Disappointing debanding after almost 3 years in braces

[Flaka]

Hello, I got my braces off yesterday and I will tell you a bit of my story.

I was in braces for almost 3 years. I started with a crossbite and mild to moderate crowding and ended with an overjet, overbite and other problems.

I am moving to England next week (I live in the US) and my current ortho asked me if I wanted to continue the treatment there and of course I said yes as I saw my teeth were not near finish after 32 months. He said he contacted a few orthos in Manchester and he said I was looking at around 2500 - 3000 pounds to continue the treatment but that he wasn't sure because it depends on the ortho I go to. I told him I didn't have that much money right now, I don't have a job and we are spending a lot of money in getting settled there. He said I could keep the braces until I find an ortho (even if it was months) but I wouldn't have any progress. Long story short (Sorry as it is not long enough already ) I decided to take them off since I can't afford continuing the treatment now and I have already paid my ortho $7k for the whole treatment. The thing is that I understand correcting teeth/ bite takes time, but after almost 3 years, you would think that my teeth look better than when I started. Well, yes there have been some positive changes but I honestly will give anything to go back to my original teeth. I am now left with an overbite, overjet, a very rotate premolar and shifted jaw and slanted smile. I am so frustrated, sad and disappointed. At least at the beginning my front teeth were upright, no overjet or overbite. I feel like this was a waste of time and money and I regret no choosing another ortho. I hate my smile, it is not natural now, the teeth are flared out and when I smile I look like a rat.

All I can hope for is to get home with my husband, find a job and save enough to find a good ortho and get braces again. Did I mention I also need 2 implants on my lowers? hahaha. Well my ortho told me yesterday that "maybe we should have extracted the 2 upper molars to obtain the wanted results and that way I didn't have to get implants and close the lower spaces... WTH! 32 months later you tell me this?

Anyways, sorry for venting, it is so depressing when you put so much time and effort into something to get it fixed and at the end, it ends up being worse

I could post photos but it is so embarrassing, they are so ugly.

Thanks for reading.

[BraceFace2o1o]

Aww no I am really really sorry to hear that how upsetting for you.

This might be a silly question , but have you discussed these concerns with your Ortho and asked him why your teeth have ended up this way? I would feel unhappy too if I had been in your situation.

So you would have been looking at paying £2500-£3000 for an Ortho here in the UK to take on your case... Although I know it isn't as simple as some people like to think when changing Orthos, I didn't think they would charge what it would cost a total new patient to have braces. I am paying £2770 for my metal braces, and I would say the average cost for metal braces for a new case here in the UK is between £2000-£3500.

I really really hope you manage to get something sorted Flaka, I really do feel for you

[MyLittleTeeth]

I'm sorry to hear that too, Flaka; I'm sure it's disappointing to invest so much physical and emotional energy into something for that amount of time and not get the results you want.

I'd definitely discuss your concerns with your ortho. In my opinion, he should have discussed your treatment options and what the results of each would be before your treatment began, not after the fact. That's why they take molds of your teeth before treatment - so they can determine what's feasible given your unique case, lay out treatment options and any compromises (i.e. major flaring) that may result with each, and allow the patient to make an informed decision. At least that's what my ortho did. The fact that your ortho didn't mention the extraction option until late in your treatment kind of sounds like he didn't do this.

The reason I'd bring it up is because once you lay out your case, maybe he'll give you at least a partial reimbursement for his services. That happened to someone I know - she was in braces for 5 (yes 5!) years, and ended up with really flared teeth. Her ortho never told her that this might be a consequence of her treatment, and she ended up getting a full reimbursement after addressing it with him. In your case, a full or even partial reimbursement could help pay for additional orthodontic treatment in England.

Also, there's the fact that your treatment is not complete - I don't know how your orthodontic contract is written, but often if the patient elects to stop treatment or switch orthos for whatever reason before treatment is complete, they get reimbursed for the portion of services that weren't completed.

Anyway, I hope you can get some sort of resolution. Best of luck

[revontuli]

My heart goes out to you. I like the advice Chrystal and Flaka gave -- to try to find a way to make this work. I'm shocked to hear that the treatment would cost so much more to finish the job. I'm going to hope for a positive outcome to all this -- after 3 years, you deserve one.

[revontuli]

Sorry -- I meant MyLittleTeeth and Chrystal. Bad short-term memory.

[Flaka]

Thank you Chrystal, MyLittleTeeth and revontuli for your comments. I did talk my Ortho about the whole thing and told him I was very disappointed with the treatment and the outcome but he just said he was sorry and gave me a bunch of excuses but did not offer a partial reimbursement of any kind. Unfortunately my treatment contract was 24-30 months and it has been 32 months since I started so I don't get any money back. I paid for the whole thing last year already. He was saying that my bones are very strong and my teeth are just thick and hard to move yet they moved enough to give me an overjet and an overbite. Pretty much he tipped my teeth too much.

It is what it is right now and honestly, I am afraid to go under another treatment again, I am afraid of getting stuck with another bad ortho and afraid that he/ she will mess up my teeth even more. Would love to find a good ortho and talk about my options. I don't have the money right now, but at least I can get a couple of consultations and find out how much money I need to save in order to start again and more important, find a good ortho.

Thank you again for all the advice and understanding. Sometimes is hard to explain to other people how I feel. If anybody can recommend a good ortho in the Manchester area and have a good experience with him/ her please let me know

[meemsie]

I'm sorry to hear about your ortho situation. I've actually lived with a relapsed bite, with a 5mm flared overjet and bad crowding for the last 10 years so I know how you feel about smiling. Just remember that people love you for your personality, not your teeth. Remember, teeth are always fixable. In fact, most of my friends and boyfriend actually didn't notice my teeth issues until I pointed it out to them, and even then, they didn't think it was that noticeable.

Anyway, do you have detailed before and after photos? I would consider getting a free consultation with a malpractice lawyer to at least get the money back so you can get it corrected if you still feel unhappy about the bite. I think in the US you can sue if it's above $2000 in damages. The three years seemed unusually long for treatment, so I wouldn't give up on all orthodontists completely. Perhaps you can even talk to a couple of other orthodontists to get their second opinions. I know there's a local New England orthodontist who's known for fixing other people's cases, and he testifies against dentists who falsely advertise themselves as being experts in orthodontics.

[mp921]

Hi Flaka,

I'm sorry to hear that you aren't satisfied with the end result. I'm afraid I will be able to relate next month. My braces are coming off in January after 2 1/2 years with them and a lower jaw surgery that resulted in less than optimal results. I am not happy with my front teeth at all. My upper midline if off just a hair, but one front tooth looks like it sticks out more than the other and they both look like they are leaning to the side a bit (in the same direction). My ortho simply tells me that it's a cosmetic issue with tooth shape, but it's funny because it wasn't an issue after I had braces the 1st time in high school and prior to this 2nd time around. Saying this 2nd experience in braces has been less than satisfactory would be an understatement!

My bottom midline is off an entire bottom-tooth, but there is nothing my orthodontist can do about it short of another surgery, because that's where my jaw 'landed' when it was finished getting settled into it's new position. I'm okay with that. But I also still have a bit of a crossbite on the right side (that side has given me trouble ever since the surgery).