Metal Mouth Message Board

1.What do you call the process where a dental assistant is switching your braces wires and while wrapping up the process, pulls on your wire (right before cutting I think)? All I can think of is "pulling the wire".

2. And is it a malpractice to do it in such a way that you feel a great deal of pain and the front teeth feels like it were pulled up from the roots and feel shaky afterwards and you get the feeling that the person is doing something seriously wrong?

As in they pulled the very back of the wire towards the back of your mouth before cutting it?

I had a 'reverse niti' wire where they bent the end of the wire down instead of just cutting it on the last band. While bending each end they had to squeeze my upper jaw/across upper teeth with their hand to hold me still and get more of a grip. It was painful. I lived and my teeth show tons of improvement from this.

I am not quite sure what you mean by them pulling on the wire. Do you mean literally grab it with a tool and tug (between two brackets)?

I don't think I have ever had my archwire pulled like the previous poster mentioned, maybe I did earlier in treatment with the more flexible wire and I have forgotten. My ortho just inserts it into the brackets then puts on the ligatures or wire ties and then cuts the ends if they're too long.

Not sure what you mean. Do you mean that they pulled the wire from side to side so they could cut more of it? If so, then they did that to me in my second week. Hurt like hell, but I got over it. T'was nothing compared to the pain I felt last week when the orthodontist examined, moved, bracketed and wired a loose molar. Took days for that pain to die down. But that's the thing about orthodontics... it goes hand in hand with pain. Lots and lots of pain, the kind that can reduce grown men to tears. It's an unfortunate but normal part of the process.

I don't think you have a case for malpractice. If they actually broke or pulled a tooth out then yes, but causing pain that went away? Nope. If you have a problem while they are performing a procedure then that is the time to tell them so they can try to be more careful.

You could always speak with the practice manager and tell them that you are unhappy about what happened and would like more care taken in the future. Good luck.

Adjustments hurt - they really do - but it's only temporary. My ortho pushes each end of the arch wire through the little tubes on the very back brackets, then uses needle-nose pliers to push the wire firmly into each bracket, to make sure it's settled before putting a ligature on, and any slack pops out the back for him to trim (which I'd much rather because poking wires are a long-term pain).

Each time I'm convinved I'm going to end up with permanent damage, but the pain goes away really quickly - the teeth are just super sensitive, so any pressure will inevitably hurt.

I think it's normal - but, as well as posting here for advice, talk to your ortho. Mine knows I have a very low pain threshold, and always warns me if something will be uncomfortable (ha! hurt like hell, more like). And take some ibuprofen an hour before you go in, it will lessen the pain.

Good luck.

It's been a year but my front teeth are still shaky. I think it did do permanent damage. Wish I could sue them, but might not be enough evidence.

It's normal for your teeth to feel a bit wobbly. You have braces, the whole POINT is that your teeth move. How are they supposed to get straightened if they aren't mobile?

It's been a year since I had my braces off, and it is still wobbly.

Yup they did it to me and my legs shot up in the air! Hurt so much and I was so embarassed as the kid also getting braces there seemed fine! Not looking forward to new wires but its meant to get easier.

I cannot imagine any sort of momentary force that could cause your teeth to be any looser than they normally would over a year later. Either the tooth is going to fall out in short order, or the bone is going to re-mold itself if in fact the tooth has been shifted.

And sometimes teeth are just a little mobile all the time, braces or not. I know that I could wiggle a couple of my teeth a little even before I had braces.

Definitely think its normal with a little movement in the front teeth. Your teeth are always abit "wobbly" even if you have not got them done...

I can feel movement in my front teeth (and I imagine I can see it too) if I grab it by my fingertips are rock it.

Anyway, if you would like to get an expert opinion you are certainly free to go to any dentist and ask them, maybe even get an x-ray to check the roots.

Do an x-ray to check the status of the bone and the roots. If everything looks fine, it probably is.

sirwired wrote:I cannot imagine any sort of momentary force that could cause your teeth to be any looser than they normally would over a year later. Either the tooth is going to fall out in short order, or the bone is going to re-mold itself if in fact the tooth has been shifted.

And sometimes teeth are just a little mobile all the time, braces or not. I know that I could wiggle a couple of my teeth a little even before I had braces.

I think my wobbliness is worse than normal wobbliness. I can't bite into an apple because of it. I could bite into an apple just fine before I had the braces.

i really dont think that can be classed as malpractice. adjustments can hurt like hell, i was warned about the pain before i started treatment. and the wires need to be pulled to get them to sit right.
i had an adjustment where the ortho was pulling something with pliers, the pliers slipped and caught the inside of my cheek and made it bleed, i didnt think "oh malpractice" i just thought these things happen.
iv had an adustment that hurt so bad that i asked if the force they were applying could rip my teeth out, cos it felt so darned bad, but he said it was quite normal and he sympatized that it hurt but its just part of the deal. i have every faith in my ortho and dont think any pain he has caused me is unnecessary.
wobbliness happens, and will continue to happen until the bone regrows, if you are concerned about it, then speak to a dentist. but im afraid that the disclaimer that gets signed before treatment begins , warns of possible risks that can happen and unless they have done something specifically wrong, then there is no case