no more expander

[chris james]

went to the ortho todayas my expander had broken (again) and he said all is good better and faster thatn he expected so he said that i only need to wear the expander till 23rd of november WAHHOOOO but then he dropped the bombshell of thats the day of the fixed brace going on EH didnt see that comming didnt think i was doing anything fixed but he said i have better results with a fixed brace just ondering how long it will be on as its only got to move four teeth at the front
thanks

[Denise]

Congrats on being so close to your expander coming out! My sister had to wear one for four whole months and it was miserable for her. Sounds like you've got quite a few questions for your ortho when you go in for your next appointment. Hopefully you get good news on how long you'll have to have your braces. I was quoted 18-24 months, and I only had two teeth that needed straightened, but to straighten those I needed to have two teeth pulled. The good news is that my teeth are almost straight and I've only had braces on for 6 months.

[chris james]

hey denise
yeah got some issues really
i told him that i didnt want anything fixed as i am a 35 year old guy and am a bit funny about my looks
like you i have foru teeth that i didnt like as they were rather wonkey and have bothered me for some time so i went to this ortho close to my home and asked him if i could sort it and he said yeah no problem
a said i didnt want anything fixed as when i go somewhere like a pub or a club i could take it out but now he tells me that hes going to put fixed braces on my teeth as it would be better than using the expander
he did make the expander with some springs so it could push the teeth out to make them straight
guess i have to do it as i have come so far now and as there are so many other adults on here doing the very same thing
thanks for your comment denise ps im glad i never had to have any teeth pulled
recon they will be on for around 6-10 months not too bad really

[Sunny]

Chris great news about the expander doing a good job on your teeth!

If you don't want fixed brackets, how come this ortho didn't follow your instructions? Sounds like you need to have a good talk to him and why not find out about invisalign? With invisalign it's necessary to wear upper and lowers, and they do require more discipline than bracket braces ... but they are usually harder to see. The biggest issue for you might be making enough hours in the day, as you should wear them for at least 22 hours a day ... but it doesn't sound like you're going to need them for long, so best you weigh up not drinking at pubs and clubs against not having nice looking teeth for life!

Good luck with what ever you decide. You've done this before, so it should be a breeze whatever you do!

[chris james]

thanks sunny
i have been thinking about it all day and have come to the conclusion that im gonna go with the metal brackets as a friend of mine had the invisalign and i didnt like the look of them as they go over all your teeth and i guess that once the metal braces are on thats that no slacking
also i had a call from the ortho and they have moved the appointment closer so i am getting braced two weeks from today rather than end of next month so will be rid of the expander sooner not that i mind it anymore
just a fex questions though if you dont mind
he hasent said anything about spacers as i know they use them now and im not sure if hes going to put the bands around my molars as i had before but even then the old ortho i had never used spacers either i have 5 teeth he wants to move at the front and am wondering if he will need to use the bands around the molars
as for him not following my instructions well he knows better than me and he always has time for me not like the old nhs orthos i have been to
thanks sunny ps if you can live with braces on for four years im sure i can do a year

[Sunny]

Not all orthos use molar bands, as many now use buccal molar brackets instead. You may not need your molars treated ... but all will be revealed very soon.

I've never had any discomfort or had my eating affected due to wearing braces. My ortho works on the principles of having a positive attitude and spends time talking to his patients about this, before considering treating them. For example if I wasn't sure I wanted this treatment, he'd never have agreed to let me start it.

I've got to admit, that 90% of the time, I don't remember I have braces and none of my friends talk about them ... I guess coz I don't, which is the way I like it. I work with all things orthodontic during the day, so I don't want to talk about them when I'm with friends.

Good luck with your treatment!

[chris james]

thanks sunny will let you know how it goes

[chris james]

hey all only got one day left till the fixed braces go on fell a bit uneasy about it all only thing im looking forward to seeing is straight teeth
im prepaired for a little pain when the arch-wire goes on just wondering if there are any foods that are the best to go with at first as i want to keep the problems too a minimum
thanks all

[Sunny]

Chris james check out the posts and blogs written by people about their first few days. you'll find it's a very personal thing what you feel like eating. You've been through this before, so hopefully that means you have the confidence to eat food, as you'll know it won't break brackets. Good luck!

