Re: Unnecessary Porlongation of Treatment

Document all the information you know so that you have evidence to back
up your position. Ask the orthodontist's office exactly HOW your son
was "uncooperative." Be prepared to show that he WAS cooperative, so
the non-cooperation clause does not apply in his case.

Poor brushing, in and of itself, should not constitute the type of
"lack of cooperation" which would affect the time of ortho treatment.

Some dental offices are run by the gal at the front desk, not by the
dentist who owns the office. Find out if this is a "form letter" that
she sends every patient when treatment lasts longer than the dentist
had originally anticipated. This form letter may not rightly pertain to
your individual case.

Show them the timeline which demonstrates that you followed all the
orthodontist's instructions, and that this is simply a case that
happens to take longer, NOT due to any lack of cooperation on the
patient's part.

Best regards,
- dentaldoc



jdennell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
I just received a letter from my son's orthodontist insisting I pay
$75.00 a month until braces are removed. He letter states "The 13
months of unnecessary prolongation of his treatment has been due to his
lack of cooperation." I have been at every appointment my son has had
and have been spoken to two times. (His office policy does not allow
parents in the treatment room. I must rely on my son to inform me of
his instructions, per the orthodontist.) Once was to inform me that my
son was not brushing correctly. The second time, a year into
treatment, was to inform me that his wisdom teeth needed to be removed
and his molars in front of the wisdom teeth has not completed erupted
through the gums. Bands could not be placed on these teeth. (My son was
14 at the time.) The surgery was performed, by the oral surgeon the
orthodontist recommended, about a month later. The oral surgeon
informed me that the surgery was more involved than he anticipated,
alot of bone and tissue removal. He went back to the orthodontist a
month later and did not have another appointment for two months. The
orthodontist claims treatment was to take 20 months and I signed a
"contract" stating this. What I signed is a payment agreement, I had
20 months to pay the outstanding balance. It is called a "Federal
Truth In Lending Disclousre Statement For Professional Services
Rendered". He has highlight a section of this form about unncessary
prolongation of treatment due to patient's uncooperation, braking of
appliances and missing appointments resulting in additonal fees. He
has given me three options: Pay the additonal amount (for how long?),
transfer to another orthodontist, or sign a release to have his braces
removed. I have spent over $6,000 for his treatment (including first
phase by another orthodontist). What should I do? The letter claims
my son's teeth are aligned but his bite is not corrected. (He wore a
very thick wire for months prior to wearing a rubber band on his back
molar. His teeth are still rolling in. This was the original problem.)
Do I have any recourse since he did not inform me of the problem for
13 months?

.

Relevant Pages