Share your experience of orthodontist and dentistry services

We want to hear from patients with experience of NHS and/or private orthodontists and dentists in any healthcare setting, including community practices and hospitals.

• Did the orthodontist/dentist give you the treatment and support you needed?
• If you had ongoing problems, how did the orthodontist/dentist and other healthcare professionals respond?
• Have you tried to make a complaint?

You can read one patient's experience in this opinion piece: “I’ve been mocked, scolded and gaslighted”: a harmed patient’s experience of orthodontic treatment

Embarked on my Invisalign journey in late 2020 - to correct my anterior open bite. The treatment was £4,200 upfront and I was given a '100% guarantee' by my orthodontist and Invisalign themselves that Invisalign would be able to resolve this.

Everything initially seemed to be working well until early last year, where I started to experience severe discomfort around my jaw area… which later developed into a clicking sound and I’m now left with chronic jaw and bite problems as the end result.

 

My orthodontist doesn't seem to believe that this is related to my treatment, even though it is worth noting that I've never had this problem before in my entire life.

Oh, and to make matters worse, they tried to blame it on the fact that I’m autistic. Talk about gaslighting...  

 

Invisalign have also completely refused to accept any responsibility for this, stating: “We are not medically trained professionals, so we cannot supply any medical advice to Consumers. Your doctor is solely responsible for your treatment, so will be able to help with this matter.”

 

In other words... “It’s not our problem!”  

 

I was then referred to the NHS by my GP after contacting them - Where I attended 3 appointments at 3 different hospitals. All of which ended up being a complete waste of time and giving different excuses... “We don’t like to get too involved”, “Your jaw doesn’t seem too bad” and “it will all get better with time.”

 

Well... It is now July 2023 and I’m still in the exact same situation that I was in last year - With no noticeable changes to my condition. And quite frankly, it feels like it’s getting worse. Not to mention the terrible impact that it’s been having on my mental health and self-esteem.

 

It seems to me after reading a lot of other people’s stories online that this is a common issue in the orthodontic world... and I find that absolutely shocking and unacceptable. We aren’t paying to be tortured! 

I was put into braces as a kid because my parents thought it would improve my looks, I had mildly crooked front teeth with some gaps.  We were told by the orthodontist that I didn't need braces, and it would be a very mild treatment that would make me "better looking", make my teeth "fit together better", and would prevent future problems.  We were not told the treatment was painful, involved retainers, involved any other device than braces, or could involve teeth extraction or other procedures on the teeth, and there was no discussion of risks or side effects.  After some months the orthodontist said that everything was going great, but it would be REALLY AMAZING if I had teeth extracted.  My parent said no and he became visibly upset.  At the next visit, he said I now had fairly serious orthodontic problems, gum problems, and distortion of the shape of my face and chin that needed to be fixed by extracting teeth and retracting my front teeth (I hadn't had these problems before braces).  My parent refused, and he ended up filing between some of my teeth to make them smaller instead, this was their compromise.  After the braces were removed, I was told I would need retainers for life.  We had not even been told orthodontics involved retainers.  Within the next couple years of orthodontics, the teeth surfaces this person had filed down decayed and needed fillings, my bite became painful and the top of my molar needed to be filed down, and I was diagnosed with quite bad gum recession on my front teeth caused by "teeth shifting", and I also developed unusual wear on my front teeth, and was asked if I had started grinding my teeth.  My orthodontist had used something called "class two elastics" on me, a treatment that moves all your lower teeth and lower jaw forwards.  Because my lower front teeth had moved forward, but not my upper ones, my front teeth now hit together really hard, my back teeth can't close very tightly, my lower front teeth tilt back in towards my tongue, and I have chips, cracks and unusual wear on my front teeth.  I have had lots of different diagnoses over what the outcome will be for me, including that the unusual wear on my front teeth will require veneers or crowns of all my front teeth in the future.  I can't believe I went into this situation from not needing braces.  I have been told by an orthodontist that about 5% of the time, if an orthodontist tells you that you have a mild, non extraction case, that midway through treatment, they will change the diagnosis to a serious extraction case, and they consider this normal and OK.  I believe that patients are not educated enough about orthodontics, that there are many bogus claims made that it had preventative health benefits that it doesn't, and the procedures are presented as milder and more benign than they are, without any effort made to educate people about how the procedures work, risks, or the possibility of a negative outcome.  I also believe orthodontists are deceptive about how well they can predict how a treatment will go.  There is also a cosmetic side to this which is quite unethical.  Even though I had orthodontics for cosmetic reasons, I was a young kid and did not know what the cosmetic result of orthodontics actually is, or looks like.  It turns out I strongly dislike it, and find my teeth look very ugly and unnatural, and the shape of my face looks a lot worse.  I generally find the look of orthodontically "straightened" teeth ugly.  Orthodontists I have seen as an adult tell me the cosmetic look of my "smile", apart from my damaged teeth, looks "good", though they admit the change to my profile and jawline is negative.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I find the look of my teeth and face very ugly,  and feel major cosmetic procedures on children too young to understand them to be highly unethical.  I feel that orthodontics opperates on the premise that attractivenss is not subjective, but objective, which makes cosmetically altering a child's teeth ethical, but I think it is not, any more than giving a nose job, or other cosmetic procedure to child.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and for raising some important questions around informed consent and the use of cosmetic procedures in children. Was your experience in the UK, and if so, was it a private or NHS orthodontist you saw?

