Braces and orthodontic work in America

[tyler007 26]

So my fiancee from the Philippines has had braces for less than a years.

Assuming all goes as planned she will be here in a few months.

My question is does anyone have experience having ortho work continued in the States after having it started in their country of origin?

Do the Orthodontist here just continue where the prior one left off or do they prefer to rip off the gear and start a new?

In my area here in USA treatment of 2 year cost $5-6 thousand

We are paying about $1,000 total for her dental work in Manila but not even half way through.

Help!

Thanks

[Umka36 781]

I imagine she may have to restart over, since each orthodontist does the treatment differently. The best path to getting an answer is to ask the orthodontists you plan to use and see what they say.

[Thozelle 16]

And most dental insurance in states has one year wait after getting to have any major dental covered ie ortho

[PK and PK 13]

And most dental insurance in states has one year wait after getting to have any major dental covered ie ortho

Most dental insurance I've seen don't cover ortho for adults anyway.

[Umka36 781]

The dental insurance I have does cover adults orthodontics, but there's a lifetime limit for each family member. If the OP has dental insurance, he'll have to look at the policy on the coverage. This

[Villanelle 4,122]

Its not necessarily the same scenario but when my child had braces we moved from one state to another. The insurance changed also. I found out a few things. -While the new ins also covered ortho there was some kind of clause about 'pre-existing' treatment. Basically if she was new and seeking ortho the procedure is to get a referral from a dentist and then go through the pre-auth procedure. Since she already had braces and was under treatment it wasnt considered 'new' to the new ins. They had a cap on how much they would cover for 'continuation of treatment'.

So while she didnt need the basic pre-approval she needed approval for continuation. The new orthodontist filled out the forms, it was approved and we were advised her remaining treatments would cost 2500. The ins had a cap of 2000 for continuation so we had to pay the 500 difference. You should research if your ins has similar policies.

As for the actual braces- They did not take them off because as stated it was continuing treatment- so they worked with what was there. They did tweak the original orthos plans taking a more aggressive approach to moving the teeth. There were a few issues about the bracket being 'older' and ones not used in their practice but they were able to use them none the less. We just didnt get as many choices for colors since there was only 2 available that worked with the current brackets. I dont know that that would be an issue for a grown woman though!

I would imagine though the dentist would have to do an exam and see what kind of hardware she has. There is a chance what she has is not something they use in the US. If so it would obviously have to be replaced.

So really you have limited choices. She can attempt to continue here but she made need some items replaced- if theres a cap and changes to hardware need to be made you can easily exceed it. Or you can have the braces removed overseas and have her come here and she should be able to be seen as a new patient- would get all new hardware. Theoretically they should take her as 'new'. However I did suggest to the new ortho maybe my child should just have the braces taken off and then she would be a 'new patient' and wouldnt be under the continuation clause I was told no we couldnt do that as she currently had them and they knew about it.

Im not really sure how the continuation clause works (if you even have one). I dont know if they would say if shes ever had treatment (even overseas) and stopped if it would be considered continuing or new. I would try calling the ins co (anonymously) and asking some general questions.

[tyler007 26]

Thanks all for your replies.

Bottom line I have dental insurance but it's #######. Cleaning and exam ONLY.

I guess I'll just have her keep them on at least until she gets here.

[Villanelle 4,122]

Im very sorry to hear that.

You do have a few options to continue or restart her treatment once she is here though.

1. Payment plans. Some orthos offer direct payment plans. You would have to call up some local offices and ask. You can also use a financing company. This is different from ins. Its basically a loan for dental work not an ins plan. There are many places you can find on google or the dentist may have a company they work with.

2. Dental Clinics/schools. In some areas you can get work done by students under supervision. The cost is significantly less.

Its also worth noting that in some cases you can straighten teeth with out braces (retainers/alt hardware) If she is nearly done with treatment when she gets here it can be worth going to an ortho to find out where she is treatment wise and what options are available to complete it. You should also express to the current ortho the situation and discuss altering the present treatment. They may be able to be more aggressive and get more done before she leaves. If you give them even an estimated stop date they can redo the current plan to address the areas of most concern.

[aaron2020 11,651]

My brother is a dentist. He will not continue treatments started by another dentist . . . especially one from a third world country. The main reason is malpractice insurance. if the first dentist did anything wrong and he touches her teeth, he can be sued. He will only rip out the "foreign braces" and start over with braces that he normally works with, is familiar with, and is willing to take responsibility for.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

That's excellent info and makes perfect sense.

To the OP - call an orthodontist in your area and find out from the horse's mouth.

My brother is a dentist. He will not continue treatments started by another dentist . . . especially one from a third world country. The main reason is malpractice insurance. if the first dentist did anything wrong and he touches her teeth, he can be sued. He will only rip out the "foreign braces" and start over with braces that he normally works with, is familiar with, and is willing to take responsibility for.

[tyler007 26]

Hi Udella, I did just that yesterday when I took my daughter to her ortho appointment.

They said that there are different types of brackets and as long as the wire they use here and the bracket tools fit what is already attached then there would be no problem otherwise everything would have to be replaced.

She would not necessarily be starting completely over as her teeth have already been somewhat straightened compare to when she first started.

Thank to all who responded.