Is my ortho short changing me, so to speak?

Message

#1 Post by **sadface** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:02 pm

Hi, just over a year ago I had ceramic braces put on my top teeth to correct 2 crooked teeth I had. One at the front and the one next to it (not 2 front teeth)

Now a year on my front tooth is still not straight and the one next to it is just kinda lamely pulled outwards a bit.

I see photos of people who have had braces on for like 4 months and have seen MUCH bigger improvements than I have in a year!

My biggest concerns are when I mentioned to my ortho that progress seems kinda slow he said because of my teeth shape I may never have fully straight teeth.... what?! :/

My other concern is where the front tooth is kinda crooked next to my straight front tooth, since the braces have obviously done some sort of movement i am now whistling when pronouncing F's. (Like saying FINALLY would make me whistle)

When I mentioned this to him he kinda just laughed like it was a joke.

I've nearly finished payment for the braces and paying a new ortho is not something I can really afford now.

Am I being paranoid or how can I get my ortho to understand my serious concerns? :/

Thanks for reading this rant.

#2 Post by **felicia** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:19 pm

Your situation is kind of unusual. Little to no improvement in one year...and now he tells you that your teeth might never be straight??? You should tell him that you are not satisfied with the results, and these results are not what you paid so much money for.
Can you post some picture?

#3 Post by **sadface** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:41 pm

Sure, just need to find the cable for the camera.

He mentioned he may have to move a bracket on my front tooth lower, does anyone have experience with this?

i.e does it look awful? it's something that worries me.

#4 Post by **sadface** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:58 pm

I'm not sure if this photo reflects upon how the problems are.

but i've been in braces for 13 months pretty much, i was estimated 18-24 months and I don't see my teeth being correct in 5 more months :/

#5 Post by **sadface** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 1:03 pm

and the front.

feels a bit crappy after a year.

(I'd resize the first pic if I could see an edit/delete button)

#6 Post by **RedDress** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:24 pm

It looks like he indeed put them too high on your 2 front teeth. What about your arch , has it rounded?

#7 Post by **Jewles** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:42 pm

He said up to 24 months and you are only 13 months in. I think it is a bit early to be accusing him of ripping you off! Things take time.

#8 Post by **fosterp** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:18 am

you probably need a little contouring of your front teeth to make them all look symmetrical

im not sure that all orthos do this for their patients though

#9 Post by **sadface** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 9:25 am

He said up to 24 months and you are only 13 months in. I think it is a bit early to be accusing him of ripping you off! Things take time.

I agree, i'm not accusing him or ripping me off per se, he's a good dude. Just after a year of wearing them to be told they may never be fully straight threw me off a little, as being fully straight is the reason I paid the money to do it.

Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:03 am

sadface wrote:He mentioned he may have to move a bracket on my front tooth lower, does anyone have experience with this?

i.e does it look awful? it's something that worries me.

My brackets are placed very high, at my gumline, and when I asked my ortho about it she said that she has found that placing them that high is more effective for certain patients, depending upon individual treatment needs. She also said that down the line in treatment, she may remove the brackets and reposition them lower on the teeth. So...I don't think it is unusual for brackets to be repositioned during treatment; my ortho's assistant seemed to imply it was quite normal.

Good luck to you and sorry you are not happy with your results thus far- that must be very disappointing.

#11 Post by **Wireless** » Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:24 am

It sounds like there may be some communications issues between you and your doc. It's a good idea to voice any concerns openly at your appointments and likewise your doc should be giving some idea of how you are progressing and if changes during treatment will be needed and why.

I'm fortunate that my orthodontist is constantly giving feedback on issues with my treatment and has from day 1. This has been really good as I am going over the estimated treatment time considerably and this has resulted in changes which started out as Invisalign and is now a combination of treatments.

If you have concerns, be sure your doc knows what they are.