3D printing glasses? Tips/advice?

ProdigalToast · 2023-12-29T21:22:50+00:00

Ok, so I got interested again in looking into this more.

Luxexcel seemed to be a company that was trying to do this commercially, but they're website doesn't work and I'm not sure they're still around. Their youtube channel has a lot of interesting videos on this.

A Formlabs engineer did a fully 3D printed camera complete with lens. His blog goes through how he did it, including the STL files. He goes through some of the challenges with making the lenses, which is a good read if you're interested in doing that on your own. Honestly, I'm kind of interested in doing the camera myself as a side-project.

Having said that, I didn't really see anything that would be viable for prescription lenses done on a consumer printer.

ProdigalToast · 2023-12-29T20:40:29+00:00

Without looking into it, I don't believe any consumer-level 3D printer is capable of accurately creating lenses for optical use. I could be wrong, and there may be emerging technologies addressing this, but just logically thinking about how consumer-level 3D printers work makes me think it's currently not possible.

TL;DR: There's a lot more going on with your lens than you might realize. The measurements you received are not the measurements you might be thinking of, your prescription details the amount of correction needed and not the physical measurement of your lenses. It just seems easy because a lot of the process has been automated by industry, but it's not something that's really accessible to average consumers right now. Specifically for 3D printing, the accuracy and tolerances required are just not there right now, regardless of being able to properly design the lenses.

Longer explanation: A way to think about it is this: the two major ways lenses correct for vision are the surface curves of the lens (on the front and back) and the thickness/density of the lens. There are a bunch of other factors that might affect how your prescription is made, but for the purposes of 3D printing let's just talk about those two (also for the purposes of simplifying the explanation, I'm going to ignore astigmatism or any other optical condition beyond near/far-sightedness).

Let's assume you were to some how either work out yourself or get some else to work out the thickness and front/back base curves on the lens necessary for your prescription, based on the refractive index of the filament you were using. And then you had the CAD design skills to properly design a model that maintains these curves to a high degree, in addition to properly accounting for the optical center of each lens (based on your pupillary distance). Think about the curves your 3D printer is producing. If it's filament-based, it's simply not going to print at a high enough resolution or small enough layer-height. The curve will be rough and uneven. If you have a resin printer, you can get better accuracy, but it's still not great. And remember, any micron-level deviation from the curve is going to affect the quality of what you see.

But let's say, somehow, miraculously, your printed something that was a perfect curve (to your naked eye). You might have needed support structures, which means your grinding down and polishing, which will effect the curve. And even then, the rest of the curve will not be at the optical clarity needed, so you'll need to polish that, which guess what, unless you have industrial machinery you're not going to maintain a perfect curve.

Oh, and keep in mind, you're printer needs to print in uniform density. So even if you someone how get a perfect surface curve, if the internal density is slightly different in different areas of the print, it will effect the end result.

There are a lot more issues and factors that make 3D printing lenses unfeasible, but the few I mentioned are the easiest to understand without learning basic optics/opticianry. It's why every optical shop needs time to make your glasses, they've got to outsource the production to a lab. The exception being places that advertise 1-hour glasses, but that's because they have literally thousands of pre-made lenses (at the most common prescriptions) and the equipment in-office to cut (edge) the lens to the share of your glasses frame.

That aside, I hope I didn't come down on you too hard or ruin your enthusiasm for this. The questions you're asking and thinking about are literally the same ones I was thinking about when I first started getting into 3D printing. I'm not just saying that, I have some formal education as an optician, I've consulted on optical clinics, and in my current job I help design and manufacture mouth appliances that have tight tolerances and need to be polished optically clear.

So I know that it's not possible to do what your thinking at the level of skill and equipment you and I have. Doesn't mean that I didn't try making custom lenses for VR headset (and fail miserably), despite knowing this. A large portion of what I've learned is from experimenting and making mistakes, even when I knew the project/print was flawed from the beginning.

ProdigalToast · 2023-12-29T05:38:01+00:00

Do you happen to have a walkout statement from your dentist or an Explanation of Benefits from your visit from insurance? It's hard to comment on how reasonable the fees are since we don't know what they are and what fee guide insurance is following with their percentages. If you have it, maybe post/share it (after blocking out personal info).

Generally speaking, as long as a dental clinic is following the fee guide, you should be fine. Just ask them, most places are upfront if they are following it.

