I get the appeal of private offices, but honestly, my experience with the school clinic wasn’t as bad as I expected. My daughter’s sealants did come off a bit sooner than I hoped—about a year and a half—but the process was quick and she didn’t complain at all. We’re on a tight budget, so I’d rather risk having to redo them than skip it entirely because of the price tag at our regular dentist. Sometimes the “assembly line” approach is the only way my family gets the basics covered, even if it’s not perfect.
That’s kind of how I feel about it too. I got my braces at a private ortho, but for basic stuff like sealants, I’ve used the clinic route for my niece. The sealants didn’t last as long as the ones I got as a kid from a dentist—maybe two years max—but honestly, the price difference is huge. Did your clinic use the same materials as your regular dentist? I always wonder if that’s part of why they don’t last quite as long... but for the cost, I can live with it.
