Problems with my Orthodontist

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#1 Post by **Jesse** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:36 pm

So, heres the deal. Every time he or a staff member touches my mouth, problems arise.

When they put the spacers in, I got home, and drank some coffee through a straw. One feel out. I had to go back.

Got braces on. Brackets fall out on the way home.

Reattached the next day. They forgot to put the wire back into the last slot of the brackets I realize on the way home. They fix it, and give me a movie ticket (I couldn't care less about).

More brackets fall off.

I return, and a total of 11 of them have to be removed reattached.

Another one falls off, return, reattached.

Here I am again, and 3 of them from different places of the mouth has fallen off.

In most instances, they fell off at a time when I didn't even notice. The first fell off from eating a sandwhich, Two brackets fell off when I was brushing, and the three most recent fell out when I was eating a piece of bread.

I've still yet to move out of the eating only soup and the softest of foods phase.

So, I'm basically fed up with it. Clearly, sometime is going wrong here, and its happening over and over.

As a patient, what rights do I have to fight this? Is this really okay?

I was told by there assiociation that everyone has brackets fall off and anyone who doesn't is a liar. All my friends who had braces never even heard of brackets falling off, and a website said theres only about a 6% failure rate. They mentioned I had a bad batch of glue, but shouldn;t they remove them all at once then, and not keep messing with me?

What can I legally do here? Can I get my money back and go to a different orthodontist? Is it really okay for him to keep brackets in my mouth that he's almost positive will fall out and I will have to return? Is it legal for me to have to come back every week? The agreement seems really vague and open ended, and I'm currently bringing it up with the family lawyer.

I can't find anything on patients rights for orthodontists.

#2 Post by **ghostmyimag3** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:41 pm

I have heard people say things about the glue not holding on the brackets. As far as the money situation all you can do is really ask right. That really sucks though.

#3 Post by **Jesse** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:51 pm

Yeah, thats what it seems like, according to paper work. I might be out 100 dollars or so, but the chunk of it will be returned unless theres things I don;t know about. Lawyer looking into it for safety's sake, and also, to protect me ahead of time if for some reason they want to fight it.

#4 Post by **payoki** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:11 pm

I go through pretty much same thing, my orhthos assistance was yanking on the wire and it was causing so much pain I literally cried, finally I called for ortho and guess what!!! he put the new wires in and I felt almost nothing...It would be nice if the doctor was able to do everything but he's so busy that basically he just gives orders and the assistance have to do all the work and we are the ones who suffer~

#5 Post by **Kodius Champion** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:50 pm

I was told by there assiociation that everyone has brackets fall off and anyone who doesn't is a liar.

Total crap.

#6 Post by **mandaluv** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:58 pm

um yeah, that many brackets falling off is INSANE! i know some people break 1 or 2 during their whole treatment... but i eat whatever i want (even certain no-no foods) and have yet to break anything yet after 10 months.

#7 Post by **Jesse** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:41 pm

Well, yeah, I know most the comments already, and thank you for the sympathy, but what I really want is someone with more authority, like an actual orthodontist. I planned to call some tomorrow, I was hoping to get lucky and reach one today, since I missed the 4 o'clock hour

#8 Post by **Jesse** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:31 am

Well, I talked to my family dentist this morning, and he told me that these people didn't sound like they were worth a nickle. He wants to see the contract now, and was more upset about it then I was (He's a member of my sister family, we see each other at Christmas).

Well, even above the falling off brackets, they messed up my inserters and also putting the wires back into my mouth.

I don't have all my facts in yet, but I trust Jim (dentist) and I will probably talk to other orthodontists about it. I'm off to show the paper work to them.

I already had a heart to heart with him the last time I was there. I'm not going to be walked on trying to be nice, and the longer I wait for him to mess up again the more it'll hurt my ability to leave.

Above anything else I don't like being lied to, or feel patronized, ever. I'm sure he is a good orthodontist, I did my homework before going to him, but this series of unfortunate events and then having to deal with all these middle men. It also does not make sense to me that they can literally say to me they gave me a bad batch, and leave the bad ones in my head for them to fall out. Shouldn't they remove the whole batch?

I have a life, and things to do. I can't go there for an hour each week, nor was it in any type of the agreement. I don't want to sue him, I want to use the lawyer to insure I get my refund, minus a couple hundred at best. I know this goes on all the time with contracted work, especially when it involves using up someones time.

#9 Post by **Jesse** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:31 am

I know this isn't once sided, and I fully believe he is a good orthodontist. I just don't want him anymore.

He's a family Lawyer, and also, I have an uncle who's a lawyer. All I really want them for is advising, and so I know to what extent I can argue with out looking foolish.

Off I go.

#10 Post by **Jesse** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:47 pm

Yeah, I didn't list a lot of mine and the doctors interactions. Its been relatively good, I could of spoke up more earlier and didn't, but definitly in the last month they have.

He's out of town now, on vacation, the second time in 2 months. Not that that really matters. I can't ask him if I tried.

The official response to why they want to keep them on there is "They wanted to see which were the bad ones". The theory was that they couldn't all be bad, and after the first 2 weeks, the ones that would fall out, would of already. made sense. Then one fell off, they got me in right when he was leaving and he just watched someone else attach and ran off. Then more kept falling out, the doctors out of town, so a lot of the new ones are out and can't even be fixed.

Whats time consuming? The process would only take an hour or 2, tops, compared to a half an hour every week for the last 8 weeks, with some exceptions. I'd say a good three hours extra (past initial putting them in) has been spent reattaching. Not to mention the travel time and interrupting the middle of my week that always occurs.

And last, and most interestingly, how is 12 brackets calling off in a week a speed bump? Its more like my car flipped. The spacers and not putting wires back, and receptionists making things up to me, those are speed bumps. A bracket a week seems to be pretty outrageous to me.

#11 Post by **Jesse** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:37 pm

Getting stabbed would also be a speed bump by that logic.

#12 Post by **katmc_tx** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:58 am

Jesse your whole experience has really really sucked. If I were you I would be beyond pissed with your lack of response from your ortho. Ive been braced for about one year and have only had one bracket come lose and that was because the assistant was tugging on it.

I think you should do whatever you feel is best for your situation because no one else will have to deal with the out come but you. And I understand your need to seek legal advice to make sure you are well with in your rights to get out of the situation with as much money as you've spent without any results.

Good luck with your situation and I hope it works out for you.

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