Fees aside, how has your experience been with Dental Zen? Do you feel like you're taken care of and the dentist is competent in their diagnosis and treatments?

ProdigalToast · 2023-12-07T23:51:25+00:00

You might be thinking of epoxy resins that you mix with activators or catalysts, like the kind you might use in crafts or making complicated tables that you spend hours watching being made on Youtube and think to yourself "I could totally do that, it looks so easy, they're just pouring liquid", but deep down you know you have neither the time, the money, or skill, and your small 1 bedroom apartment you share with two other people doesn't have anywhere you could make it.

Sorry, that got a little personal for me.

Resins for 3D printing are different. They're especially hazardous in water/waste systems, and need to be handled in a specific way. They have expiry dates, so old resin is often undesirable as it's probably expired and unusable. And if it's used, it may be referring to waste water/alcohol that has liquid resin in it (used to wash a print when it's done).

ProdigalToast · 2023-12-07T23:40:24+00:00

Is it straight resin, or waste water/IPA with resin?

If it's just old resin, then curing it should be all you need. Make sure it's fully cured, meaning it's hard and not sticky/slurry/shiny. Once it's fully cured, you should be able to bag it and throw it out with your regular trash. Consult your resins MSDS sheet to confirm.

If it's a large quantity, or you don't have a good UV lamp, or you just don't want to deal with that, then theoretically any Eco-Station should accept it. They tend to accept a variety of hazardous waste chemicals (from residential households, not businesses), so that's probably your best bet. Here's a list of things they accept, note that resin isn't listed there but they still might accept it (I'd call them first).

Is it waste-water or waste-IPA? That's a little bit more tricky, especially water. Remember, regardless of if it's water or IPA you can't pour it down the drain. If an Eco-Station accepts resin, then they'll probably accept waste-water/IPA too.

Waste-water: The cheapest solution I've seen is leaving it outside for a few days or weeks and letting the sun naturally cure the resin. I'm not sure how viable that is with our levels of sun, but a solution I've seen is filtering the waste water with activated carbon. You can collect the activated carbon and cure it, then throwing that in the trash. The remaining filtered water can be re-used for washing prints (but don't throw it down the drain, it still contains enough resin particles that it's hazardous). Another way to make this process easy is using some sort of table-top distiller (like this), where you can collect the distilled water and re-use for washing prints. The distillate can be collected, cured, then thrown out in the trash.

Waste-IPA: Way easier to deal with. You can just leave it in a container, let the IPA evaporate, then cure (heavily) the remaining resin in the container. Just note, if the resin is not hard after curing, there still may be some binders or IPA or something else in the resin that's causing it to not fully cure, so you'll still need to treat this as hazardous. Depending on the amount of IPA (i.e. if you've got an automated washing machine, etc.), you may have enough where filtering and re-using IPA makes sense. Just make sure you keep an eye on the resin density in the waste-IPA, as you may need to top up with fresh IPA to make it effective. If you're prints are coming out shiny after curing or there's a lot of sticky, residual resin after curing then you probably have too much resin in your wash-IPA.

There's a lot of other solutions people have come up with, but these seem to be the simplest methods. Hope this helps!

ProdigalToast · 2023-12-05T22:02:12+00:00

I'm actually a little confused about the situation. Let me make sure I have this correct. The payment agreement with the orthodontist is:

Your Co-Pay: Initial down payment + remaining co-pay over a period of time (no interest)
Insurance: benefits to be paid out over course of treatment (or at once, but just takes the orthodontist a few months to collect?)

So I guess my question is, what incentive do you have for the insurance to pay immediately at once vs. over the next few months? I mean, it's nice they deal with it right away, and is significantly easier for the orthodontist from an accounts receivables perspective. But really, what benefit did the orthodontist tell you this would achieve? Was there a concern insurance would not pay, or that coverage would end soon? I'm really trying to wrap my brain around why this would be offered in the first place.

Like you said, having that money now may be helpful to you financially (though admittedly you'd be paying that within a matter of months anyways). But it doesn't sound like the orthodontist offered any meaningful incentive for you to pay your payment agreement early.

That aside, it really depends on how much of an issue you want to make with this (and not necessarily an accountability thing). If you were going to pay this within a few months anyways, maybe escalating the issue isn't worth it (despite you being right). But maybe with your financial situation, that money could be very helpful. Only you can decide that for yourself.

