Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi all

I had Damon braces for about 18 months. I am 53. My braces were removed and a couple of snaggle teeth have been improved but I am unhappy with the overall outcome.

My teeth have always been angulated inwards. To be honest, apart from the snaggle teeth, they look just as angulated.

I spoke to my orthodontist and he said that it would not be possible to get them vertical and talked above my head about how there was an 8 degrees play in the braces setup etc. Not having the expertise, I wasn't sure what was what. I left not knowing if he was truthful or whether I should expect vertical teeth (they certainly WERE vertical midway through the treatment).

I want to make a formal complaint if I am justified in doing so as these braces cost $6000. If anybody knows enough about these things I would be appreciative for guidance. Can get images of before, during and after.

I'm honestly going to be of very little help here, but I'm confused. Are your teeth still tilted inwards or are they now flaring out?.

On the Ormco website in the section on selective torques, there is a statement that says:

To best utilize the clinical advantage of passive self-ligation brackets, it is strongly recommended not to exceed .019 x .025 archwire dimension in an .022 bracket slot. This needed play allows for 7° of torque play in both directions.

So this might be where your ortho's 8 degrees play comes in.

http://www.ormco.com/products/damon/edu ... orques.php

Sorry for any confusion. My teeth WERE angled inwards - that's why I had the braces. During treatment they became vertical but at the end of treatment (at debonding) they were once again largely indistinguishable from the original (i.e. tilted inwards). I thought the idea was for people to have straight teeth.

It's about straight teeth, but it's also about correct jaw alignment and proper bite.

Regardless, it's clear you aren't happy with the results. I would start with the ortho who did the work since you already put the time and money into it. I'm not sure how your conversation with him went except that he wasn't making it clear enough for a non-ortho. Perhaps you could try to schedule an appointment for further discussion and ask him to explain it in layman's terms.

If that gets you nowhere or you are still not satisfied with the answers, you could consult with another ortho and discuss your concerns. That would give you a better idea of how realistic your goals are and you can determine whether your original ortho was giving you the runaround.

There is an ortho on the boards who will sometimes respond to threads, but it's still going to be hard for him to give you a definitive answer without a full in-person examination.

chichi gave the exact advice that I was going to. Good luck!