Name: Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics
Brand: Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics
Rating: 4.7 (35 reviews)

Can orthodontics fail? Fixing crooked teeth or a misaligned bite takes time, money and serious effort on the part of everyone involved. Considering that your smile is one of your main features, the last thing you want to do is mess it up or watch as your orthodontic treatment fails. While you may hear someone complain about how their treatment went, the truth is that there are far more satisfied patients than there are ones who experience a failed treatment.

The fact that you are already concerned about the possibility of your treatment failing is a good sign that you plan to do your part to make sure it works. You can start by making sure to choose a reputable orthodontic clinic that offers bespoke services like ours such as 3-D printing to make sure that you never waste a day without your retainer. You can also read through our guide to understand exactly why some people have their treatment fail along with what you can do to help throughout the entire process of straightening your teeth.

What Are the Main Reasons Why Braces Fail?

Time and time again, we hear about people’s braces failing due to the same common causes. The primary cause for orthodontics to fail is that people start off with the wrong treatment plan. This is more likely to happen if you choose to seek treatment from a care provider that is not a specialist. You need to make sure that anyone who plans your treatment is a board-certified orthodontist. Anything less than that means that you could be placing your teeth at risk.

Patient compliance is another factor that can influence how well your treatment works. When you first get your appliance, you are provided with information about how to take care of it. For instance, you may need to avoid hard or sticky foods that can break the wires on traditional braces. Since you might not be able to get the braces fixed if they break in the evening, skipping this rule could mean losing valuable time that is needed to move your teeth.

In some cases, a treatment may also fail due to poor planning from the very beginning. This is common with people who start their treatment with poorly made impressions that are then used to create their appliance. Our 3-D scanners eliminate this possibility by providing precise information about the location and shape of your teeth. We also find that using our scanners is more comfortable for patients compared to the usual putty and mouth trays that other clinics use to make their impressions.

Do Mail Order Orthodontics Ever Work?

Expert care is essential for getting the best outcome from your treatment. Mail order braces have several issues that lead to failure in more cases than with people who visit traditional brick-and-mortar clinics. First of all, you are only provided with a cursory exam, and these are not always even included in a mail-order braces plan. Second, you will be tasked with making your own impressions. Once again, this involves that awkward putty that often creates shaky imprints of your teeth.

Finally, patients rarely know that their mail-order braces aren’t working until they are already well into their treatment plan due to the lack of follow up appointments. To put it simply, taking a picture of your mouth or using impressions does not provide a real orthodontist with enough information about your teeth alignment to make a qualified judgment on the progress from afar.

Who is Most Likely to Experience a Failure?

There are certain lifestyle factors that also influence who is at a higher risk of orthodontic failure. Children and younger teens often need help to be successful with their treatment. For instance, parents must be willing to bring them to their appointments, and kids may need reminders to do things such as brush their teeth properly or replace the elastics.

Older teens and adults tend to follow their treatment plans better, but you could still be at risk for having the plan fail if you are unhappy with the type of care that you receive. We try our best to make sure that you understand all of your options before we start. For example, you may prefer Invisalign because you worry about aesthetics.6 Things You Need To Know Before You Get Invisalign

How Can Patients Be Proactive About Their Oral Health?

There are many things that you can do to put the effort into your oral health care routine that is required to achieve success. Always tell your orthodontist if you experience an issue with your appliance or an unusual symptom. Braces can cause slight discomfort, but it should never be to the point that you don’t want to wear your aligner trays or skip an appointment to get them tightened.

What Do Orthodontists Look for During Follow Up Visits?

One of the most important reasons to go to an expert for your treatment is that they take the time to check the movement of your teeth and jaw alignment. During the follow-up visits, your doctor checks the position of your teeth compared to the last time that you went. If you are the parent of a young child, this also provides you with reassurance that your child is wearing their retainer or clear aligners properly. If necessary, they can then make recommendations such as wearing a set of trays for a little longer than was initially prescribed.

Do Orthodontists Do Anything Extra to Help With Compliance?

Making braces and retainers fun and exciting helps to encourage patient compliance so that failure is less likely to occur. Metal brackets in fun shapes, such as stars and hearts, are one option that we offer for kids and teens that make them want to take care of their newly decorated smile. We also have options that can speed up the straightening process. Seeing the results faster or being able to view a projected image of your future smile helps you remember the reasons why you need to be actively involved with making your treatment successful.

A FREE Consultation

Our doctors are expert at Gorton & Schmohl. Dr. Gorton and Dr. Schmohl love Orthodontics and work together to use the latest advances in our field to make sure that each patient successfully completes their treatment. Give us a call to schedule your first appointment today.