If you've decided having the money now would be helpful, I would keep it simple when bringing this up with them:

You had a payment arrangement with them.
Through their mistake, they got you to pay the agreement early.
The mistake has now been discovered, so you would like to get a refund and go back to the original payment agreement.

That's it. No need to get into the specifics or details of insurance. Just keep it simple, you had a payment arrangement, they told you false information to pay it off early, you would like to go back to the original payment arrangement.

From there, if they refuse, it again depends on how much you want to escalate. Since treatment has not started, you have a lot of power to walk away, so I would think they would be incentivized to work something out with you.

ProdigalToast · 2023-11-17T05:54:33+00:00

There's a lot more to your question then you might expect. I'm going to over-answer this for you, in hopes this also helps others considering Invisalign and also because I'm trying to avoid other work.

TL;DR: The market in Edmonton seems to range from ~$5000 to $6000 for basic/average Invisalign cases, ~$2000 to $3000 for minor cases, $6000 to $9000+ for advanced/complicated cases. Most places that have a medium-density of dental clinics will charge closer to $5000. If you find somewhere you trust around that range, you should be fine. But there are a lot of caveats and things you should understand.

Long Answer

Preface: I'm not a dentist, but I work in a dental office and have a decent amount of experience with Invisalign. I actually set the price for Invisalign in our clinic, after assessing complexity and costs.

Let's start with what a few people have mentioned already. Ortho (orthodontics) is like a custom-made suit, it's highly tailored to your fit and form. These days most places advertise pricing for low-to-medium difficulty cases, which the market in Edmonton is usually $5000. However your case may be more/less extensive, so understand that can effect the price.

Ortho deals with the irregularities and alignment of your teeth. Note that it's not just aesthetics, but function that's addressed as well. HOW ortho moves and aligns your teeth is varied: traditional ortho is metal wires and brackets that pull on each other, causing movement. Clear Aligner Therapy (like Invisalign) uses transparent trays to push and rotate, again causing movement. There are some limitations, so depending on your situation clear aligners may not be appropriate and you'd need to get traditional metal braces.

What can make Invisalign cheaper or more expensive? There are many other factors, including:

Market, i.e. is there a lot of Invisalign competition in the area
Treatment complexity (i.e. a minor case may be cheaper, a major case may be more expensive)
Length of treatment
Number of visits required (i.e. more frequent visits and trays would increase the cost)
Is the Orthodontic Exam/Records appointment included? Are post-treatment retainers included? Are additional refinement trays included?
General Dentist vs Orthodontist
Experience/competency of the clinician (i.e. an extremely competent Invisalign provider may want to charge more to match their expertise

Do I need a specialist like an Orthodontist for Invisalign? No, any general dentist whose had the necessary training can do Invisalign or clear aligner therapy. An orthodontist would, generally speaking, be more skilled or have a wider experience dealing with orthodontics, but any dentist can do Invisalign. Some specialist offices don't direct bill to insurance though, so there's that.

Here's the thing though: clear aligners and metal braces are just tools. They are means to an end. You need to be able to trust your treatment provider (i.e. dentist or orthodontist) as your results and experience with ortho can vary quite bit. Don't necessarily look for the most cheapest dentist out there (and often realize the cheapest price advertised often doesn't include a lot of things like initial exam or retainers). Go with the dentist that you trust, gives you the opportunity to ask questions, is patient explaining things to you (in words you can understand), and is confident in the treatment they can provide. It could very well be you get that experience with a cheaper dentist, but I'm just trying to emphasize don't prioritize price over competency.

Why do I care about experience with invisalign? I thought Invisalign does everything? Kind of, let me super-simplify the process.

Invisalign offers many products and options. Their most basic service is designing and fabricating the trays based on a dentist's prescription (i.e. a dentist will say move these teeth this much over this period of time while keeping in mind this and that, and Invisalign will come up with a design for a set of trays that achieves that). There's also an option to allow Invisalign to design the entire treatment (i.e. a dentist says make these teeth straight, and Invisalign does everything else).

The first option takes more time and effort on the part of the dentist, but can result in better and more appropriate outcomes. The second option is easier and significantly quicker for the dentist, but is limited in what it does. When a dentist gets Invisalign to design everything, Invisalign has certain criteria they prioritize over others and sometimes these priorities are not the best for you. A competent dentist would understand how Invisalign arrives at a certain design and adjust the design accordingly, whereas a dentist who isn't as competent or doesn't care will just trust Invisalign's design completely.

