Loss of Bone

Message

#1 Post by **wendy07663** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 8:38 pm

Hello everyone,
I had a space between my front teeth. My dentist made an appliance, like a retainer, that I wore all the time to push my teeth together. Well, it pushed my teeth together so quickly that I lost all the bone in my top six teeth. They could not be saved and I needed to have them removed! I cannot tell you how depressed I have been since this happened. Please, anyone who is thinking of having any kind of orthodontic work done, and are over the age of 30, make sure you ask your Dr. if this can happen. I had perfect teeth and gums (except for the space) before I had this done. I just had to post this to let people know that there are risks to having orthodontic work done on your teeth.

#2 Post by **QKate** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:54 am

Gosh, That is terrible! How could this have happened? Wasn't the ortho monitoring your bone integrity throughout the process? I personally have lost 50% of my bone to periodontal disease and am lokng to get braced to correct movement that occured from this. I hope to keep all the bone I haveand am spending a LONG time searching for the best, most skilled ortho I can. I am curious to hear more details of your story. Do you have implants now? Sorry this happened to you. How old are you?

#3 Post by **Pixel Witch** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:12 am

Now I am horribly paranoid.

#4 Post by **joney** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:33 am

Good grief. How terrible, I don't understand how this could happen with a qualified professional treating your teeth. This is why orthodontics takes things slowly so as not to damage the delicate structure.

I'm really sorry to hear this. Do you have any sort of redress?

#5 Post by **red indian** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:48 am

This sounds very very scary!

#6 Post by **wendy07663** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:59 am

I just wanted people to be informed of what could happen. My dentist made an impression of my upper teeth and sent that to an orthodontist. Then my dentist just told me to wear the appliance. I went back to my dentist and "he" made the adjustments. I noticed a problem when my teeth began to be very sensitive to cold, and that's when he knew there was something wrong. I went to an oral surgeon and he said the teeth could not be saved because of the severe bone loss that had occurred. He told me that he believed it happened because they were forced together so quickly, and because I was older?. I was about 36 at the time. I did check into getting implants, but the implants and the bridgework were very expensive. (I have two children attending college) I hope I cleared up some of your questions. Thanks to all[/u]

#7 Post by **QKate** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:32 pm

So what did you end up getting done for your 6 front teeth?

#8 Post by **wendy07663** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:34 pm

I have a bridge. When this happened my family thought I should sue the dentist, but at that time, I felt as though he didn't intentionaly do this. Now that it is years later, and I hate my fake teeth, I think I should have taken him to court for at least the amount it would have cost for dental implants. Oh well, I don't like thinking about the what ifs, it will not change the outcome.

#9 Post by **shinyam** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:58 pm

OH.. MY... GOD...

That is just horrific. I am facing the possiblity of losing my lateral incisor because of severe bone loss, and that alone freaks me out.

I am so sorry that that happened to you. You should definitely sue your dentist. Even though it was unitentional, he should have known of the risks before doing that. My god.

#10 Post by **markybwoy** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:01 pm

Wendy, sorry to read about your bad outcome. Even though you didn't have a positive experience, at all, thanks for posting your experience for us.

For the record, here's some complications we're all facing

* Demineralisation leading to cavities
This is the most common complication. Cavities can be hidden by the appliances and plaque can gather around the brackets. Regular professional cleaning and good hygiene mitigate but cavities occur more often with braces. A cavitiy can be easily treated with a filling.

* Root resorption
Roots can shrink during treatment. Sometimes so much that they cannot support the tooth. Almost all orthodontic patients display some resorption but in the vast majority of cases it is extremely minor and there is no long term effect. In 5% of cases resorption aftects the lifetime of one or more teeth. Teeth with root fillings are more prone. Dentists know that there is a genetic element but they really don't understand why some patients are more susceptible than others.

* Recession
Some recession is often noticed during orthodontic treatment. Inflammation can lead to bone loss but this is very rare. Age and previous bone loss due to periodontal disease does NOT appear to be a factor determining susceptibility. They don't really know what causes it or why some people are more susceptible than others.

* Abrasion
Ceramic brackets especially can wear down tooth enamel. You need to chew s-l-o-w-l-y and watch your canine tips and incisors on lower brackets. Metal brackets are less abrasive than ceramic ones.

* Root canal
Teeth that have been moved can get inflammation and require a root canal filling to stabilise them. Again, this is very rare indeed.

As we have read, complications do occur but statistically compared to the number of patients undergoing ortho care at any one time in the whole world, they are usually rare. Statistics is no comfort if you do get a bad outcome but the raw truth is that some factors are known but mostly research is ongoing.

My advice to new patients - don't worry yourself sick about something you have no control over. Be informed and don't suffer in silence - see your dentist if anything is on your mind.

#11 Post by **shinyam** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:13 pm

Do you have a paypal account? I think it would be a good idea if members who can afford to put in a few dollars to help her pay for her implants. After reading this story, I think it is the proper thing to do.

#12 Post by **cwatt1** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:16 pm

Great post, Mark.

It's terrific to have all of these in one spot! Perhaps Lynn could use this as one of the references for newbies.

Your post also illustrates very clearly why A-1 hygiene is especially important for us brace wearers.

#13 Post by **tbarr15** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:23 pm

shinyam wrote:Do you have a paypal account? I think it would be a good idea if members who can afford to put in a few dollars to help her pay for her implants. After reading this story, I think it is the proper thing to do.

I agree, I'm sure a lot of people would be more than happy to help

#14 Post by **wendy07663** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:13 pm

I would like to thank everyone for their comforting thoughts. I have never talked to people, friends or even family, about how this event makes me feel. I don't know why, but it's kinda embarrassing. Just knowing that their are such caring people made me tear up. I thank you all for such a heart warming and generous offer.

#15 Post by **QKate** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:48 pm

Perhaps you could still take the doctor to court or in some other way get him to pay for implants? He is totally responsible. Bad dentists get away with so much, I have had bad dentists really mess up my mouth too and have had to pay tons of money to fix it- not even to what it would have been. Maybe you can talk to this dentist, or talk to a lawyer- it may be a difficult thing to face but it may help you in the long run? Keep processing and getting support with this as it may help.