6 Month Smiles braces going on next weekend

[golfgirl]

Thank you but I think the best I can hope for is that he'll recommend a course of hideously expensive orthodontics. :-/

Oh, I've also been left with a lisp. Upset about that too.

[27braces88]

Oh no.

5 months does seem like a crazy short time for braces. Hopefully the new ortho will get you sorted

[golfgirl]

It works for many people. Unfortunately, the result I have is not uncommon. The problem is that the dentist didn't warn me. If I'd known what the result would be, I wouldn't have gone ahead. I do feel the dentist was negligent in that respect. So I'm afraid I may well be making a claim against her, depending on what the orthodontist says. I feel terrible to be considering it (I despise the "compensation culture") but I do wonder if she has a responsibility to make at least a contribution to the high cost of corrective traditional orthodontics, if that's what's required. I'm also pretty damn fed up to to be left with a lisp. She didn't warn me that was a possibility either.

[Pixelada]

What makes people select six month smiles over regular braces? It doesn't seem to be the best option for stable and well-rounded results.

[golfgirl]

It's marketed as a quick fix for the social six. The brackets are tooth-coloured. It takes an average of six months. And it works very well for many people.

[jem]

I think you should claim a full refund from your dentist. If she had told you your teeth would end up in such a protruding position you would not have gone ahead. That is not "compensation culture"; it is just getting a refund for inadequate service.

Good luck with your orthodontist appointment. I hope they can come up with an acceptable treatment plan. No doubt they will accept payment in instalments, so hopefully if you get a refund from your dentist, you will not end up paying more than if you had gone to an orthodontist in the first place and all you will have lost is the inconvenience of wearing the 6 month smile braces for a few months.

Jem

[golfgirl]

You're exactly right. I wouldn't have gone ahead. Unfortunately, I used a Groupon offer. Therefore any refund will go nowhere near the cost of corrective traditional orthodontic treatment. And the thought of more braces It took all my courage to do the SMS. Not a great situation. Driven by my own vanity.

[jem]

Groupon is really about buying a commodity and dental/medical treatment does not fit comfortably into that. There appears to be quite a lot of orthodontic treatment offered on groupon and it is tempting to believe that those who offer it are more driven by commercial considerations than clinical.

It is not vain to want straight teeth. Your smile is important. It is also important to your health that you have a bite which functions properly. Don't give up now. You have already taken the hardest step of getting braces put on your teeth. It will not be as hard to do it again. Treatment by a qualified orthodontist will no doubt cost you more than groupon SMS from a general dentist, but you get what you pay for. See if the ortho will offer you a payment plan. It may be financially hard going for a while, but you will not regret it.

Jem

[golfgirl]

I don't believe my treatment - or the result - would have been any different even if I'd paid full price. If I though that for a moment, I'd report her to the GDC.

Yes, I'm pretty sure I won't have any trouble getting a refund. (My daughter is a dentist and I'm aware of how quickly they cough up at the hint of a complaint.) My point about Groupon was that the refund will be a drop in the ocean compared to what I'll need to shell out fir corrective orthodontics. Especially if I go for lingual, which I'm tempted to. I'll see what the orthodontist says next week.

[jem]

My point about groupon was not that the treatment will have been any different from full price treatment; it was more about dentists who offer groupon deals perhaps being too driven towards generating turnover and taking on cases not really suitable for their orthodontic skills (? should that also be a GDC issue)

It sounds as if you have good support in getting this resolved which is good news.

If you go for lingual braces, it will probably cost you a great deal more. Given that you have already " broken the ice" with wearing regular braces, it should not be too hard to do it again and save a lot of money.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[golfgirl]

I've had my consultation with an expert orthodontist. I have a 5mm overjet as a result of Six Month Smiles. That's pretty hard core.

I need a healthy tooth out and up to 3 years of corrective traditional orthodontic treatment.

Please ask your dentist about crowding before you go for Six Month Smiles. Ask him/her to take X-rays. Ask to be shown what your teeth will look like after the treatment. Ask if you will have a lisp after the process. Ask if you will have an overjet.

Please don't be like me. I had pretty teeth with a tiny flaw. Now I have ugly teeth that are going to cost me GBP6000 - and a few years - to correct.

[angelina]

I'm so sorry golfgirl

[Tyrantblade]

I wouldn't go for lingual braces, that option just by itself is probably costing you like $1500-$2000 (£1000+), but thats just me, for some people having less obvious braces (since nobody would be looking at the back of your teeth), might be worth the cost.