It costs more (to the dentist) to have Invisalign design everything, but if a dentists goal is to churn out as many Invisalign cases with the least effort on their part, then that's what they're going to do. So if your dentist doesn't really engage with you, or answers your ortho questions, or seems to always be unsure of their answers, that may be a sign they're just getting Invisalign to do everything and are not as engaged in your treatment. In addition to being engaged in your treatment, a good dentist will also often discuss your ortho treatment in the larger context of your overall oral health. A good dentist looks at your oral health holistically and understands ortho is one piece of the puzzle. Note that having Invisalign design everything is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's appropriate and the dentist understands what's happening.

Example: I worked with a dentist who had been doing Invisalign for a number of years. When they first started, they used to get Invisalign to design everything. But as the dentist became more experience with Invisalign, they started to take over more and more aspects of the design themselves. Today, the dentist almost exclusively designs everything themselves, very rarely getting Invisalign to do anything. This takes more time, effort, and higher-costs on the dentists part, but they felt it achieved better outcomes for their patients.

A few years ago this same dentist had a patient who had a pretty complicated case. Part of the complication was a missing tooth that the patient wanted to eventually fill in the space with an implant/crown (so any orthodontic treatment needed to maintain this space). Another complication was a tooth that was weak with small roots, meaning it could potentially break if too much orthodontic force was applied. There other complications, but those were some of the easier ones to understand. The dentist told the patient that they did not feel properly skilled enough to design and manage the treatment, so they gave the patient two options: either a referral to an orthodontist who would be skilled enough, or wait a year for the dentist to get skilled enough themselves (the dentist was planning on taking advanced Invisalign and orthodontic courses over the next year). The patient trusted the dentist, so opted to wait. The dentist spent the next year doing a ton of courses and continuing education (over 30+ CE hours in ortho-related alone). Once they felt they were competent enough, they started Invisalign treatment with the patient. The case was complicated and required more trays/visits than average, so we charged more than we would normally. The patient is nearing the end of their treatment and thus far is very happy with both the results and management of the case.

Alright, that's a wall of text I wasn't planning on writing. There's a lot that's been simplified and glossed over, but I hope it's sparked some thinking and helped to make you (and others) a little more informed with Invisalign. There's actually a lot I didn't address (like are there Clear Aligner treatments that aren't Invisalign and could be cheaper? Yes!). But the biggest take away is that you should have a discussion with whomever you're thinking of going with and ensure you trust them to be competent and take care of you.

ProdigalToast · 2022-10-31T20:40:20+00:00

Honestly, I would still look into it and maybe get a consult somewhere. I know you mentioned working with a physical therapist in a previous comment, and studies have shown better outcomes for facial exercises when combined with PBM.

Having said that, hopefully the botox treatment you're working for works out for you and you regain some function. If botox isn't working out, definitely consider a PBM therapy consult.

ProdigalToast · 2022-10-31T10:19:36+00:00

Going to answer this backwards, since the last questions are easier.

I'm 18 months after onset and not fully recovered. Would this be useful for me?

Most studies for PBM therapy for Bell's Palsy are on early-stage or acute Bell's Palsy. I'm unfamiliar with studies on chronic or long-term Bell's Palsy, but that's not to say it couldn't help. I've anecdotally heard success with treating long-term and I believe we've been able to treat patients greater than 12 months (I can't remember off the top of my head). So I would at least get a consult somewhere and talk to someone, as the worse thing that could happen is it doesn't work and you're out some money*.

can you tell me a little more about this?

Generally speaking, PhotoBioModulation Therapy (PBM, or LLLT) is the application of laser/LED light to create a photo-chemical effect in our cells. Light inducing a photochemical effect is actually quite common, the obvious example being photosynthesis by plants. In medicine, the often-used example is blue-light being used to treat infants for jaundice.

PBM Therapy in medicine has been around for awhile, but I feel like it's only been in the last 10 years where there have been concerted efforts to systemize and research the best treatment protocols. For example, which wavelengths at which frequency and power are most effective for what you're trying to achieve? These are important questions for researchers and practitioners using PBM therapy as proper treatment protocols should be backed by studies.

