Got a second opinion mid braces... Advice?

[Seraphina22]

Hi those who have seen my posts prob know that I've been experiencing various problems with my current dentist (yes he is a general dentist.. huge red flag here but I didn't know specialists existed at that point in time).

So my problems before braces are slight overbite/overjet, mild crowding, no protrusion. The dentist decided to extract 4 first premolars as he felt my lips were protruding and he wants to push them in. btw he never even took photos of my profile before braces. I was horrified then but i decided to trust him because he is the professional and the stupid me didn't know better. After much research on orthodontics, I realised my lips were not protruding, it was behind the e line (the line from the tip of the nose to the chin), which indicated it was flat/normal. additionally, I started to experience tmj symptoms due to a horrible bite (my bite was fine before braces), my overjet became huge and i developed a deep bite. Apart from these, my dentist was very hard to communicate with. He gets so defensive whenever i ask any questions. he even chided me or gave me no answer kinda answers. he has never shared with me the expected results, treatment, timeline etc., and every time i tried to tell him I hope to achieve, he doesn't listen and instead wants me to follow what he wants for me.

Fast forward 4-5 months into braces (now), my gut feelings is telling me to seek help before anything happens. my teeth are already somewhat aligned and my extraction gaps are still huge. So I went to this ortho who seems to understand facial aesthetics well. I didn't tell her my concerns so i could see what she thought (in case i was just overthinking things). And wow, she told me all my problems like i thought. First, she said I have a really strong chin and thin lips. my bottom teeth and lips are tipping inwards. if my teeth move back anymore to close the gaps, i would lose my lip support, my tongue space would get even smaller (already small now) etc. my top lips are already in a good position. extraction is absolutely not necessary, no protrusion at all. the top arch could still be somewhat justified, but the bottom is NO. she also mentioned that the brackets are not properly placed. So she gave me the following options:
1.
for the bottom teeth: move the back teeth forward to close the gaps and hopefully push the front out a little or maintain the current.
for the top teeth: move the front teeth back to close the gaps and correct overjet (maybe also move some back teeth front).
1.1 to move the back teeth front, this can be done by slowly moving the teeth one by one
1.2 or using TAD (micro-implants)
2.
same for option 1 for the top teeth, but for the bottom, use implants to fill the extraction gaps

so now what do i do. Clearly staying with my current dentist is not a good choice right. but this new ortho is really expensive, way way beyond my budget (2k more). but she is so friendly and understanding. if i do move to her, which option do u think i should choose? what is safer?
Also, how should i got about telling my current dentist? I have already paid a little more than half and the contract states that if i stop treatment i will have to pay the rest too. The new ortho said that usually the contract doesn't matter, and i should be able to negotiate somehow? So what should i say or do to stop having to pay the remaining amount and even possible get some refund? Do I say it like he is in the wrong (well..he is), or should i settle this nicely (not sure how tho)?

Phew long post Thanks for reading and please give some advice!!!

[Seraphina22]

anyone? I really want to know if there are any pros and cons to moving the back teeth forward or filling the space with implant...

[Gia]

Don't have advice clinically, but might get a second consultation. As for the contract, it is a binding document. That said your dentist can choose to negotiate you, and might on the balance. I doubt you'll get a refund as they also compute cost factors in terms of time and materials already rendered. You may also want to have a frank discussion with the dentist about plan and expectations. Just schedule it to talk and not as part of your routine adjustment. Good luck.

[SG4]

When I was in braces I had gone for a second opinion mid treatment for my open bite. I felt my ortho was not doing anything to work on my tongue thrust issue. He was not exactly helpful and said he would probably do the same thing my ortho was already doing...🤦🏼‍♀️

So you went to one ortho for a consult. Go get a second or third or more. Go until you find an ortho that is a right fit for you, and your budget. They are all different!

[Seraphina22]

update.
so i actually went to talk to my current dentist again and this time he really went in detail about my treatment plan and addressed my concerns. so his plan was actually already the same as the second doctor's one (i.e. closing the extraction gap by moving the back teeth to the front), he just never really told me these so i can't help but got worried. He also explained to me that before i got braces my teeth really did not have any space at all to align without extractions so he really didn't have a choice. Not extracting would have been much easier for him too. and after other discussions, I'm pretty convinced and I think he really has my best interest at heart so I'm staying with him.
So i guess the most important things really is to have a good in depth talk with your doctor if you're concerned about anything.