POSTED UNDER Six Month Smiles REVIEWS
don't do it!!! - Orange Park, FL
ORIGINAL POST
This was a huge mistake!! My teeth were a bit...
djfox1994February 20, 2014
$3,000
This was a huge mistake!! My teeth were a bit crowded and I had a slight overbite. I am 45 and I noticed the poster for 6 month smiles in my dentist's office. I have had my dentist for over 10 years and overall have been very satisfied. He gave me the preliminary exam and said I was a candidate, but would have to have one tooth removed on the bottom. He said the gap would close within a month. I was excited to begin the process and thought by Thanksgiving I would be done. Well the gap with the missing tooth took more than two months to finally close. And TEN months later, it seems like they are still trying to close a gap that keeps shifting on the bottom. In the meantime, I developed an abscess on an upper back molar. I'm really not sure how my dentists didn't notice!!! I have gone every four months for cleanings and once a month for them to change the wires. Not to mention, several of the clear brackets have broken off or wires have popped out etc. I have now been seen by an endodondist who says the infection has been there about a year!!!! Having the root canal done with brackets on has been complicated. I am still not done and need a second root canal. Meanwhile I am scheduled to go back in two weeks for the braces and my bottom teeth still have a gap. The center one is pushed slightly farther than the others and some teeth are still rotated slightly in an angle. My kids have all had traditional braces and have amazing smiles. I have spent almost a year in braces and my smile will not even come close to the perfection that traditional braces can accomplish. This is really not what I envisioned when I started this process. I have spent almost a year in this system and realize I would be half way done with traditional braces by now. Waste of time, waste of money and let them pull a healthy tooth. Lesson learned the hard way.
Replies (3)
UPDATED FROM djfox1994
9 months post
More bad news
djfox1994February 28, 2014
Just had a second treatment to finish a root canal. While getting my third shot, the dr. stopped because he finally realized why my healing process has been so slow. Somehow there is a bone fragment floating around in my gum area trying to work it's way out. I'm guessing when the initial work was done to pull a healthy tooth and add the appliances, some damage occurred. Now I will need oral surgery.
Replies (6)
February 28, 2014
Oh no! :(
Is this a common thing? I've never heard of it before, but I don't work for a dentist. This will be a different doctor who does the surgery, right?
Is this a common thing? I've never heard of it before, but I don't work for a dentist. This will be a different doctor who does the surgery, right?
February 28, 2014
Yes, today's appointment was with a specialist. He couldn't figure out why I was healing so slowly after two rounds of antibiotics. As he put the third shot in the roof of my mouth he saw what appears to be a bone fragment. A 3d X-ray would cost $500. I paid $3grand for the braces and $1000 for the root canal. And not sure what my future expenses will be
February 28, 2014
Ouch. Good thing you're in Florida, though. I paid USD$5000 for my Invisalign, and that was after my insurance paid $2000! But at least my treatment basically worked. I do have to have oral surgery, though, for wisdom teeth extractions, and I'm terrified how much that'll cost. They haven't given you an estimate, have they?
UPDATED FROM djfox1994
9 months post
Almost one year later for 6 month smile
djfox1994February 28, 2014
Replies (8)
February 28, 2014
Thanks for posting pictures! It is clear that they have not completed your treatment. Has there been any visible improvement from your original smile?
March 7, 2014
After today's visit I see a nice improvement. But that was with contouring too. They file some teeth as well as change brackets. It still doesn't negate the fact that I have some sort of bone fragment broken that needs to be removed. I'm worried about the procedure and the cost!
March 6, 2014
I tried 6 month smile a few years back as well. It was also a general dentist who offered it along with Invisalign. He said I was a good candidate but in actuality, nothing but true braces could help me. There were a lot of positive changes to my teeth aster my 18 months(!) of treatment but I still need traditional braces and I will be getting them soon.
As for the problems at your dental office, they are probably new at using this system. My dentist was quite proficient in administering the service.
I hope everything goes well with your oral surgery noore setbacks!
March 6, 2014
@Inmotion: I'd love to hear about your six month smile experience! I hope you decide to review as well!
March 7, 2014
Today they changed out some brackets and wires. So far the six month treatment is at 10 months and counting. Yes they are very new at this system. Although everyone is nice, it always seems like I am an experiment in progress. Last month he said today's appointment would be starting the process to get them off. But teeth still need to be rotated on the bottom row. It's clear they should rename this system. I would highly recommend Damon Braces. That's what my kids have had and they have beautiful smiles. Not to mention their orthodontist has years of experience!
March 7, 2014
My husband had fantastic results with Damon as well! I wish you could review for your kids, but we don't do third-party reviews yet. I wish more people knew about Damon and self-ligating braces in general. Eventually!
March 7, 2014
My oldest is 16 and her teeth are like Julia Roberts or something from Hollywood with Damon. My youngest is 11 and his braces are off now. They now have added appliances to move his jaw forward as he goes through puberty. I think what I like most about the Damon is how much it broadens the smile. Dr. Pieden is also a very experienced orthodontist. I chose my own personal dentist because I have such high anxiety when it comes to dental work. It's very stressful for me to go new places and I liked that he understood my fear of dentists. I think the key is to really going to an orthodontist rather than someone who has received some sort of quick training. I've also had a lot of gum problems over the years and my guess is that my bottom were so crowded, even with brushing and flossing three times a day the crowding contributed to my gum problems. I'm hoping at the very least when this is done, some of the gum issues will be resolved. I have already noticed improvements when I go for my cleanings. But I still would recommend Damon over this "six month" that really isn't six month. Anything worth while takes a lot longer unless your problems are minimal. But the site on line shows many sever cases that seemed to be resolved in the shorter plan. Just not true for me and also created a new issue.
May 6, 2014
You need to see a board certified orthodontist and oral surgeon to have things back on the track.
I'm really sorry things have gone so negatively for you :(. We have a couple of positive reviews of the six-month smiles here on RealSelf, but the doctors tend to be negative: Is "6 Month Smile" a Good Alternative to Invisalign?
Are you planning to go to an orthodontist to get things fixed--or at least for a consultation to see what they'd say about your treatment and the current state of your teeth?