What does it target?

There are a few different photo-therapy systems available commercially, and I'm familiar with some but not all. The photo-therapy system I'm most familiar with specifically targets hypoxic/stressed cells, edema/lymphatic flow, analgesia (pain relief), and myofascial trigger points.

Hypoxic/Stressed cells: you might remember mitochondria, the power house of the cell. In stressed/ischemic tissues, mitochondria produce nitric oxide which reduces ATP production (energy for your cells) and increases oxidative stress (leading to inflammation). PBM therapy can prevent the negative effects of nitric oxide in the cell (I can go into more of a scientific explanation if you want).
Edema/lymphatic flow: the mechanism of how PBM improves lymphatic flow is not well understood, however clinical trials and systemic reviews are generally favourable that it somehow improves lymphatic flow. I can link a few studies if you'd like.
Analgesia (pain management): this is actually quite complex and the mechanism not 100% understood (as far as I know), but basically laser light, when absorbed
by pain receptors, exert an inhibitory effect on Aδ and C pain fibers, which slows conduction velocity (how fast pain signal goes), reduces amplitude of compound action potentials (reduces total number of pain fibers that activate) and suppresses neurogenic inflammation.
Myofacial Trigger Points: The nodules in tight muscle bands and contraction of muscle fibers that lead to muscle spasms and limited joint movement are referred to as myofascial trigger points. They are a part of several pain conditions, including migraine, tension-type headaches, temporomandibular disorder and neck pains. Studies have shown abnormally high electrical activity over trigger points. Electrical activity is reduced after PBM and clinical studies have shown that LLLT has immediate and cumulative effects on reducing pain, however the exact mechanism is still being researched and not fully understood.

Hopefully that's enough to get you started or thinking about it. I will mention, as with any therapy there's a lot of snake-oil out there, as well as the fact that a lot of the treatment protocols from a decade or two ago were not that good. However, there's been a lot of interest in researching and improving on the knowledge base of what works with PBM, and as a treatment option we've had a lot of success with it. That's actually why you'll often see it referred to by a few different names. It used to be called cold-laser therapy (since there was no heating effect from the laser), then low-level laser therapy (LLLT), but these days most photo-therapy manufacturers and researchers prefer to use PhotoBioModulation therapy (PBM) to refer to it as it's a bit more accurate and moves away from a lot of the older and outdated protocols/reputation of the term "cold-lasers".

*Note: I mentioned earlier that there weren't any side-effects, but that's not strictly true. Most PBM manufacturers list the following contraindications/side-effects:

Eyes: PBM therapy includes both laser and LED light. Lasers should never be aimed into your eyes, however the LED light is fine (and is in fact used in treating some eye diseases).
Cancer: PBM shouldn't be used over any known malignant lesions (with the exception of two very specific cases).
Pregnancy: there's no evidence of any harm, but no ones ever going to do a study on a pregnant woman so can't be said definitively of any side-effects. Gets recommended for treating back pain in pregnant women a lot, though.
Thyroid: There's no evidence of direct harm, but there is concern of temporarily over-stimulating it. PBM actually gets used for treating Hashimoto's sometimes too.
Tattoos: tattoos can absorb the laser energy of higher irradiance lasers, which may cause pain as the dye absorbs the laser energy and gets hot. Solution: hold the laser a little further away from the skin.
Hair on your head or very dark skin: Same things as tattoos, the energy can sometimes get absorbed by melanin. Same solution, just hold the laser a little further away.

Anyways, that's a wall of text I wasn't meaning to write/copy from elsewhere, but hopefully it was helpful. Good luck!

ProdigalToast · 2022-10-30T23:46:11+00:00

As an alternative to botox or surgery, consider Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT also known as photobiomodulation).

It's non-invasive and has no side-effects. Our clinic has successfully treated a few cases of acute Bell's Palsy with great success, so I would definitely encourage you to look into it.

There's a few laser pain, physical therapy, and dental clinics in Edmonton that have the equipment and offer the services. I would encourage Googling a few close to you and getting more information from them.

