Orthodontic (tooth braces) failure and bracket removal

Today a treatment plan was discussed with the patient. The patient presented with braces of 2.5 years that were placed in another practice. The ortho had failed and had caused much damage to the patient’s teeth. There are perio, operative, endo, and cosmetic issues. The patient has opted out of correcting the issue with further orthodontic treatment. The treatment plan that we present to her should allow for orthodontic treatment in the future should the patient want it. Limited budget is another obstacle in this case.

On her first visit the patient is having her brackets removed under nitrous. On her second visit she will have a hygiene visit. We will allow a few weeks for the gums to heal. In the meanwhile after 4 bitewings are retaken we will start restorative work on her. We will do any cosmetic work in the anterior region after we see improvement in the gingiva. After all work is done patient will have her wisdom teeth extracted, have a lingual fixed retainer placed on the mandibular teeth and a bite guard will be made in order to increase the half life of all procedures.   

H.A., New York University College of Dentistry, Patient 8

Categorised in: Dental Student Experiences

This post was written by Interns