My Spacers Horror Story

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#1 Post by **phenyx** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:57 pm

I ended up with spacers in my teeth for an entire *month* the first time and then two additional weeks the second time. What happened was this...

My appointment to get the spacers put in was on July 17th. I had 4 uppers and 4 lowers placed that day. I had a second appointment scheduled for the following Monday to have the spacers removed and my lower bands cemented (so I'd only have to do the spacers once) and to have bands fitted and an impression taken for my bite plate.

Note: I don't recommend seeing an Ortho who only works out of your dental office once a week. Read on for why...

So I go back on the 24th and am told that the ortho isn't there, hasn't left instructions and that I have to reschedule. The next appointment available is July 31st but I couldn't do that one because I had prior vacation plans. So it's rescheduled for August 7th. By the time I got back from vacation I'd lost a couple of spacers so I went in on the 4th to get them replaced. At that time, I was told that my ortho was out of town, still hadn't left instructions and that I'd have to reschedule for the 14th.

By this time I'm pretty darned uncomfortable. I go back on the 14th only to be told AGAIN that the ortho is still out of town. It was a death in the family related to the late July heat wave in California. Fortunately, this time the ortho had left instructions with his assistant. So on August 14th I got my lower bands cemented, my upper bands fitted and an impression taken for the bite plate. No more spacers. Next appointment: August 28th.

August 28th I go back in and find out that the lab that was to make my bite plate rejected the original impression because it was "twisted". Crap. Another set of bands fitted to my upper molars and another mouthful of foul pink stuff. Next appointment: September 11th. Because of the time lapse between my spacers and my 9/11 appointment, I had to get spacers again in my upper teeth for another 2 weeks.

All together I had spacers in my teeth for a total of six very long weeks. If anyone's had a worse experience with spacers, please let me know.

#2 Post by **lionfish** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:03 pm

Ugh, sounds horrible. No, I can't top your experience, thankfully.

#3 Post by **ssfw** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:33 pm

I think this is a clear sign that you need to find a new orthodontist. You should not have to put up with this. You should look into getting a refund for what you have already paid.

ssfw

#4 Post by **phenyx** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:03 pm

I thought about looking for a new ortho after the 2nd reschedule, but I couldn't hold it against him when I found out his father had just died. I lost my grandmother in June so I could really feel for him.

This is also my dentists office and I've been going there for years...since before my daughter was born. They know me by sight, they know my kids...there's a history there and I'm really comfortable with the staff. That's important to me.

#5 Post by **astereje** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:14 am

i don't have a spacer story that is as bad as yours, but mine is different in an ouch sort of way. To make a long story short, i got 2 spacers on my uppers and 2 on my lowers and i guess it wasn't written on my chart because the receptionist told me to come back as i regularly do in about a month (instead of a week like the assistant had told me). 3 weeks later, one of the places where a spacer was hurt sooo much and all week until i went to my next appointment. The next assistant didn't even know i had spacers on (becuz like i said, i guess it wasn't written on my chart) and discovered that that one side was hurting because a spacer had gotten in under my gum. major ouch. once it was removed (after digging in to get it out) it felt sooo much better. the plus side of it all was that i didn't need bands on those teeth after all.

#6 Post by **Joual** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:35 am

phenyx, that sounds like torture. When I had my spacers in I wasn't thinking and I started eating trail mix. When I bit into a peanut I was in extreme pain.

There were a couple of other things I tried to eat that really hurt, too.

I was lucky - I only had my spacers in for a week.

I've had delays in my treatment while waiting for dental insurance paperwork to go through, but luckily the spacers came out when they were supposed to.

That's great that the staff knows you and your family and you're comfortable with them!

#7 Post by **ThisIsMary** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:49 pm

One of my friends who just got her braces off a month ago had a spacer left in her mouth for 6 months or more. They forgot to remove one when they put the bands on so they just left it there. She kept telling them she thought something was there but they never believed her. Anyway, one appointment they finally realized she still had a spacer up there and they finally took it out.

#8 Post by **jcdamon3** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:41 pm

Horrible story. I'm sorry you had to go through that. It sounds like his administration staff doesn't know how to pick up the phone and call you either - or is that just my imagination?