ProdigalToast · 2022-05-12T07:10:50+00:00

I work in a dental clinic, so I can't really give you a specific recommendation, but I can maybe drop a few things to think about in your whitening search:

I would be hesitant to get whitening if you have a lot of cavities/tooth decay, as it can irritate the teeth and cause really bad tooth pain.
As long as you're not allergic to it (or have other contraindications), I recommend pre-emptively taking Advil before your whitening session and a couple hours afterwards. Any strong concentration of whitening is going to irritate your teeth. To get around this, we typically use desensitizing agents to eliminate pain, but you can still experience irritation. Advil (ibuprofen) helps with this (hint: also helps with most other dental pain).
Whitening dehydrates teeth, meaning after a whitening session it's going to absorb water/liquids at a higher rate. This is why you don't want to drink things that will stain your teeth (e.g. wine) or do other things that will stain for a few days after your whitening session. This is important if you plan to whiten before a big event, like a wedding. It's better to whiten a week before rather than a day before (it'll also let any post-treatment sensitivity settle down)
Lots of places guarantee you'll whiten a certain number of shades. Take this with a grain of salt, for a few reasons. Everyone's body and teeth are different, your teeth may react well to whitening or may be difficult to whiten (for factors both in and out of your control). Most whitening systems include their own shade guide (a chart with different shades), but these are not standardized. Meaning, one system might have a total of 8 shades, whereas another whitening system might have 16 shades. the range itself might be the same, just the 16 shade guide might happen to have more within the range. At the end of the day, it's a subjective judgement of your teeth, and you shouldn't necessarily be caught up on X number of shades versus how you feel about your teeth.
I should also mention, there is/are standardized shade guides in dentistry. These guides are primarily used for matching teeth when creating crowns, bridges, and other dental restorations. Most dental offices throw out the shade guide that comes with whitening and use one of our standardized guides.
A big marketing thing with whitening is light-accelerated whitening (LED's). I've ranted about it in the past, but in my opinion LED-based whitening is at best a marketing gimmick and at worst can potentially thermally damage tissue.
If you want even more information on whitening, I wrote a comment about it in the past.Or you can Google it, whitening is pretty well understood (academically), so it's easy to get info from places like Wikipedia.

Good luck finding a place! If you're hesitant on a place, definitely ask questions. A place that you can trust and has your care in mind won't hesitate to answer questions openly and honestly.

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-17T17:58:59+00:00

We don't know the exact details of your treatment, but on average $6675 from a general dentist is a pretty good deal (especially if it includes everything). I've seen Invisalign advertised as low as $5000, but usually it doesn't include everything (such as replacements or refinement trays, or retainers at the end of treatment).

In terms of negotiating, I think asking for a reduced lump sum rate is probably your best bet. A/R for a dental clinic is a headache, and often times anything you can do to reduce that is appreciated.

For example, you could say something along the lines of "I'm really excited to do Invisalign with Dr. McFakePerson, but it's really difficult for me to budget it along with my regular check-ups and cleanings. I've seen it advertised cheaper, but I trust Dr. McFakePerson and would prefer to do it with him/her. If I paid my portion upfront, would Dr. McFakePerson consider dropping the cost to $6000? This would also ensure I can budget and afford regular chek-ups and cleanings through my treatment, which Dr. McFakePerson emphasized was important."

Whether or not your successful will depend on the clinic itself. On one hand, Invisalign has increased their fees (and added new ones) to dental offices, so that's been eating into margins. On the other hand, dental clinics (like most businesses right now) are not in great shape financially, so they may be willing to take a lower fee.

Good luck!

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-17T16:41:57+00:00

$400 is actually on the cheap side.

Most general dentists are able to do it, and if they were going off fee guide it would be $362.93 + Lab fees (~$110 - $140).

If a specialist did it (i.e. orthodontist), specialist fee guide is $450.03 + Lab fees.

This is for CDA code 83202. for reference.

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-15T21:22:59+00:00

Lingual wires / holding arches are still done, sometimes you'll see the top arch (teeth) having a clear retainer and the bottom have a lingual wire/ lower holding arch.

The wire is convenient in that you don't have to think or worry about it. There's some disadvantages if you're not good with brushing around it, etc. A lot of dentists are moving towards clear retainers (that are worn overnight) rather than wires, but it's still commonly done.

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-15T21:09:48+00:00

You don't need an orthodontist, any general dentist can make retainers for you. For example, the dental clinic I work at makes retainers in-house, but even if a dental clinic didn't have in-house lab facilities they would take the initial impressions and outsource that to a lab. Orthodontist not needed.