On 11/07/2023 at 13:49, Laurence said:

Embarked on my Invisalign journey in late 2020 - to correct my anterior open bite. The treatment was £4,200 upfront and I was given a '100% guarantee' by my orthodontist and Invisalign themselves that Invisalign would be able to resolve this.

Everything initially seemed to be working well until early last year, where I started to experience severe discomfort around my jaw area… which later developed into a clicking sound and I’m now left with chronic jaw and bite problems as the end result.

 

My orthodontist doesn't seem to believe that this is related to my treatment, even though it is worth noting that I've never had this problem before in my entire life.

Oh, and to make matters worse, they tried to blame it on the fact that I’m autistic. Talk about gaslighting...  

 

Invisalign have also completely refused to accept any responsibility for this, stating: “We are not medically trained professionals, so we cannot supply any medical advice to Consumers. Your doctor is solely responsible for your treatment, so will be able to help with this matter.”

 

In other words... “It’s not our problem!”  

 

I was then referred to the NHS by my GP after contacting them - Where I attended 3 appointments at 3 different hospitals. All of which ended up being a complete waste of time and giving different excuses... “We don’t like to get too involved”, “Your jaw doesn’t seem too bad” and “it will all get better with time.”

 

Well... It is now July 2023 and I’m still in the exact same situation that I was in last year - With no noticeable changes to my condition. And quite frankly, it feels like it’s getting worse. Not to mention the terrible impact that it’s been having on my mental health and self-esteem.

 

It seems to me after reading a lot of other people’s stories online that this is a common issue in the orthodontic world... and I find that absolutely shocking and unacceptable. We aren’t paying to be tortured! 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. I'm so sorry that you are still having jaw issues and have been unable to get the support you need from your orthodontist, and hope you are able to get some answers soon

Pre-adult Invisalign (began 2015)

I had excellent fitness, looked & felt 10 years younger.

Played multiple sports regularly including football, tennis, skiing, gym, and had just learned to surf.

Was superior in fitness to almost everyone I knew my age and many much younger.

Felt fantastic, comfortable, no aches or pains, had extraordinary energy & stamina, could have ran a marathon.

 

During & post-orthodontics to close gaps in teeth (beginning 1^st July 2015).

Teeth filed down, pulled acutely inwards, dental arch circumference severely reduced. 

Retruded maxilla & lower jaw, weakened facial features, narrowed long face, smaller mouth, lips almost disappeared, nose protruded, head narrowed, felt cracking in skull, TMJs twisted and became misaligned.

Head propped forward, poor posture, neck & shoulder pain, hunched, loss of height.

Chest muscle pain, back pain, drastic loss of strength and energy.

Early degeneration of lumbar spine, cervical spine (neck), and shoulders (MRI scans).

Anterior pelvic tilt (front to back), also tilted side to side and right leg became shorter.

