Braces: Stories

Dr. Bowmn is clearly a brilliant and innovative orthodontist. He is very skilled and has pioneered the use of many of the appliances that he uses, including mini-screws, which he utilized on me, rather painfully. I was motivated to get braces due to a sever overbite, which led to physical discomfort and cosmetic flaws.

Pros:
Trust that Dr. Bowman knows what he is doing
Effective, multiple options, and (relatively) quick
Butterfly brackets
Mini-screws an option few have

Cons:
Mini-screws hurt horribly and are easily infected
Pain is not exactly taken into consideration by Dr. Bowman
Various technicians - some good and some bad

The outcome was very positive, with what I would describe as a perfect alignment and overbite correction.

I would recommend finding a good technician and sticking with him/her; that way you know who you'll have and be confident in them. Also, find a sympathetic oral surgeon, such as Dr. Kanar, to give you pain medication if you are having mini-screws, as they are extraordinarily painful, require significant maintenance (cleaning, in particular), and Dr. Bowman will not prescribe painkillers.