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Extraction
Woes and MPD
by Christian in Phoenix, Arizona
For many people who decide to
get braces feel it is a positive change and for many it is
but as for me it has been a living nightmare. Most of my
life I was pretty happy with my smile, I knew as a child I
needed braces but my parents couldn't not afford them. I
didn’t have problems with my teeth until I turned 21 where I
noticed wear on certain parts of my teeth. I decided to seek
orthodontic help at 24 years of age. Even though I went to
school for dental assisting and felt I has a good knowledge
of general dentistry, orthodontics was not a field I knew
much about.
A school mate was working for
an orthodontist as the time so I decided to go in for a
consultation. A the consultation I addressed my concerns and
what I wanted to change about my smile. He informed me that I
had a cross bite with a slight overjet which was causing the
wear on my teeth He stated that in order to fix my cross-bite
and overjet he would have to remove a total or four teeth to
make room. I let him know I didn’t want to get my teeth removed
and asked him if there was anything else he could do to help me.
He stated if I would have came to him as a child then he could
have used an expander but because I was an adult the sutures in
my skull fused and bone could no longer be moved. Leading me to
believe that there where no other options for my problem other
than to have extractions I agreed to his recommended treatment.
I was never explained the risk of having braces like gum
recession, swollenness of the gums or even that I would have to
wear a retainer for the rest of my life.
After placement of the braces
and the removal of my teeth I began experiencing many problems.
In the course of my treatment I brought these symptoms to the
doctors attention. He was always really insensitive to my
complaints and made me feel like the symptoms I was experiencing
where normal and that they would go away as soon as the braces
came off. Further into my treatment I began to develop more
serious symptoms like headaches, dizziness, vertigo, limited
movement and locking of the jaw, neck shoulder and back pain,
loss of hearing, earaches, ringing and stuffiness in the ears,
numbness in fingers and arms and even pain and soreness in and
around my jaw. I went to doctors for some of these problems but
they could not find anything wrong with me.
I once went to urgent care
because of severe vertigo and suspected ear infection. After
examination the doctor did not find anything wrong with my ear
but mentioned these symptoms where common in people with braces.
Almost two years in braces and I could no longer take the pain
so I requested that the braces be removed and I be removed from
his care.
Since the treatment was not
finished I had to find a new orthodontist to finish the rest of
the treatment. I met a very reputable doctor who after seeing my
before pictures and x-rays confirmed that I did not have to have
teeth removed. He explained that the symptoms I was experiencing
was from a condition called MPD (Myofascial Pain Dysfunction
Syndrome) caused by a bad bite. I have always been a very healthy
person and never suffered from any of these symptoms before I
got braces.
In my opinion my face is now
disfigured my quality of life has been changed not to mention
the impact it has had on my emotional and mental being. Now I
have to go through more pain and expense to reverse and get my
face close to what is used to be. I have discovered that this
happens to a lot of people and many don’t speak up about it. I
feel I have been lied to and taken advantage of and I wouldn't
want this to happen to anyone else. It has been one of the
hardest things to go through as a young woman. I have also
discovered in my research that there are now braces that fix
many types of bites without extractions and I believe this new
technology should be mandated to an orthodontist as an option
for patients.
Editor's comments: I feel so
bad for Christian. I hope that she finds relief
and that her condition improves soon. MPD is a condition that is
often related to TMJ and can often be mistaken for (or
accompanied by)
Fibromyalgia.
It is sometimes also associated with Hypothyroidism.
Any time that extractions or
surgery may be involved in your treatment, you should get
multiple opinions before proceeding. If Christian had consulted
with 2 or 3 additional orthodontists, she may have been informed
that extraction was not her only option. And as many of us know,
adults can get their palates expanded, although it
usually involves surgery. Some of the newer bracket and arch
wire technology can often eliminate the need for extraction,
but not every orthodontist is trained in these techniques.
Your
orthodontist should always inform you of the risks involved in
your treatment, and if he does not, you should always ask what
risks may be involved. No treatment of any kind is without risk.
In most cases everything turns out fine, but when we make
changes to any part of our bodies, there is always an element of
risk. The important thing is to feel comfortable with the
expertise of the doctor doing the work, and to understand what
changes may result.
For more information about
Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome, visit these websites:
http://www.sover.net/~devstar/index.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1060026&dopt=Abstract
http://www.drshankland.com/myofascial_pain.html
http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_mysofacial.html
http://vancouvermassage.ca/articles/mps.php
http://www.drlowe.com/myofascial/generalinfo/mps.htm
http://www2.rpa.net/~lrandall/mps.html
http://www.emedicine.com/pmr/topic84.htm |