Damage to pelvis regions: digestion & sexual problems, trouble urinating (likely enlarged prostate), haemorrhoids, swollen stomach, excessive sweating (likely water retention), damage to sexual organs.

Torn meniscus in R knee, swollen thighs, knees, calves, ankles, and feet. Blue veins appeared in L (longer) leg. Throbbing pain in R big toe.

Severely restricted movement. Chronic Pain all over body (often debilitating). Had to give up all sports. Terrible problems sleeping, Seriously affected life (relationships, careers, social, family, work, financial, just about everything).

The responsible Dentist, British Orthodontic Society, Align Technology (Invisalign), NHS, Eastman Hospital, all other orthodontists (many), and many other individuals & organisations completely uninterested, ruthless, uncaring, financially focused only, and left me to rot. 

 

May 2022: reversed the Invisalign (I had kept the aligners).

Immediately started looking & feeling much better.

Rounder face, arches expanded, lips & outwardly facing teeth/smile returned, jaw and maxilla moved forward and realigned, rounder natural head shape returned and skull cracking eventually stopped. 

Posture straightened, head tilted back up, shoulders went back, pelvis moved towards its natural position, R knee meniscus healed up, toe pain virtually ceased.

Began exercising again, combined with chiropractic treatment to try and realign everything damaged.

Align Tech (Invisalign) refused to make me 'Aligner 0' after they destroyed my 2015 impressions. Extremely difficult to contact and largely ignored me. Eventually got 'Aligner 0' made from the STL files by a local lab.

Much more like my old self but 14 months since beginning reversal, am still wearing 'Aligner 0' retainers 22 hours per day. If I do not wear them, I relapse.

Need specialist treatment to completely realign my TMJs, clicking ankles, pelvis, and the rest of my structure in between. NHS offered me painkillers and even anti-depressants (3rd world healthcare, the government & fund managers should be ashamed of themselves).

Have spent tens of thousands but have been unable to find an expert that deals with realigning the occlusal/jaw and rest of the structure down to the pelvis, knees, and feet. I believe they may exist abroad.

Have had 8 years of hell and from being extravert, well liked, sociable etc. have long led a solitary life in aligners and dealing with the life chaos that Invisalign, the dentist, and orthodontic industry created. They have ruined my life and there is no one in the UK that can help from my experience.

One dental expert (much higher than orthodontist) told me off the record that all orthodontists should be shot. This was tongue in cheek and of course I do not advocate this, but I believe they are doing immense harm to society including children (who will never know any different).

Obesity, structural pain beginning in people's 30s or 40s, the opioid crisis, depression, vast increases in pelvis tilt etc. are all probably linked to orthodontics in my opinion.

Similarly in my opinion, orthodontics often make nice wide jaws & faces look narrow and awful. I have also seen damage to posture in others.

There are fantastic cosmetic dentists who can apply bonding or veneers to make teeth & smiles look great. To me, orthodontics is utter madness. If only I had known.

I think in 50 or 100 years generations will look back with disbelief that the orthodontic industry existed for so long. 

Again my comments regarding the industry are my own opinions based on the damage it did to me, my own research, and my experiences with the industry.

I live in hope that I will one day get my life back after 8 terrible years. I have suffered massive financial losses (in the hundreds of thousands) and money is tight. At present I have no idea who to approach for help.

I wish you all recovery, strength, and the very best of luck with your symptoms.

When I moved to the UK in my mid twenties, I could not understand why anyone would be afraid of going to the dentist. After multiple bad experiences with orthodontists and dentists here I now have dental phobia and become anxious just at the mention of the word dentist.