[chris james]

well hi all
went to the ortho yesterday to have my fixed brace put on my bottom teeth and oh my god what a cluster %$£"
got in the offace and sat n waited till he called me in and first thing he said was what can he do for me today well i could have died so told him what he said to me 2 weeks before but he said he didnt have enough time even though hes secutary had booked 45 mins then he told me he didnt have the brace made up ie the molar bands n brackets (thought they were all out of a box) then he said do i think i need the fixed brace anyway as my teeth arent that bad but when i first went to him he told me that the expander was going to do the whole job as it has some modifications
the worst thing is that he then informs me that to have the fixed brace i have to pay another 800 pounds plus 200 for a retainer when the fixed brace comes off on top of 550 pound that i have already paid plus consultations and xrays and impressions i think i have paid arond 750 pound already
now im stuck as i have big gaps and still have crooked teeth i dont have the money to pay that much even though he said i could pay it over the 6-8 months of treatment
i have 3 weeks until i have to go back although he has adjusted the expander i have to see if he can sort the problem but i dont know what i should do i fell trapped as my teeth look worse than they did before i started
when i go back in 3 weeks i am going to have it out with him
i really dont know what i should do as i am saving to get married in october next year and i need to save as much money as i can
this was supposed to be a wedding present to myself as my teeth have bothered me for such a long time now i feel awful :

[Sunny]

Chris your posts are really confusing. First you wrote that your teeth were mostly good, but that your ortho said an expander only would sort your minor issues ... and that's what you wanted. At your age, an expander can't expand your jaw, but it can move some teeth to help them align ... and you write that your ortho is thrilled with how that's happening. Then you write about your ortho suggesting braces, but you're not wanting them ... and you've had them before etc. Now it's about you wanting braces and your ortho saying you don't need them.

I'm not sure what you mean when you write

then he told me he didnt have the brace made up ie the molar bands n brackets (thought they were all out of a box)

... what needed to be made up? The brackets come in boxes and from there they're bonded to your teeth. Therefore this sounds very much like your ortho doesn't want to bond brackets to your teeth.

The money stuff is scary, as the costs should have been outlined to you at the beginning and/or when changes were suggested. It's understandable that your costs will increase as your plan changes, but you should know all about this well in advance. If you had the money, I'd recommend you go to another ortho and have your case assessed by another ortho, as something doesn't sound right with what's been happening.

now im stuck as i have big gaps and still have crooked teeth

... at the beginning you said your teeth were pretty straight ... so how are they now crooked and where did the gaps come from when an expander can't expand an adults jaw, and your ortho is happy with the work the expander is doing? Please don't let an ortho who's doesn't appear to be giving you the fill story the responsibility for making sure your bite functions at it's best for the rest of your life.

Good luck!

[chris james]

hi sunny
yeah at first i told him i didnt want anything fixed which is when we agreed on the removable expander as he said he could make room for the 4 front bottom teeth to be straightened i agreed to this treatment
then i went back and he said that he wanted to put a fixed band on to which was a total suprise to me so i just went along with it as i put my trust in him then the last time i went back to have it fitted he told me about the price and do i really want to go with it but a dontr think i have any option
i never had any gaps before but the front 4 teeth were slightly crooked and i wanted themm straight
the expander has given me gaps that i never had before and on the second visit he seemed to change hes story and like most people i have just gone along with what he says as he is a trained professional (or so i thought)
i will go back for my next appointment to have it out with him so will let you know what happens
thanks sunny

[Sunny]

Good luck!

[chris james]

hey all been a while sinse my last post
well i am having a lot of problems at the mo
i have basicly left my oftho do what he wanted as i thought he knew what he was doing but i trusted wrong
went to him a month ago and he adjusted my expander again even though he said he recond a fixed brace would be best to finish off from here
and went bact yesterday and told him that i am not happy with the way things are going as my teeth are still crocked and now they ar un level along the tops (but they were level to begin with) he said this happens and i asked what he was going to do about it and he said shave them but they are real bad
when i said about a fixed brace he said it wouldnt help and that it would be a waist of a thousand pounds but the way i see it is that i have paid him to make my teeth worse
the worst thing is my teeth are still crocked but he says they arent and he also said it would only take 3 months but now hw said at least 9 months i have lost total faith im him and have made an appointment to have a consultation with another ortho on saturday to see what he thinks
does anybody have any advice as i am at the end of my rope with this guy should he be held responasble for putting things right
thanks

[chris james]

ps forgive my spelling of crooked lol

[newbie2904]

Hey there chris,
I've read your thread and my opinion is that you should leave your ortho plain and simple. I think you should've left since the day you went in and he asked 'what can i do for you today?' while he should already know what you want. And an ortho that changes his mind after an appointment [your teeth didn't change from needing braces to getting braces is just a waste of your money]. I know you must have payed alot of money to do what you've done, and ortho work isn't cheap! My personal advice is, go give another ortho a shot, and try to do a background check to this one (who he've treated before.. what they think of the treatment.. check if they have a website)
I know you have commitments and a wedding to save up for, but really you cant put a price on a beautiful smile What ever you think your previous ortho worsened im pretty sure there's a way to fix it (Nowadays you can replace lost teeth, coverup old ones and still have them look natural!!)
I wish you a long life full of happiness!
And good luck

[Sunny]

Good luck with a second, third and maybe a fourth opinion!

[chris james]

thanks 2 you both i just feel really let down