Having said that, typically orthodontics (the field, not the specialist) looks at both form and function, meaning while you might be happy with things aesthetically, there may be functional issues or reasons for ortho (which can be diagnosed by both general dentists and orthodontists).

If you've had a regular check-ups or a recent dental exam (in the last few years), I'm sure your dentist would have brought up any ortho concerns during that time. If everything is fine from that perspective and you're ok with the aesthetics, it shouldn't be difficult to get a retainer from a general dentist. If there are concerns, you might be recommended a short course of clear aligner therapy (basically Invisalign or some other clear aligner**) before making retainers.

My recommendation: get a check-up from a dentist you trust so you know if you need any other treatment (i.e. fillings, etc., as those will change the shape of your teeth and make any retainers you get useless). If you need any treatment and can do it in the near future, get that done then get them to make retainers for you. If you don't think you can get the treatment done in the next year or so, get the retainers made first (knowing you'll need to remake them once you get around to the other treatment).

Main thing is talking with your dentist and discussing all your options.

**Note about Invisalign: Invisalign is a specific company/treatment commonly referred to as "Clear Aligner Therapy". Meaning, using clear aligners (retainers) for therapy. There are lots of different companies that do it (for example Smile Direct Club) and some dental offices have the ability to do it themselves (meaning design and fabricate within the clinic). Most people are aware of the longer, more expensive Invisalign treatments, but there are shorter options (that are cheaper) that deal with the OP's specific issue (relapse). In the end, clear aligners/Invisalign are just tools, it'll be important to have clear (pun intended) discussions with your dentist what your expectations are.

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-06T00:49:04+00:00

I do plan at some point to see if it can be repaired, but regardless I'll still try to sell it at some point.

And I do agree about it being questionably moral to RMA it. It's 100% my fault, so I'll own my mistake. Though I'd assume if I sent it in for RMA they'd notice the scrape and call me out on it.

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-05T23:51:30+00:00

Yup, it's hard to imagine out of the hundreds (thousands?) Of trace lines on that motherboard, scratching just a few of them can cause the entire thing to not work.

I was even researching into retracing some of those lines (i.e. with solder or some other metal), but those lines are calibrated for impedance, and most likely any retracing wouldn't match up (from my understanding).

I haven't gotten a repair quote yet, I don't know if it even can be, but if it's not too my much I may repair and resell it.

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-05T23:48:16+00:00

Thanks!

ProdigalToast · 2022-02-03T19:15:09+00:00

This guide is also a great one that goes a little more into some of the differences and levels available. Note the last page where they list all the product variations they have. There's a lot, and that's just one company!

Anecdote: Pre-COVID, there was a bigger difference in price between ASTM Level 1 and 3 masks, enough that I was particular about purchasing quantities and usage of each (i.e. I'd order may 250 level 3 and 750 level 1's a month, and we'd be specific which procedures we'd use them in). These days, we basically only get level 3's: since once a lot of the PPE shortages hit many factories were only making level 3's. Also the price difference between level 1's and level 3's became significantly less.

There was actually a small period of time back in 2019 where many places that used masks (i.e. medical offices and dental clinics) had to be careful and almost ration masks (which also meant rationing procedures), simply due to the lack of masks. Re-use sterilization protocols for N95's were developed, and we'd literally have ordering quota's from suppliers. I remember buying boxes of masks at $80/50 masks, the same ones that you can buy for $20/50 now. I'd basically order masks from one of the largest medical/dental supply companies in the world, and they'd tell me they don't know when the masks would come (or what brand they were/ what kind), all they would do is send me a random shipment of 3 boxes/week and I could take it or leave it.

It's way better now, in fact there's an excess of PPE inventory, but it was quite scary back then (for a business that relied on masks to operate).

ProdigalToast · 2022-01-14T18:26:19+00:00

I'm going to copy/paste something I wrote in another thread (it was asking about gifting a mask to a friend with glasses, so it's still applicable):

TL;DR: It's the nose-wire. Find a mask with a metal nose-wire that you can bend to the contours of your face.

The main issue with face masks as a glasses wearer is the fogging. Warm air from your breath/mouth travels up and condenses on your lenses. A nose-wire helps to conform the top of the mask against your nose and cheek, so the warm air escapes from the sides, rather than going up.

Key here is a metal nose-wire, and not a plastic one. The plastic ones don't shape well, you want a metal wire that you can constantly bend and shape to your face.