#9 Post by **Laieniel** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:29 pm

I too am wearing spacers for 4 weeks... Not real sure why but I know in about 3 days if it doesn't feel any better I'm taking them out then putting them back 2 days before my next appointment LoL.

P.S That's probably not the best thing to do and I wouldn't advise it...but I'm bit irritated at the moment

#10 Post by **DaisyMay66** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:07 pm

I thought I had lucked out and escaped the evil spacers when I was first braced because my ortho uses bonded buccal tubes instead of molar bands. But after having braces for 34 months, I opened up my big fat mouth and asked my ortho if he thought my lower teeth should be slanting more inwards. He agreed but mumbled something about "not enough room, maybe some IPR".

So, in the month of August, I left the office with six new shiny purple spacers jammed between my lower teeth and an appointment in five weeks time for some IPR. In the first few days, my co-workers kept asking me is I was mad because apparently, I had a murderous expression on my face and kept pretty quiet. This was because I had a bit of pain and the spacers annoyed the heck out of me. Later in the month, I developed some swelling around one of the spacers and no amount of brushing, flossing, mouthwash or salt water rinses helped. I popped the little sucker out and felt instant relief. A week later, I had the spacers remove and the IPR done. Life was good again except for normal adjustment soreness.

#11 Post by **tamsteve** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:18 pm

Wow i feel for you!! I have a spacer on my back molar. i was suppose to get my bottom braces thursday but, had to get a spacer and will be getting my bottom braces in 2wks...so i have to wear this spacer for 2 wks.....yeah they are no fun!!! Good luck

#12 Post by **Dark_angel** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:54 pm

I hated spacers and really wanted to take them out but i resisted. I cant wait to have my 6 bands taken off though, i really cant stand them.

#13 Post by **jzaboo** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:25 pm

I never thought spacers were that big a deal, but my ortho did my uppers and lowers at the same time except for the molar bands. He did the upper spacers on my second appt, then did the bands a week later. Tomorrow he's doing the bottom spacers and the lower bands a week later. I think the fact I'm not bumping spacers against spacers makes a difference.

I had a similar problem about appointments, he was gone for two weeks on summer vacation, and when he got back, I was in Europe. So I had to go an extra month between my first and second adjustment. His appoinments are almost 2 months apart as it is, but my teeth already look straight after 4 months, so I guess I can't complain.

#14 Post by **NatalieMac** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:07 pm

Well, you've just made me feel much better about my decision not to go with the ortho who works once a week out of my dentist's office.

One more reason to the list.

Sorry you've had such a hard time. I hope that this was just a string of bad coincidences and that things will be much, much better from here on out.

#15 Post by **niknikc** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:13 pm

I too had an interesting experience with those little bloody buggers....

I first had spacers put in 3 weeks ago. They were going to put 4 in but the assistant only got 3 in... between my premolar and first molar on the left side was so tight that when she was trying to wedge it in there the floss she was holding broke and her hand hit my bottom lip, busting it open a little!

I just kinda looked at her funny and she started tearing up, apologizing. I didn't know what to think or say, still don't really. They just left the spacer out of that one.

Good thing too because I couldn't eat anything on the other side at all, I could a little on the left. Well the next day while I was getting ready for work that night, I noticed the other one on the left side had fallen out at some point

and my ortho would be in for the 4-5 days. So after having that one finally put in on a Tuesday, all three of them stayed till that Saturday where the one on the left fell out again and then on Sunday the one in the back fell out on the right side fell out. I thought this was ok cause I was getting my braces that Tuesday Sept. 26. Well, got there to get my braces and they removed the other spacer and tried to get the bands on. Did not happen, still too tight. Well....they decided to put all the spacers back in for two more weeks....the assistant popped them in so hard (even the one no one was able to get in before) my whole jaw starting immediately throbbing from the pressure. The ortho went ahead and started putting my braces on and then when the arch wire went on and everything was tightened, the spacers stopped throbbing! After that, besides being unable to chew anything and some gums sore in spots LOL, I've had no more problems with them....

Hopefully when I got back Oct. 10 they'll be able to get the bands on there with no porblems