Back teeth bite problem no improvement, wasted one year of time and $4000.
I had a moderate underbite problem and needed jaw surgery and orthodontic treatments. The complete plan was a 3-phase treatments. (1) pre-surgery orthodontic treatment to correct the major back teeth bite problem, (2) jaw surgery to shorten lower jaw by about 5mm, (3) post surgery orthodontic minor adjustment.
My major pre-surgery problem was my 12 back teeth, molars and premolars, were naturally incorrectly torqued (5 to 25 degrees variably, upper teeth outward, and lower teeth inward). The back teeth bite surface seemed Okay at my naturally underbite position, however, when lower jaw was projected to be shorten by 5mm, the back teeth bite revealed incorrect gaps and collisions between upper and lower teeth. The impression and study model showed this bite problem clearly if lower jaw was set backward by 5mm.
I found Dr. Bock on internet and consulted him, and he sounded promising. I started pre-surgery treatment by Dr. Bock since November 2015. Dr. Bock said I would be ready for the jaw surgery by Summer 2016. I attended every treatment, 3 to 5 weeks apart. Dr. Bock used metal brackets and arch wires in the treatment. Every time I met with Dr. Bock in his clinic, he saw my front teeth and said my teeth looked fantastic. I told him my problem was back teeth instead of front teeth. I told him that I did not feel that wires had applied any torque strength to my back teeth. Without strength, there were no teeth movement or rotation. Dr. Bock said the built in torque in the arch wire and bracket would torque my back teeth slowly. However, I did not see any bite correction at all, even after he used the heaviest wires.
In July 2016, I consulted my jaw surgeon and the surgeon saw my teeth impression and found that my back teeth bite problem had no improvement projecting 5mm lower jaw shortened. The surgeon said it was far from being ready for the jaw surgery. I doubted Dr. Bock's treatment might be incorrect, so I consulted another orthodontist in October 2016. This orthodontist said that in any jaw surgery case, teeth impression must be made before each adjustment for the purpose study the bite problem and calculate how each teeth shall be moved or rotated in each adjustment projecting the jaw position after the jaw surgery. The orthodontist also said TPA and LLHA should be used to torque the back teeth because only the built in torque in arch wires were not enough to rotate my teeth. Contrary to this orthodontist's opinion, Dr. Bock had not made impression and study the impression each time he made adjustment, and he did not use TPA or LLHA.
The next time I met Dr. Bock, I asked him about not making teeth impression. Dr. Bock said he would never made teeth impression because he could imagine the back teeth bite in his brain instead of looking at an impression. I doubted that a human being, even the best orthodontist, could not have a imagination to a precision of one millimeter or a few degree of angle, not to mention that a 5mm jaw shortening would make all bite much more complicated. I told my doubt to the orthodontist whom I consulted previously, and he agreed with me. Later, Dr. Bock agreed to use TPA and LLHA, but he insisted not to make impression and study it before each adjustment. I seriously doubted that Dr. Bock, without making and study the impression, could know how many millimeters and degrees of angle each adjustment should be made to each of the back teeth, projecting my lower jaw would be set back by 5mm.
After serious consideration, I terminated the orthodontic treatment from Dr. Bock in November 2016. read more