It all started when I decided to straighten my teeth. It was purely cosmetic as I had no bite issues and my teeth were only a bit crooked. After 2.5 years of treatment (a year longer than I was initially told), the doctor finally said that he was finished. However, one of my front teeth was sticking out a bit and I asked if this could be corrected. Instead of warning me that tiny adjustments are very tricky to do, he claimed that this was no problem for him. After several failed adjustments he suddenly decided to change the heights of my front teeth and tilt them all at an angle. This was a drastic change that he did without any warning. I was very upset by this and asked him to undo the unwanted change. He completely botched this, making my teeth very uneven. At this point I complained and asked to see a more senior orthodontist at the practice. I insisted that my teeth are realigned to how they were before the multiple failed adjustments. The senior doctor was very condescending and the two of them kept making snarky remarks about me in third person in my presence. The changes that the senior doctor made were much more painful than usual, with the pain not going away for over 2 weeks, rather than the usual 2 days. One side of my jaw was constantly tingling and felt like it was being pulled down. I told them that something was wrong, that I’d never felt anything like this from braces in 3 years of treatment, but they ignored me. I agreed for the braces to be taken off at the next appointment despite that my teeth were still uneven; I was too scared of things getting even worse.

I was left with a narrow, slanted smile that to me looked much worse than before the braces. Even worse, my facial symmetry was now way off and it looked like someone had yanked my jaw down and to the side. My bite felt very uneven with some of my teeth hitting hard against each other, while others barely touching. Eating was uncomfortable and some teeth felt very tender. An x-ray showed that the roots of my lower front teeth had dissolved – a known side effect of braces called root resorption. I was never warned about any of these risks and side effects of braces that I now have to live with.

My bite issues worsened with time and two years later I was in daily pain. One of my upper canines had been pulled down so much that it was now hitting hard against my lower teeth. My retainer was also causing me awful pain and headaches and I decided to have a new one made.

I went to a different orthodontist and explained the issues I’d had with the previous treatment and how my teeth didn’t feel right on one side. He started trying to convince me to shave enamel from my canine that was hitting hard against my other teeth. I refused this multiple times but agreed to have a new retainer made. He said that he had to remove some glue that he claimed was left on the back of my upper front teeth from a previous fixed retainer. I was not aware of any glue being there but I trusted him as he was a doctor and I could not imagine that he would harm me. He reassured me that he would not remove any of my enamel. He started moving the drill up and down the backs of my teeth, supposedly cleaning them. When he finally got to the canine that was causing me problems he pressed harder, making lines from top to bottom, then some horizontal strokes at the bottom of my tooth. This is when I realised that he was not cleaning my teeth, he was reducing the size of my tooth against my wishes. He left scratches on the other five teeth – that’s the price I had to pay for saying no to someone who could not take no for an answer, someone who should not be allowed to call himself a doctor. He left deep cuts on that canine, reducing its size like he’d wanted. The cuts and scratches still hurt more than 4 years later, a constant reminder that I was assaulted by someone I should have been able to trust.

I confronted him immediately after, but he denied that he had used a cutting drill and claimed there had been a lot of glue there. In his subsequent replies to my complaint he first said that a tiny amount of enamel may have been removed, then changed his story and claimed that it was impossible that any enamel had been removed and that the uneven surface I could feel on my teeth meant that there was more glue there. He said that I should go back to him and he would remove the rest of the glue and prove to me that no damage had been done. Worryingly, he also claimed that I could go to any colleague of his who would do the same. It is disturbing to think that not only can this man lie so shamelessly, but he can trust that his colleagues would lie for him too.

The day after my teeth were damaged I went to my NHS dentist to assess the damage. She confirmed that there was loss of enamel on my teeth, as well as reduction of my canine. She took photos of my teeth and showed them to me on the screen, she pointed at the yellow lines on my teeth and explained that this is where enamel had been taken off. I asked her for the photos and in my distress I mentioned that I was going to sue the dentist. She was taken aback and exclaimed that this was nothing, just a bit of enamel. When I finally received the photos they were of such low quality that no damage could be seen. Only less than half of the reduced canine was visible, with the most damaged part cut off. Somehow, the once good-quality photos that I saw at my appointment which clearly showed the damage had turned into an incomplete blurry mess.

Finally, I reported the orthodontist who assaulted me to the General Dental Council (GDC). They closed my case after consulting an “independent clinical advisor” – another dentist. They stated that the orthodontist had used the right instrument for the job, without any explanation how they’d come to this conclusion, and despite evidence that he had left me with a reduction of my tooth which cannot be caused by the instrument for glue removal. They stated that I had consented to the removal of my enamel since that was a possible side effect of the glue removal procedure, but that the orthodontist didn’t have to inform me of this side effect because the amounts were minimal. The GDC ignored my subsequent emails asking why they had assumed that the orthodontist is telling the truth and ignored my evidence, as well as the fact that he had changed his story several times.

