End of treatment dragging out

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SazWiz
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:06 am

End of treatment dragging out

#1 Post by SazWiz »

Need to vent / looking for sympathy :)

I'm so close to the end of my treatment.... btu it's dragging out forEVER.

My ortho told me 5 weeks ago that he thought I'd be out in 4-6 weeks. But then when I went back 3 weeks ago, a different ortho told me just to come back in another 3 weeks and didn't mention debanding at all. Then I went back 2 days ago and yet another ortho at the practice told me I was looking good to have my braces off "within 3 months"!!!

How could I possibly be going backwards?! Argh! I was totally fine until I got my hopes raised... now I'm so disappointed and angsty about getting the things off already.

My bite is pretty much fixed and I'm just waiting for one teeny tiny gap to close so I reckon I'm pretty close, but am just a bit despairing of the uncertainty... :cry:

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TumbleDryLow
Posts: 999
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:19 pm
Location: Michigan

#2 Post by TumbleDryLow »

I think the problem is that you were seen by three different orthos. I really believe that orthodontics is part science and part anal retentiveness. The latter varies greatly among orthodontist. One ortho may look in your mouth and see perfection, another will see a .0005% rotation of your left canine and will keep you in braces another 4 weeks because of it. I am assuming that the orthos in your practice work in tandem with each other? If so, they may not have consulted with each other about your case and come up with a consensus about a debanding date (or have forgotten that they came up with a consensus when they each saw you separately)--which is why you got three different answers.
I can imagine that seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but never getting there is very frustrating, but you really are in the home stretch so hang in there!

Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#3 Post by Andromeda »

I don't know if having different orthos was the problem or not, but the same thing happened to me and I just have one ortho. My ortho originally said I'd be debanded the first week of April as an estimate. Then we were getting closer to April this year and he kept saying for the few months beforehand that I was looking good and still on track for that timeframe. Then at my appointment in February, he told me that at my next appointment in March, he would give me a debanding date. I went in March and he didnt give me one, he said it would be another 10-12 weeks!!! I was so disappointed because he waited til what should have been my very last appointment before debanding to tell me!!

He said he could give me a debanding date at my NEXT appointment which he didnt do. Then at that one, he did it to me again, telling me at my NEXT appointment I would get a debanding date and all the while he was adding time onto his estimates. He said 10-12 weeks in March, and then 4 weeks later he told me 8-10 weeks which added 2 weeks to my treatment. The same thing again and again. Finally he gave me a date and I am set to get them off on June 2 but I don't even know if my teeth will be ready. I'm really hoping so. I am seeing him today because of one tooth that is not cooperating and if he can adjust it somehow, it just needs to move slightly and the I'm confident my teeth will be ready.

I hope yours doesnt keep dragging out so much - I know it is so depressing and totally sucks. I felt like I was being misled. They really shouldnt tell you something like that unless they are pretty sure because then its SUCH a letdown if you need them on longer. It's like false hope...

Good luck!!!

SazWiz
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:06 am

#4 Post by SazWiz »

Poor you! I hope you do get them off this time around - do you feel like you're ready?

Good luck x

I'll keep holding on and hoping in the meantime... :roll:

jesspenguin
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:15 am
Location: Gainesville, FL

#5 Post by jesspenguin »

Wow, it would be pretty confusing to see more than one doctor each time. I only have the one and he still pushed back my debanding more than once :P In early March I had to start wearing elastics and at my next adjustment 3 weeks later he set my debanding date for the beginning of May. When I went in for that appointment he decided he wanted to keep trying to shift my teeth with the elastics, so I got abother 4 weeks added on. I'm now scheduled for June 2 debanding and I hope it actually goes through this time. Good luck with yours! I hope you get good news soon :)
Time spent in braces: 16 months
Retainers: Top/bottom bonded and top/bottom Essix at night

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Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#6 Post by Andromeda »

SazWiz wrote:Poor you! I hope you do get them off this time around - do you feel like you're ready?

Good luck x

I'll keep holding on and hoping in the meantime... :roll:
Hi again, SazWiz :) I only have 4 days til debanding and I really do think my teeth are alright to go ahead now. I had gone in to get one minor thing taken care of and everything is looking and feeling pretty good now. Thanks for the good luck wishes! I will be posting on the debanding for sure on Tuesday :)

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