Miserable-wish I could go back in time!

Message

Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:28 am

I am in so much agony right now. I feel like everything I have done and sacrificed for braces was a waste if I could just go back in time and have my old teeth back. My teeth were big, a little crooked but I wanted perfection so I decided to get braces. I've had some minor problems my braces, but nothing I couldn't handle. Last Monday's adjustment was horrible. I mentioned that one tooth seemed a little wonky and she said, oh that just needs to be shaved down a bit. I said okay, but then not only did she shave down that tooth, she proceeded to shave down all four front teeth so they are all the same length. I feel like I've lost my youthful smile where my two front teeth were slightly longer. I had no idea she was so sander happy and also had no idea she was going to shave down all my front teeth. I had my mouth open and thought she was just going to do that one tooth. I felt the sander go across all my teeth but I had no idea what she was doing because she never commicated that to me. I haven't been able to eat, sleep or function like I used to. I am going in to the doctor Wednesday to get on some anxiety pills so I can manage. I am completely sick about this. My teeth are so short now. It also makes me sick to think she did something that was completely unecessary, I had perfectly good enamel!! I talked to her and she said she did that because she saw some uneveness. I take progress pics so I looked to see if I could see the so called uneveness, and my teeth looked perfectly good. Now I look like I have dentures. My Dad has dentures and seriously, our teeth look the same. I had a horrible Thanksgiving. I've lost 10 lbs. since this happened. I am so freakin mad at her for not telling me what her 'plans' were. I am at work right now, and can hardly focus because of this. I have two kids at home that need me but I haven't been truly there for them since this happened. Please, please tell me something can be done to get me teeth back. Bonding? veneers? I am usually a super happy, optimistic person but this has made me very depressed.

#2 Post by **Clo** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:25 am

Oh dear.

What a shame that this happened. I searched here to see if I could find a pic
of your teeth and found this :

viewtopic.php?t=25951&highlight=

Now, you are talking here about your upper teeth I think. Well then she did
indeed a wrong thing. It looks more natural if the laterals are a bit shorter than
the centrals. If they are now all the same length, then that was indeed totally
unnecessary. When looking at your pics, I think your teeth did not need that.
I have seen that sometimes one does ask such even teeth. But at least she
needed to ask what you wanted and tell you about her intentions. I really do
understand you are upset. It reminds me a bit of my own story. I have an
open bite and my second ortho decided to grind down my molars. I too was
expecting only a small bit done on one area. But he did all my molars. I never
had any cavity. My molars were so to speak brand new. In only some minutes
he made old man's teeth of them. It happened some time ago, but to this very
day, I feel so sorry that happened. I think you have every right to seriously
express your feelings about this. She imposed on you a cosmetic look which
she absolutely needed to ask you about. I feel for you.

#3 Post by **TumbleDryLow** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:15 pm

OMG! I'd be seriously PO'd if this happened to me. You have my sympathy. What nerve! I really can't get over the insensitivity of your ortho.

If you express your concern to your ortho (and I really don't know if this is possible) maybe your laterals can be pushed up a bit to make your centrals appear longer again.
Good luck.

Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:41 pm

Deleted.

#5 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:47 pm

I feel for you too - I would be furious if I were in your situation.

First of all, you need to tell your ortho that you are unhappy with what she did. She needs to know, otherwise this is likely to happen again with more of her patients. Then, you can start looking at what your options are for fixing your teeth. And I am sure it's doable. Veneers, I am sure, would take care of it, but of course they are expensive and need to be replaced every ten years or so. Maybe bonding is also an option.

I wonder if there is any way you can get compensation from your ortho for this, because obviously she has caused you emotional trauma, and you are likely going to be paying some amount of money for cosmetic dentistry. I would take a good look at what your contract says, and maybe get some legal advice.

Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:55 pm

Thank you guys and gals for your sympathetic responses! I am so distraught over this, I can even begin to tell you how negatively this has impacted me. I did visit with a cosmetic dentist today and his idea was to talk to my ortho and tell you to adjust my wires so I can pull the centrals down and move laterals up-(jt2lang, you were so right-thanks) so I am meeting with my ortho Wednesday to see if this is possible. I really hope it is, because if its not, I may proceed with some legal action. Even as I'm typing this, I can't believe this happened. I'll try to hang in there but its hard. I'll keep you posted and if I can 'fix' this I promise I'll post a 'new' picture of teeth. Right now, I'm just too filled with anxiety to take a pic of my teeth and post them the way they are.
Thanks again.

#7 Post by **beachbum** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:59 pm

If you haven't done so yet, you really need to take pictures of your teeth right now. You don't have to show us, you just need to have them.
I know it's hard...
I feel for you, my ortho did a little too much shaving on one tooth, too, IMO.

#8 Post by **artprincess** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:42 am

oh my goodness TLB! i'm sorry to hear that happened to you! my shaving experience was horrible. I had to have the ortho stop every few seconds because it felt as if my whole head was rattling. maybe that's why they didn't shave as much lol

#9 Post by **switchblades** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:16 am

I would also suggest taking a picture of the teeth after being shaved but prior to being readjusted, as you will need photo proof if legal action is required down the road. no need to show it on here if you're totally uncomfortable with it! Just for your own protection.

I'm so sorry this happeend to you hun, I hope you can get the results you need, and I'd even consider changing orthos, if yours is so untrustwrothy!

#10 Post by **berries** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:27 pm

My sympathies, also. I am sorry to hear that you are so upset.

Although this doesn't help in dealing with your ortho per se, and it may not be a suggestion you want to act on right now, you might ask your dentist about cosmetic bonding as a possible way to re-lengthen the two teeth.

In our era of veneers, bonding gets short shrift. But I have had it on one of my front teeth since I was a little girl (I broke my tooth, which was sticking out.) I've had it redone once. My ortho is expecting me to get a veneer at some point, and I haven't figured out yet how to tell him I'd rather just get the tooth rebonded. (Its shape is off now, because it was shaped previously to compensate for crowding.)