This has been the worst orthodontic experience I've ever had.
I got my braces between June 21 - July 21, 2021, and was told I would only need them for about one year. Instead, my braces were not removed until June 23, 2023 nearly two full years.
I was away at college during treatment and would travel back for appointments. Throughout my treatment, I constantly dealt with broken brackets at least once a month, sometimes two at a time. In the beginning, the orthodontist suggested it was due to what I was eating. I switched to a soft food diet to eliminate that excuse, yet my brackets continued breaking. Despite my efforts, I was repeatedly made to feel like it was my fault.
Over time, I became anxious about appointments because I felt blamed whenever something went wrong.
I also experienced discomfort with one dental assistant due to hygiene concerns. At first, I gave the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was from long workdays. However, even during morning appointments, the issue persisted. I requested to switch assistants. The male dental assistant I saw afterward was amazing and professional, and I also had a positive experience with another female assistant unfortunately, she informed me she would no longer be there at my next visit.
Financially, what seems affordable upfront becomes expensive:
* Broken brackets cost extra.
* Running late costs extra (even though they often ran behind).
* My treatment timeline kept getting pushed out.
One of the most upsetting parts of my experience involved my gap. I made it very clear from the beginning that I wanted to keep the gap in my teeth. My grandmother, who is deceased, had a gap, and my mom also has a gap. I had strong emotional ties to it, and it was very important to me. Despite repeatedly reminding them, my gap was accidentally closed. They reopened it after I addressed it, but then a new gap appeared on the bottom right side of my mouth. I was told that to fix the new gap, I would need to close my original gap again. At that point, I was emotionally drained and just wanted to be done.
At the time my braces were removed (June 23, 2023), I was told that if I ever lost or broke my retainer, it would cost $400 to replace. However, I was also told that if I left a Yelp review, the replacement cost would be reduced to $150. Based on that information, I left a Yelp review.
Now, almost two years later, I need a replacement retainer. I was informed the current price is still $400, but with the review discount it is now $350 -- meaning the review only takes off $50. Additionally, my original Yelp review is nowhere to be found. I was told Yelp sometimes removes reviews, which makes me question why that platform was encouraged in the first place.
For transparency: both my sister and I received braces here. Before anyone asks why we kept returning -- we had no choice. My mom chose this location, and once we signed the contract, we could not leave. After seeing our experience, my mom chose a different orthodontist for her own treatment.
I will be including photos of my teeth before treatment to show that I did not require major correction, as well as photos after braces were removed.
Here is my honest review for my $50 dollars off.
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