Seriously considering changing my ortho. Advice?

[ninamcg123]

Hello. I am a year into treatment, and I very unhappy with my ortho in general. He always seems annoyed by my questions and never seems to answer them. I feel like my teeth are more crooked then they were before I had braces. No matter how many times I talk to him about it, he says we will fix it later in my treatment. My brackets constantly break for no reason. (I have ceramics). And he doesn't replace them for months. His assistant glued a replacement bracket on wrong and Ive spoke to him about and he says he fix it later in my treatment also. It's already been a year and I feel like there has been no progress. He Also has asked to this bite exercise where I'm suppssed to bite down hard for 10 seconds every minute (he said it will correct my open bite). Sorry if im rambling, but I'm so fustrated at this point. I am seriously considering changing orthos. Has anyone ever changed orthos because they are unhappy? I've read a lot of people changing when they move out of state. What do you guys think?

[amandajane]

he says we will fix it later in my treatment. And he doesn't replace them for months. His assistant glued a replacement bracket on wrong and Ive spoke to him about and he says he fix it later in my treatment also.

I would check with an orthodontist that DOESN'T GIVE you problems. Essentially, braces are to correct the teeth alignment, noone needs more problems when visiting an orthodontist.

Being that the time in braces has been fairly long, there should be major improvements.

[Jendz]

Hi ninamcg123,

I am so sorry to hear about your frustrations with your ortho, it is awful to be so far into treatment and not know what to do. I had difficulties with my dentist (my dentist put my braces on)- his assistant called me a baby for complaining of pain, he put metal braces on my top teeth (after I specifically asked for ceramic), etc. I went home and made a pro and con list about the dentist and decided that before I made any serious decisions I would go in and give them (office staff) a chance to fix the problem.

I made an appointment and sat down with the office manager, broke down in tears and told her everything-I told her about the grumpy assistant, the metal braces, the pain I was in, she got an earful. Within 15 minutes everything changed! The dentist brought me in, apologized for the miscommunication over my metal braces and immediately took off the metal and changed them out for ceramic (with no charge to me), and I was assigned a very nice assistant and a prescription of pain relievers for my sore teeth.

Maybe you could call and make a special appointment and explain your feelings with the office manager/orthodontist. A true professional would want to make sure you are happy and treated well. See what they have to say, if they still aren't helpful I am sure another orthodontist would be more than happy to have you as a new patient. I did a lot of asking around to see what ortho's were highly recommended in my area so that if I needed to I could switch immediately.

Best of luck! Let us know how it goes !

Jennifer

[fdd1212]

I believe I'd look into another ortho.
My doctor is extremely nice and always takes the time to answer any questions or concerns I have, and I've quizzed him several times.
The assistants have been great and his reputation from other people is outstanding. I feel very comfortable with his work and confident with his decisions, whether I understand the process or not. You shouldn't have to feel scared to ask questions or express your concerns.

[Agula]

If you're not satisfied with your treatment,I think you should consult another ortho. It's really weird that you can't notice any changes (after a year, my goodness!) Besides, I think it's natural to be curious about what's happening to your teeth, and he should answer any question you ask...

[ninamcg123]

Thanks for all advice everyone. It gave me motivation to speak with the office manager of my dentist (my ortho is a visiting ortho at my dentsit). I spoke with her today and she said she totally understands my concerns and will help me find another ortho. She said witching should not be a problem. Thank goodness! im so excited to see a differnt ortho and really begin to work on fixing my teeth!! thank you again for the encouragement!!