I used to go to the dentist every 6 months but now I avoid them as much as I can. How am I supposed to trust them when they cover up each other’s crimes? How am I supposed to trust them when even their regulatory body is biased and ignores serious assault and deception? All of the above experiences have left me with so much trauma and despite years of therapy I don’t know if I’ll ever feel ok again.

My experience with several orthodontists wasn’t any better. It was a total nightmare I cannot wake up from, it ruined my life, my career trajectory, social life, dating, health, aesthetics, finances… every single thing.

I started as a class II patient and had a removable appliance as a teenager with an orthodontist who didn’t know how to articulate what he was doing and made me pay for a device when it broke. Strange, because he maybe didn’t make it properly, so why would I have to cover those costs? Anyway, I went to another one, this time having braces, since they were more popular, and only on upper jaw.

After a while, he recommended extraction of the first premolars, and I thought it a crazy idea and refused, after which they took off the braces and gave me a retainer without solid direction on how long to wear it. So, after my teeth shifted due to this, I went back and they put me back in braces – at my own cost again, saying that they shifted since I didn’t have braces at my lower jaw. So now I am having braces on both jaws. After a while, they again recommended extractions – which of course I didn’t want in the first place, and seeing that they were clueless about what they were doing, I dropped out in search of someone more competent.

 

I had only encountered vague opinions about whether I should extract or not, all of them claiming more or less the same “we don’t know until you become our patient”. After a big search I went to allegedly the best – a professor at university. His overpromising and salesy talks fooled my youthful inexperience, and I went in. It went well until several months in – when I was told upon his visual inspection I needed to extract. This was shocking to me, but I thought he must know the best, he is a reputable prof, among the best. Extractions were mentally traumatic, I cried the whole day, but I thought it was for the best.

 

I wore headgear and soon noticed that my face looked strange, and my TMJ clicked. I went back with my concerns just to be gaslighted, told that we women are too concerned with our looks, and other sexist, narcissistic word salad. They told me that everything will be back to normal once the therapy ends. So, I stayed to see, what choice did I had. It didn’t get better with time. I went back to my orthodontist, and he gaslighted me again saying it is a photoshop, and insane things like that. I left them a negative review, and same day they dropped me out of the practice, saying I should go find someone else. I tried and failed to meet anyone who understands or is at least willing to understand my issues, let the least heard about the reversal procedure that I was inquiring about.
 

I was searching and searching and only got stupid remarks like “Your ortho wasn’t wrong”, “I think you have a beautiful smile”, “It’s impossible to reverse it”, and other nonsense.
“Finally” I found one ortho in central London who reassured me that I wouldn’t need a reversal, all she would do is expansion and that’s it. She also told me that she had spaces reopened herself, and made it seem so easy. Of course, this was a blatant lie and she only said that to get me into practice - reopening spaces is a complicated procedure that requires many dental/jaw related disciplines to cooperate. What she’s done in the next three years I wouldn’t come up with in my wildest nightmares. First, she positioned brackets weirdly, so my upper incisors were angled in an unnatural position. She didn’t do much expansion, but put my lower jaw backwards, making me lose the definition of my lower jaw. She never explained where I was in the therapy and only talked superficially about the weather and small talk, pretending she is a truly compassionate person. My again and again concerns that I was thinking about reversal were ignored, and after she had enough of it, I believe she intentionally butchered me, since no one could be that stupid. She decided in the middle of the therapy to make my upper jaw extremely narrow, gave me a class II bite again, and prescribed class III elastics. I suspected something was wrong, but it was impossible to communicate it to her as she would always have the same stupid talk that everything is nice and easy, without ever addressing anything properly. I came for adjustment and asked if she could do anything to bring those upper incisors in harmony, she did it so aggressively that by the end of the day, I developed diastema and suffered horrible headaches. I came for an emergency appointment where all my concerns were dismissed without any rational explanation. She said that she cannot predict how will teeth of her patients will move. Like what the heck, I could do a better job on myself then. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end, I developed sleep apnea soon after, and after reading my records went into a horrible emotional state, I couldn't sleep out of sheer horror being this violated and injured, for about 40 days. Things were being covered up. So the aftermath is that now I have a severe deep bite I never ever had, my beautiful face elongated, my lips are thinner, my cheekbones melted, my gums receded, my center line is off, my nose has a bump, I have tinnitus, breathing issues, TMJ dysfunction, tension in my face, back, and neck, postural issues, aesthetic issues… financial and valuable time-stealing burden. I hate them and want them nothing but the same excruciating suffering.

