I recently read that only 20% of the cost of items we purchase today are attributed to the cost of producing the product.  The remaining 80% is nearly equally divided between marketing and packaging costs.  I don’t know about you, but personally I would prefer to have as much of the 100% go to product rather than to the cost of inducing me to purchase the item.  That should either lower my cost or increase the value I receive.

Much the same can be said about purchase of service in the medical or dental realm.  When all the extra costs of marketing, extra layers of management, legal and malpractice issues, insurance overhead and bureaucratic sludge is added to the costs of care, do you wonder how much of your dollar paid went for actual beneficial treatment?  Do you really wish to pay for all the splashy ads, yellow pages listings, websites and their heavy maintenance, social networking and their mostly unsubstantiated advice or do you want to pay for those services that benefit you? 

So the question remains- how do you choose an orthodontist?  In the old days it was mostly “word of mouth”, that is, a recommendation from another professional (usually your family dentist) or a friend who was satisfied with service received.  The practitioner depended on a sound reputation and excellent service to maintain a thriving practice.  Now the marketing campaign is substituted and our ability to choose becomes more complicated. 

We think that a personal interview is the wisest way to make a choice.  You should feel comfortable with the office personnel, as well as the doctors, and you should have your major concerns and questions answered to the extent possible.  Orthodontic relationships are very long term and feeling pressured to make a decision about treatment at the first office visit should be avoided.  There is no cookbook recipe for excellent treatment of orthodontic cases and no amount of technical gadgetry or digital flash can substitute for old fashioned diagnosis and treatment planning.  You deserve nothing less.