey, you got braces,” my friends said. Yeah, I got braces. Ceramic uppers and metal lowers for two years. Extractions, elastics, and eventually a permanent retainer; the whole nine yards. People tell me I’m brave. Not really; I just got fed up with lousy looking teeth that were hard to floss, and I’m not getting any younger.
After I got my braces I wanted to connect with other adults in my situation. I quickly discovered that most Web-based orthodontic resources were for kids or freaky fetish folks. I created ArchWired.com to close a gap (pun intended) in the orthodontic community. ArchWired reaches adults around the world who are in orthodontic treatment, or who are considering it. As ArchWired Webmaster, I’ve learned a thing or two about adults in orthodontic treatment.
Adults Want Information
The kids in your practice are passive patients; they are there because their parents told them to come. Your adult patients are proactive. Older, wiser, and professional, we want information. We want to know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way. We’re not trying to second-guess you or annoy you; we merely want to understand the process. Many of us are fascinated with the art and science of orthodontics. Remember, we are lawyers, engineers, doctors, scientists, managers, and parents of future little patients! Don’t patronize us; give us all the technical information we want to know about our treatment. Treat us as peers, not as kids with bigger mouths.
Adults Don’t Want to be Surprised
If you’re going to use new hardware, such as springs, don’t just put them in without discussing it; this will only make your adult patient feel angry and deceived (as one ArchWired reader in the UK heatedly revealed on the site’s forum). If you think that we will need power chains or elastics in a few months, tell us. If you’re changing from elastic ligatures to tie wires, tell us. If you’re changing to a heavier arch wire, which will make our teeth ache like hell for two weeks, tell us. For heaven’s sake, don’t wire us for headgear without discussing it at least a month in advance! Surprising an adult with new hardware is the quickest way to lose a patient or make a previously happy patient resentful, sullen, and non-compliant. Remember, adults love to share their unhappy opinions with your prospective patients.
Adults are Critical Consumers
Adults are used to shopping around, comparing statistics, and getting opinions. Don’t be insulted if we want another opinion or research various products or topics on the Web. We like to take an active role in our treatment. We also like it if you keep abreast of new products or treatments and tell us about them.
Adults are Often Scared
Sure, we put on a brave face, but inside we’re often wracked with anxiety about embarking on orthodontic treatment. We feel silly sitting in a waiting room with sticky-fingered kids and pimply-faced teenagers. To make matters worse, we’re often too embarrassed to ask some of the most obvious questions. But hey, we’re adults, we can handle it, right?
Don’t assume anything when it comes to your adult patients. We’re anxious, we’re embarrassed, and we need your professional reassurance. Getting braces is a big deal for us because it is our decision and our financial responsibility.
What can you do to help alleviate your patients’ fears? For starters, acknowledge that it can take a while to get used to braces. Try to be as specific and descriptive as possible. Level with us -- tell us how much it may hurt and for how long. Give us some coping strategies and tell us about some relief products and how to use them. We appreciate your frankness. Be real, and be reassuring, as you would with an adult friend.
Adults Tend to Feel Alone
Although more adults are getting braces – thanks in part to Tom Cruise inadvertently raising consumer awareness last year – most adults don’t know any other adults who are wired. Adults in braces are still quite the minority in the general population. Adults with special appliances, such as bite plates, headgear, or expanders feel even more isolated in their pain and circumstances. Which brings me to the next topic….
Adults Like to Network
Have you ever considered letting your adult patients network with each other? Adults love to network for a variety of reasons. The readers of ArchWired often share experiences and commiserate. They support each other. Wouldn’t it be nice if your patients did that? Imagine all the goodwill and referrals that might result. When a new adult comes into your practice, get their permission to be placed in a networking database. It doesn’t have to be fancy – names, locations, and telephone numbers would be enough. How about an email list? Or if you already have a website, add a forum (easily done with one of the free message boards available on the web). When one patient in headgear can commiserate with another, it takes a great weight off their shoulders. Get your adult patients talking to each other and supporting each other and they’ll be happier.
Adults are Adventurous Eaters
Curry, red wine, black tea, and black coffee are some of the most common “adult” foods that stain elastic ligatures and power chains (and sometimes even the bonding material of some brackets). Before steering a patient to those pretty ceramic braces, inform them about ligature stains. Nobody wants yellowish teeth for a month until their next adjustment. Also, ask your adult patients if they smoke, because tobacco stains are equally bothersome. Can’t someone in the orthodontic community invent an elastic ligature that resists curry stains?
Adults Want Your Attention
ArchWired readers often complain that they don’t get to talk to their orthodontist as much as they’d like. Sure, the Ortho spent plenty of time with them in pre-treatment consultation. But once they were in active treatment, the dental assistant took over, and they couldn’t get a word in edgewise with their Ortho. Hey wait a minute! We’re paying how much for this and we can’t get 5 minutes of your time to discuss something? We know that you’re very busy, but please talk to us at every appointment. We want to know “how it’s going” every month And, as crude as it sounds, we want to feel that we’re getting our money’s worth, because we’re writing the payment check.
Adults Like to Feel Special
Do you have any special products for the adults in your practice? Adults like gadgets and upscale stuff: High-quality orthodontic toothbrushes, quality dental kits, discreet retainer cases or nice looking headgear bags. Many companies offer promotional products that are more suitable for adults than for kids. Keep this in mind when you’re buying supplies and brochures. Keep some special stuff for your adult patients. Know which elastic ligatures tend to stain less and keep them in stock. We’ll appreciate it, and it will reinforce our belief that we’ve made the right choice by picking you as our orthodontist! And best of all, we’ll reward you with referrals.
*****
Lynn Schneider
is the webmaster of www.ArchWired.com, a website for adults in
orthodontic treatment. She is also the creator of DentaKit, an orthodontic
hygiene kit at www.DentaKit.com. She
and her husband (who already has straight teeth) live in