Would you be happy with these teeth?

[belistic10]

i think the letter is good and right to the point! i am no expert but i think they have not done their job properly, especially for the length of time treatment has been going on for. I hope things go your way and you can get your smile exactly how you want it to be

[Jethro]

I'm sorry your results have been unsatisfactory, and no, I would not be happy either. Although his 30% refund offer may be unacceptable, it is still very significant in that he is acknowledging on some level that your treatment has not achieved acceptable results. I would also suggest talking to an attorney who is familiar with these situations and see where you stand from a legal perspective as $11K is a LOT to spend on failed orthodontia.

I wish you the best and let us know how things work out.

[Amanda6]

Hi Sharp,

Have you tried seeking an opinion from a Functional Orthodontist? I believe they would be able to correct the overbite without jaw surgery. They expand the upper arch using orthodontic appliances, and they are of the opinion that it is possible to expand the upper arch in adults, whereas mainstream orthodontists are of the opinion that it isn't possible, only with jaw surgery to expand the arch.
Functional orthodontists also take the jaw joint function into consideration with the orthodontic treatment. The position of the lower jaw within the upper jaw when biting is quite important, and is dependant on the position of teeth when biting. If the lower jaw is not correctly positioned it can put a strain on the jaw joints.

Did you have teeth extracted before you started your orthodontics?

[sharp]

I've had a guy trying to fix my teeth for 5 years without surgery. I'm convinced it is impossible.

I've gone to someone else now, got upper braces yesterday. It sux. Full metal. I'm 25 and I'm in a job where I talk to people alot. Full metal lower in a few weeks. I already look like I'm about 19. Now I look like I'm 12.

Braces suck.



14 months apparently. I'm skeptical but I hope this new guy knows what he's doing. He's world famous apparently.

[itsleelance]

Best of luck. This is a pretty scary scenario for someone considering getting work done.

[sharp]

Best of luck. This is a pretty scary scenario for someone considering getting work done.

I know.

Be very careful.

Always get more than one opinion. Some orthodontists are much better than others...

None of this is my fault - the only mistake I made was walking into his surgery in 2006. If only I had a time machine....

[sharp]

sorry to keep bringing this thread back


i have been offered a 50% refund now.

would you guys take it? or should i keep going, i.e. get government agencies involved...

[sharp]

also i have another question if that is ok


based on the pictures i have posted...

can anyone tell me whether 14 months to surgery sounds realistic?

what is needed is to flare the upper teeth out to reverse the recession/retraction and do pretty much the same thing to the bottom teeth...

could this be done in 14 months?

[chocolate1978]

sorry to keep bringing this thread back


i have been offered a 50% refund now.

would you guys take it? or should i keep going, i.e. get government agencies involved...

I would take the refund. Going to a lawyer, court fees all cost money and may likely cost more than the 5.5k he/she owes you.

I think you should also take some responsibility in that you took way, way too long to speak up. Most people get their teeth fixed within 2-3 years. Hindsight is 20/20, but you should have spoken up way sooner and found another ortho 2 years ago. For some reason some people get strung along for years as I am finding out on these boards and I just don't understand how you let yourselves do that. No way in hell would I wear these things for longer than 2.5 years max. At the end of that I will demand these suckers be removed and if still unhappy find someone else. Lucky for me though, I have seen tons of progress.

Take the 5.5K pay this other ortho and be done with it. Time is money, and wasting time suing can be stressful. Unless you are suing for damages, which is extremely difficulty in cosmetics, it is not worth it. Your time is valuable and your dentis is admitting partial fault here by giving you some money back. I seriously doubt he's a douche bag enough to waste appt. after appt seeing you, spending time on you just to get nowhere. Bet he/she was frustrated too, but neither of you really did much about it. There have to be a majority of success stories in his office right? Hopefully.

Good luck in your new journey and sorry you are going thru this. I suspect, but I am no expert that 14-16months should be sufficient to get you in surgery mode, based on what I have read on here.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

They're a heck of a LOT better than with what I started off with and I think anything is better than mine were lol

But as far as yours go, I wouldn't be you shouldn't be having that deep bite going on there, not to mention your laterally incisor is a bit off and the canines are out further than the rest of your teeth. You shoulda went regular metal or invisalign thus avoiding this four years and 11 grand later. I'm guessing by the price you're going to some place in Boston. But for me??? If that was the result after what I had I would gladly take it.

[BracesChick]

Is there any update?

[sharp]

Hi braceschick.

I ended up getting a refund of about 65% of the amount I paid. I still think I deserved 100%. Getting 65% took me 6 months of writing letters and yelling at him through the phone. Thousands of dollars are a lot of money for someone in their 20s so it was worth fighting. Even though I was 25 at the time, I still got my dad involved because I thought that would be effective. When it was two one on, he buckled. This was an EXTREMELY stressful time in my life. I was angry/panicking all throughout the process.

Basically, this orthodontist, despite having all the right qualifications and graduating with honours, and despite having hundreds of patients, had NO IDEA what he was doing with regard to MY case.

After that, I then had (and still have) full metal braces for 20 months, and I just had lower jaw surgery (different orthodontist).

It looks like my 7-year nightmare may be coming to an end (maybe). I've lost some feeling in my lower lip and chin and I'm not sure if it will come back. I still need braces for a few more months to finish the job.


Be very careful before getting braces. Orthodontics is a pseudo-science, plain and simple. Good results are not guaranteed and there is a lot of guesswork and estimation.

[mapleleafman888]

Hi Sharp, just read this whole post, very sorry and unhappy with what you had to go through. It reminds me of a recent story that was all over the news about some idiot ortho who left a guy in braces for 11 years.

Kudos for fighting and for standing up to that incompetent greedy Dr.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment. Hope all is well.

[cakemamma]

Hi Sharp I was wondering if you have any more updates? And are your teeth shaping up with the metal braces on? Glad you fought for your rights and got some money back, I think we were raised to respect authority, but no-one is to be trusted!
Abi