9 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK BEFORE CHOOSING AN ORTHODONTIST
Imagine going to your family physician and the doctor tells you that everyone in the practice needs the same medication. Does that sound believable? Would your focus be on the expertise and historic track record of the doctor or this magical pill? Does that sound believable? Would your focus be on the expertise and historic track record of the doctor or this magical pill?
At Vargo Orthodontics, we offer state-of-the-art treatment to our patients and families. We are not a practice driven by “systems” or “brackets” to do magical orthodontics. Dr. Vargo is the artist who designs your smile, and we believe that a VO SMILE can change your future!
ARE YOU REALLY COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES?
1. Q: DO YOU BELIEVE IN EARLY TREATMENT AND DOES EVERYONE NEED IT?
A: Not everyone needs early treatment, but we do recommend a screening by age seven. This statement is endorsed by the AAO (American Association of Orthodontists), because boys and girls hit their first craniofacial growth spurt around this time period.
Want to learn more and avoid costly unnecessary oral surgery procedures? You do not need a referral to schedule a complimentary consultation.
2. Q: WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE AGING PROCESS AND CAN ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT POSITIVELY HELP IN THE LONG TERM?
A: Did you know your lips get thinner and longer as we age? Your teeth give your face support and Dr. Vargo carefully monitors what outcomes will give you the best long-term result for facial balance. Proper early treatment has been clinically proven to give you that fuller smile, more lip support, and if treated before puberty a better balanced facial profile.
Did you know in the United States, the use of dermal fillers soared from 1.8 million procedures in 2010 to 2.6 million in 2016, according to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. People are starting in their 20s and the cost of fillers ranges from several hundred to thousands of dollars.
What could it feel like to be the best version of yourself and perhaps avoid the need for fillers or surgery?
3. Q: IS JAW RECESSION AND SLEEP APNEA RELATED?
A: You are correct if you answered YES! If you have sleep apnea, clench or grind your teeth, have a scalloped tongue, are a mouth breather, or have a gummy smile, you may have jaw issues that orthodontic treatment can address.
4. Q: DOES CLINICAL EXPERIENCE MATTER?
A. Yes. You can’t discount clinical experience. Did you know that graduating orthodontic residents get to complete ~25-50 of their own patients that they actually start in residency over a two- to three-year period? Dr. Vargo has completed thousands of his own board-quality cases and has the results to prove it.
Ask yourself, do you historically select your doctors based on experience and track record in treating a large number of cases like yours?
5. Q. DOES ABO (AMERICAN BOARD OF ORTHODONTICS) CERTIFICATION MATTER?
Dr. Vargo was the first orthodontist in Rome to be board-certified & has maintained the certification the longest. He has individually treated thousands of successful cases. The benefit of one practitioner is with continuity of care and consistent results. Dr. Vargo sees every patient at every appointment. He is ABO-certified and collected cases over a ten-year period to present before a board of his peers.
Current board certification standards permit residents graduating with the ability to become board eligible right of residency with a written examination and with minimal practice experience. This option wasn’t available when Dr. Vargo graduated, but he appreciates the level of difficulty he endured to achieve this high accolade. To find out how is board certified in our area, go to https://www.americanboardortho.com/patients/orthodontist-locator/
6. Q: WHAT CERTIFICATIONS DO ASSISTANTS NEED TO PERFORM PROCEDURES?
A. You don’t need to be certified as an assistant or lab/records technician to perform procedures on patients. Several dental assisting programs are taught in six weeks and incorporate little to no orthodontic skills.
The only way to maintain status on our clinical and administrative team is by exceeding Vargo Orthodontics standards. All of our assistants are state certified! Our team meets daily, weekly, and monthly to systematically make the patient experience phenomenal.
We have a compassionate and well-trained team that regularly undergoes testing and supervision. Our vibrant team has received training on current treatment modalities to make your experience great here at VO! Don’t be fooled, because our practice culture is Dr. Vargo and cannot be replicated elsewhere!
7. Q: DOES QUANTITY EVER EQUAL QUALITY?
A: We do not believe this at all! Our goal has never been to be the biggest office in our area, but to be the BEST! As a parent, Dr. Vargo realizes that special bonds are created in small settings. These bonds lead to motivating your child to accomplish great things under our supervision.
Our culture at VO is inspiring, caring, Christian-based, and honest. Dr. Vargo worked for many years in a large group practice in Atlanta to observe how to raise the level of results and it couldn’t be done in a high-volume environment. In fact, we know that we see half of the patients daily that come through other practices. Most other practices could see anywhere from 75 to 120 patients a day!
In addition, Dr. Vargo worked with several other great orthodontists during his time in a group practice. Every artist has a different approach to their final masterpiece, and he witnessed the counterproductivity that could happen in such environments.
Consistent standards, care, messages, and communications come from Dr. Vargo and our team. We streamline our care, so you don’t have to miss work or school multiple times for procedures that could be combined. We are not referring to magical brackets, but clinical expertise and the ability to diagnose issues before they arise.
8. Q: DO YOU GET CHARGED EXTRA FOR THE “EXTRAS”?
A. Not in our office! What are you paying for with treatment: a set of braces, retainers, and records? Would you pay more to get more? Conversely, would you pay less to incur more highly unpredictable costs along the way?
Getting charged extra for Invisalign®, clear braces, permanent retainers, etc.? Not at VO, where we anticipate the patient’s wants and offer it at no additional charge. We don’t want our patients to shop for an artificial sale on their treatment and our fees are consistent with our high level of care.
Our fees also are comprehensive, including those things that you wouldn’t even anticipate during care. How do you know what to ask for with treatment? We don’t compel our patients to come and ask for something, because we offer it up front without the additional fees.
9. Q: WHERE CAN YOU GET UNBIASED ORGANIC FEEDBACK TO KNOW YOU’VE MADE THE BEST DECISION?
A: Read the reviews online at Google, Facebook, and Healthgrades. We celebrate when our patients boast about their experiences here in our practice. We want you as consumers to know that we don’t pay third-party companies to create ways to do quick reviews to boost our LIKES or SCORES.
Pay close attention: If the reviews are unique, contain different content, and look original, then you have some good information. We are super proud to have a 5-Star Google rating and an overwhelming number of outstanding Healthgrades ratings.
You’re smart, so see what others are saying about us! Take it from them about how they feel about us, this important decision, and why choosing VO is the RIGHT decision.
We thank you for taking the time to review our information that is based on data collected from thousands of patients over more than 20 years of practice! We invite you to come in for a complimentary consultation and see why families choose us!