Halfway through treatment but considering stopping

augusta24

Hi everyone,

I got braces on last June. I had an adult tooth still impacted in the roof of my mouth and I decided to just get it sorted before the little tooth fell out itself. The only reason I ever got the braces was to get the big tooth down and nothing to do with straightening my teeth etc. as I was always happy with how my teeth looked.
My ortho originally told me I'd need the braces on for a minimum of 18mths maybe up to 2 years, so I should have them on until Christmas or possibly June 2014.

However, my big tooth is pretty much down now since december and to be honest I'm really happy with how it looks. Definitely to my untrained eye, my teeth look great again!

I have 100% trust in my ortho and I researched him very well before going with him.... But the one thing I don't like about him is the fact that he never explains what he is doing to me and when I ask questions he never really wants to answer them... I think it's because he is used to working with children who don't want to ask questions! I've tried asking questions before and he literally keeps lowering the dentist chair while I'm speaking and then sort of dismisses my question. I also never received any written plan of action so all I know is what he told me at my original consultation but things pop up as we go along through treatment that I want to ask that wouldn't have occurred to me then!

So I have this question that I want to ask him but I don't feel comfortable asking him things so I was hoping to run it past people online here to get your opinions before I go ask him. Of course ill ask him at my next apt. But I'd feel happier if I had others' opinions first!

So basically my teeth seem fine to me now and I want to know if its an option to just take the braces off now, or why would I need to keep them on for another year? If for some reason this is a really bad idea then I won't do this... Obviously I trust his judgement... But I would just like to understand why I'd need to keep them on longer...

Also, I'm paying him in instalments so I'm due to pay him another 1/4 this June and then my final 1/4 next Christmas. I was wondering if I ended my treatment now, would I still owe him the next two payments? Sorry if this is a stupid question and I know I won't get an accurate answer until I ask him, but I don't want to ask him at all if it turns out that this is a big no no! I genuinely just want to know what the standard thing is here, so since I'm halfway through my treatment would it be okay to finish now since I'm happy and not pay anymore? Or would the second half of my payments still be owed to him? The absolute last thing I want to do is rip him off or end up in an embarrassing situation... He's a great ortho and he deserves his payment as I know it's a bit like signing a contract so please don't think I'm trying to rip him off in anyway! I genuinely just want opinions here first and then that will inform me of whether this is a reasonable thing to ask him or not!

Many thanks to anyone who can offer me advice on this.

Dianthus

Been there as a former ortho patient myself, OP- the eternal dilemma with all ortho patients on seeing teeth "look" perfect....impatience!:D
Both your tooth and the surrounding bone need time to stabilise....quitting treatment only 9 months into a proposed 18month/2year treatment plan runs the risk of canine tooth&/adjacent teeth shifting&/becoming loose, gum recession&/bone loss, ect ect.
I've no idea how it would pan out payment-wise if you want them removed mid-treatment. Or if he'd even agree to removing them to begin with
Re the questions& difficulty asking him, it's likely that your appointments are prebooked in advance to allow for treatment as opposed to conversation. This doesn't mean he shouldn't answer any questions you have, rather that it may be worth asking for a longer appointment, or a wholly separate "discussion" appointment, where there will be sufficient time allocated to address all your concerns, with no distractions.
Also if you haven't received a written treatment plan, ask him/his receptionist to provide you with it.

augusta24

Dianthus wrote: »

Been there as a former ortho patient myself, OP- the eternal dilemma with all ortho patients on seeing teeth "look" perfect....impatience!:D
Both your tooth and the surrounding bone need time to stabilise....quitting treatment only 9 months into a proposed 18month/2year treatment plan runs the risk of canine tooth&/adjacent teeth shifting&/becoming loose, gum recession&/bone loss, ect ect.
I've no idea how it would pan out payment-wise if you want them removed mid-treatment. Or if he'd even agree to removing them to begin with
Re the questions& difficulty asking him, it's likely that your appointments are prebooked in advance to allow for treatment as opposed to conversation. This doesn't mean he shouldn't answer any questions you have, rather that it may be worth asking for a longer appointment, or a wholly separate "discussion" appointment, where there will be sufficient time allocated to address all your concerns, with no distractions.
Also if you haven't received a written treatment plan, ask him/his receptionist to provide you with it.

Thanks for your advice dianthus! Much appreciated! I guess I'd never really thought about the fact that stopping mid treatment could mean regression which is something i definitely don't want!

day dreamer

Hi there

I would stick it if you can. you are about half way there and will get a better result. It will probably be more stable too

If you really want to finish then discuss with the orthodontist. You will probably end up having to pay most of the fees but with half the result.

ennis81

Stick with it, I thought my teeth looked perfect after 1 yr of treatment but it was nothing compared to how wonderful they looked when my ortho finished 1yr later, I did find it frustrating at the time. Good ortho's know exactly what they are doing it is a science and not just based on visual appearance, my ortho talked me into having my bottom teeth being done as well as my top ones (I didn't think I needed it) but god am I glad I listened to him as I would have had perfect teeth on top and slightly crooked teeth on the bottom. Hang in there it will all be worth it, I promise;)

augusta24

ennis81 wrote: »

Stick with it, I thought my teeth looked perfect after 1 yr of treatment but it was nothing compared to how wonderful they looked when my ortho finished 1yr later, I did find it frustrating at the time. Good ortho's know exactly what they are doing it is a science and not just based on visual appearance, my ortho talked me into having my bottom teeth being done as well as my top ones (I didn't think I needed it) but god am I glad I listened to him as I would have had perfect teeth on top and slightly crooked teeth on the bottom. Hang in there it will all be worth it, I promise;)

Thanks so much guys. I feel much better sticking with it and trusting him now that I can understand why! Hopefully ill be back in a year tellin ya how fab my teeth are once the braces come off!! :-)