Starting with Clearstep...

[clearstepguy]

Thanks Jem, I will keep you posted.

[clearstepguy]

Update... Treatment is still ongoing.

[clearstepguy]

My treatment is still ongoing and it looks like it won't be finished until next year.

I'm obviously very disappointed with how my treatment has been dealt with over the past 4 years. I feel that I should be compensated for this but am not sure if I'm within my rights to ask for my money back. I have complained about the treatment on a number of occasions and have had a verbal apology from the dentist but I haven't had or put anything down in writing. Although, I have kept a written record of the past year and what happened at each appointment.

Does anybody have any experience with this?

I'm based in the UK. Thanks for any help in advance.

[dahlia]

I'm so sorry to hear about your bad experience. From the pictures you posted, you looked so close! Is it still your lateral incisor that's giving you trouble?

I can't offer much in the way of advice regarding compensation. Have you tried simply asking them for some sort of concession?

Sending you good thoughts for the remainder of your treatment!

[TheProfessor]

What a story-I'm sorry to hear that your treatment has gone on for so long! Maybe you should consider getting an opinion from another orthodontist. I read your whole store and it sounds like your current ortho doesn't know what to do to finish your teeth! 4 years is a very long time--I know that you feel like you have already paid for the perfect smile that you deserve, but ask yourself if it is worth it to keep going with your current treatment. If it were me, I think I might consider paying for some additional treatment with a better ortho at this point. At least get a second opinion to see if your teeth are on the right track...
Good luck!!!

[clearstepguy]

Thank you both for the replies

@ dahlia - Yes, it's still the lateral incisor that's being the main problem. I've not spoken to the dentist about any kind of concession but I'm thinking of doing that this week.

@ TheProfessor - I spoke to my general dentist earlier in the year about getting a second opinion about the braces. She (and another dentist) said that they understood my frustration but that I was so close to the end that it almost wouldn't be worth getting a second opinion. Unfortunately, the practitioner doing my braces is not an Orthodontist, he's a general dentist that deals with cosmetics and braces. I didn't fully appreciate that fact or take it into account when I started, which I should have done!

[clearstepguy]

Hi everyone

How long are you supposed to wear the final aligner before going down to night only wear?

I came out of my fixed braces on my top arch at the end of last year and since then I've had a few clear aligners to finish things off. I was given my last aligner a few months ago and was told that after 2 weeks of continuous wear I could move to night time wear. I was slightly skeptical about this advice so decided to wwear my last aligner for 3 weeks and since then have been only taking it out whilst I've been at work between 9-5. Unfortunately I've found that my aligner is extremely tight when putting the aligner back in, even when it's not been a full day. I'm almost certain that my problem tooth (lateral incisor) has started to rotate back again. I voiced my concerns to my dentist at my last visit a few weeks ago but he said that my teeth will take time to settle and that this is normal. Does anyone know if this is the norm for the last aligner?

FYI... I still have fixed braces on my bottom arch.

[jem]

If your top teeth are now properly aligned, why don't you ask your ortho to give you a bonded retainer behind your front 6 teeth -which you could back up by wearing a removable retainer -either Essix or Hawley-at night? If your teeth are not yet properly aligned or have moved back, you should presumably still be wearing the aligner 24/7 before moving into retention.

All the best

Jem