Now I had to fix things again (fix is a big word, ameliorate the symptoms a better one), praying the next person won’t show to be a total ignorant and morally corrupt tw*t. I might need MMA now and God knows what, and I wish my pre-extraction class II back, it wasn’t even bad at all. I feel orthodontics are one big scam, a money-thirsty business with no scientific base, and what they are doing to people is a crime against humanity. 

A few years ago, I made the decision to undergo a dental procedure in the hopes of improving my oral health and boosting my confidence. Little did I know that this choice would lead me down a path of unimaginable pain and suffering. The outcome of the procedure was far from what I expected, as it resulted in severe complications that have not only affected the alignment and functionality of my jaw but have also stolen precious moments of my life that I can never get back.

Simple tasks that we all take for granted on a daily basis, such as eating, speaking, and even smiling, have become challenges for me. The constant pain and discomfort I'm currently experiencing have turned my once vibrant and physically active life into a nightmare. But the worst part is that I now know, after consulting with various medical professionals, that corrective jaw surgery was the solution I needed from the very beginning.

It infuriates me to think that I placed my trust in an orthodontist who not only misled me but also subjected me to years of unnecessary braces and orthodontic treatment that ultimately destroyed my jaw, neck, and spine. Instead of referring me to an oral maxillofacial surgeon for the proper treatment, I was continually led down a path of deceit and frustration. 

Unfortunately, the repercussions of this ordeal extend far beyond the realms of oral health. Despite my attempts to obtain a driver's license and gain independence, the damage inflicted on my neck and jaw has rendered it impossible for me to safely operate a vehicle. My inability to turn to the left without excruciating pain caused by my degenerated condyle and subluxated atlas pinching nerves has sent shooting pangs of distorted sensations down my arms and legs. 

The truth is, if I had possessed the knowledge I have now, I would have never opted for orthodontics in the first place. The irreversible damage caused by this ill-advised procedure has not only robbed me of my quality of life but has also taken away precious years of my youth. I am left with a deep sense of anger and frustration over the years I have lost and the suffering I have endured needlessly.

It is my hope that by sharing my experience, others will be more cautious and informed when considering orthodontic procedures. If something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Sadly, the majority of orthodontists and companies prioritise profit over patient well-being. It's important for everyone to seek multiple opinions and consult with the right experts who can provide the best course of action for their specific situation. Corrective jaw surgery may seem like a daunting prospect, but it is often a necessary step towards regaining a pain-free life and restoring your overall well-being.

I urge anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation to continue advocating for their own health and not hesitate to explore all available options. Don't let the fear or inconvenience of surgery/alternative treatment options deter you from seeking the best solution for your long-term oral health and quality of life.

Remember, your well-being is worth fighting for, and I am determined to reclaim mine through corrective jaw surgery. 

An article in The Times over the weekend:

The ‘unnecessary’ NHS teeth extractions that led to lifetimes of pain (thetimes.co.uk)

So, I recently had an experience with a private orthodontist. Initially, things seemed promising – got the treatment I needed, and the support was decent.

However, as time went on, I faced some ongoing issues. When I reached out, the orthodontist was responsive, but the problem persisted. I decided to escalate the matter and involve other healthcare professionals.

They collaborated, which was great, but the resolution was still elusive. Frustrated, I eventually tried making a complaint to address the ongoing concerns.

This new qualitative study might be of interest to those who have experienced dental diagnostic error or diagnostic failure. It's a start in building research evidence around the harms that can be caused.

Patients’ experiences of dental diagnostic failures: A qualitative study using social media (April 2024)