are my doctors lying to me?

Question

i am wearing retainers now, and i wear them religiously! i always keep them on, b/c my doctor said my teeth would move withoout them on. well, despite my obedience, my bottom teeth have moved ALOT, and are crooked! i jsut wen tot my doctor, and he said that they would have to make a new retainer fro my bottom half, that wud cost 200 dollars!!
the doctor say that the reason my teeth move is b/c every person's body is different, like some ppl's teeth that dont wear their reatainers don't move at all! i think that this is a phony LIE, and jsut an excuse for their mistake for not making me a good reatainer in the first place....and they are charging me 200 dollars on it!!
so if you know, what may be the real cause why my retainers are not functioning? please help!!

Answer 1

you're at their mercy, or at least, you'd have to pay a lot more than 200$ to start with another orthodontist. I would trust them. Not too many doctors are trying to pull one over on their patients

Answer 2

I can understand your dilemma and doubt of your doctor's ability to make you a retainer that worked right. You have to understand that retainers aren't just pulled off the shelf and handed to you. They are made to fit the model of your teeth exactly as they were when the braces were removed.

Now, I work in dentistry, and have had some kids come in and swear to me on a stack of bibles, or on their grandma's grave, that they WORE THAT retainer religiously. Don't get mad and stop reading just yet, I may have a solution for you, or a way to prove that you did or didn't wear it.

Anyway, some of those very same kids ate their own words when I could prove they didn't wear them just by pulling down the models of their teeth that were taken to make the retainer from. These models are dated, and are an exact replica of your teeth, that the retainer should fit perfectly too. Now if it doesn't fit the model, or if it's loose, or not close enough and tight enough to the teeth on the lingual or tongue side of the lower teeth, then it wasn't right to begin with. In other words, the retainer shouldn't wobble around on the model, it should fit snugly, almost to the point of being hard to remove. If it doesn't, then you have an arguable case. Unlss the metal on the front has been bent up
and that's something that's noticable.

One more thing that I should mention, is the fact that in most case of orthodontic treatment, if a lingual bar is not placed as a means of a permanent retainer, then the possibility of movement is greatly increased. Most Orthodontist over the years have choosen to use the lingual bar as a permanent means of retention rather than the removable retainer. I'm not sure how long you've been out of orhodontic treatment but it usually take weeks to months for the movement to take place.

That last statement is pretty common and well known in dentistry. Perhaps you should ask your orthodontist why he didn't use it instead of the removable. In my book you have a case unless you were the one who refused the lingual bar retainer. I hope not, but either way, he should have told you the possibilities of movement. I would request that he get them back into the correct alignment before he places a fixed retainer. Good luck, I hope I was of some help for you.

Answer 3

Assuming that you have had braces and you are now in the final stage of treatment with retainers, its very hard for me to believe that your teeth have moved to this extent if you truly have been wearing your retainers as much as you have stated. Are you wearing them all night while you sleep? Are you wearing them all day except when you eat?

If you have answered yes to both of these questions, I would get a second opinion, because your retainers were not properly made for your case.

Any orthodontist can make you a proper retainer and two hundred dollars is an appropriate fee.

It is true that some people's teeth are harder to retain than others. the body must be given enough time to lay down new bone around the new position that the teeth have been moved into.

Answer 4

You didn't mention what type of retainer you had. Was it a plastic and wire type (Hawley) or the clear plastic type (Essix)?

If it was a wire retainer, is it possible that the wires got bent, allowing your teeth to shift?

I am assuming that you went back to the orthodontist after a couple of months for a "check up". If so, didn't he/she notice the shifting at that time? It doesn't happen overnight. How long after your braces were removed did this start to happen?

You may want to ask your orthodontist about a bonded permanent lingual retainer for the bottom teeth instead of a new removable one.

Retainers ARE expensive. However, if you feel that the fault lies in something that your orthodontist did (or didn't do), then you should sit down and talk about it with him/her in a calm fashion. Hopefully your orthodontist will respond positively.

Answer 5

I had braces a few years ago, my orthodontist said a removable retainer would not keep my teeth in place because they were so "difficult". So he cemented a little wire to the back of my front six teeth, on the top and bottom teeth. He called it a "permanent retainer." from the front it is completely invisible, I don't notice the wires at all, and my teeth are still perfectly straight, the only drawback is I can never have the wires removed. Ask your doc about it, if you don't trust him go somewhere else.

Answer 6

Have them fix the problem one more time then ask them to put in a permanent retainer. They do this by bonding a small wire to the back of your teeth on the bottom. Then you will not have to worry about this problem happening again. i have many many patients that have these and they work out great.
good luck

Answer 7

I don't believe you Doctor is lying to you. If you think that then you should get a second opinion before proceeding. Braces and retainers don't work in a hurry and have to be worn as prescribed or they simply won't work. Sorry, but that's the bottom line here.
I know they don't feel good. I know they don't look good, I know they are a pain in the Buttock. If you want your teeth to look good then you got to do what you know needs to be done.

Answer 8

um usually they do not lie. at least not supposed to. Teir responsibility is to help you, and I'm sure all he is trying to do is help, but maybe the retainer was not strong enough for your mouth. I have this friend whose had to have braces about 3, maybe four, times because her teeth do not "behave" the way the orthodontists want them too, becuase you know if you get braces they ae supposed to get rid of the crookedness of your teeth. after a while im sure the retainers will be able to help!


btw - I'm soooo soooo sorry about the $200!!

Answer 9

I would contest the payment because as you rightly say if the retainers had been made to fit correctly then your teeth wouldn't have moved.

Answer 10

You may want to go and get a second opinion although I don't think he is lieing to you because everyone's jaw line is different.I had to wera a retainer and my teeth moved as well.