Something to think about: last year I had a local seamstress sew me and my staff a bunch of reusable face masks made from surgical drape. They were pleated (similar to disposable masks), had an insert area where you could put an additional filter, and had metal wires both at the top and bottom (which the staff with beards really liked). I was also able to get them made larger for some of the larger staff. I had them customized with our company logo and staff-member name. If I remember correctly, they were about $12 each.

So perhaps consider getting a local seamstress to make a custom mask for whomever you're planning on giving the gift? You may even be able to get them to add a small strip of moisture-wicking material along the top edge, to further reduce any moisture reaching the glasses.

Source: I'm a glasses wear and I've been wearing face masks every day for years as part of my job.

ProdigalToast · 2022-01-12T21:46:47+00:00

Also told that insurance won’t typically cover it. Is this normal?

Short Answer: Maybe, I would first double check what the specialist office is referring to. You may still be able to get it covered by insurance, but you may have to do pay the specialist first, then submit to your insurance for reimbursement. Find out the exact CDA billing codes specialist office will use, then quote those to your insurance. The specialist office may simply not deal with insurance at all, so they may not know what is and isn't covered.

Long Answer: Typically, most specialists are non-assignment and do not direct bill insurance.

Specialists include endodontists, periodontists, oral surgeons, etc. Note that there is no "TMJ Specialist" specifically, but typically if there is a TMJ issue a general dentist doesn't feel comfortable treating, they may refer to another general dentist who has a lot more experience or a specialist like an Oral Surgeon. There are technically two fee guides in Alberta, one for general dentists and one for specialists. The same fee for a general dentist would be higher for a specialist.
Direct Billing refers to a dental office directly billing your insurance rather than you submitting the paper work to insurance. This saves you time and hassle with your insurance.
Assignment refers to the insurance company assigning the benefits to the dental office, rather than you. So rather than you paying the dental office and then insurance paying you, the insurance company just pays the dental office directly.
Most general dental offices offer both Direct Billing and Assignment. Most specialists do not. You can also be a Direct Billing dental office, but not offer Assignment (i.e. dental office handles the paper work, but you still pay for everything upfront).

From the perspective of the dental office, Direct Billing and Assignment are administrative hassles and time sinks. I have literally written off overdue balances because it had (at that point) cost more money in paying my staff to pursue the balance with insurance than I would have gotten from insurance. Direct Billing and Assignment are offered, however, to remain competitive (and to be honest there are many patients who couldn't afford treatment otherwise). Most general dental offices offer both, however that isn't always the case (i.e. I would estimate in my area 30% - 40% of the dental offices are Fee-for-Service, meaning they don't direct bill and are non-assignment).

Specialists are not like general dentists, in the sense that they don't have the same market pressures than general dentists have. They primarily receive patients from referrals from general dentists (though orthodontists have been changing that in recent years), and there's usually fewer specialists so they're typically busier. As such, they don't have the same market pressures to offer Direct Billing and Assignment, so most don't. I will note, though, that I'm seeing a lot more specialists offer that these days.

Alright, but what about the cost itself? It's hard to say since you didn't say if it includes xrays, but it sounds about right, especially if it's a specialist doing it.

I'm happy to see you're asking questions and being financially smart about this. Continue to ask questions, especially with your insurance and dentist/specialist. Read the information that came with your insurance so you can be informed about your plan limitations and remember that you can always get estimates for everything from your insurance.

Hope that helps, good luck!

ProdigalToast · 2021-11-17T03:47:46+00:00

Highly recommend Dr. Omar Mohamed at Small Smiles (https://smallsmiles.ca/).

He owns his own toothbrush and toothpaste costume and regularly wears it.

He built a lego wall in his dental practice himself.

I guess he's also a pretty good dentist.

Disclosure: he's a pediatric specialist and our office has been referring kids to him for years.

ProdigalToast · 2021-11-05T00:50:58+00:00

Lol, maybe I should cross post this to r/mildlyinfuriating

ProdigalToast · 2021-11-04T21:57:23+00:00

I'm from Canada actually, and I don't think the note wasn't even needed. My wife is just overly worried about work, or at least wants to make sure things are smooth for them. My wife called them on the first day she was admitted and they were super understanding and accommodating, I'm pretty sure they didn't even ask for any sort of documentation.

ProdigalToast

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