October commences the start of National Orthodontic Health Month (NOHM). A yearly-calendar special for dental professionals, dedicated to celebrating healthy smiles, promoting orthodontic benefits and educating individuals of the importance of proper oral care during orthodontic treatment.
What is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a specialised dental treatment focused on aligning your bite and straightening your teeth – the aim being to improve the appearance of crooked, protruding or crowded teeth. Some common orthodontic treatments include traditional braces, removable retainers and clear aligners. Your orthodontist will assess and recommend the best braces for you based on factors like the severity of your misalignment and personal preference. You can read more about orthodontics on the NHS website here. To make sure your braces last and your treatment completed in the quickest possible time – we have created a short list of some tips to help you care for your braces in the best way you can.
Do you want to read our complete procedure guide for “Brace Fitting”? Click the link here.
- Regular Brushing twice a day.
- Take you dentists advice on inter dental cleaning with interdental brushes.
- Be cautious of certain Foods and drinks, especially sugary and acidic soft drinks, that may affect your or your child’s oral health whilst undergoing brace treatments.
- It’s advised to make slight changes to your Mealtime Routines for example, eating your food in smaller manageable bites to reduce the risk of breaking your brace.
- Plan ahead, if you know you’re going to away from home for a while, it might be a good idea to prepare a kit with a toothbrush, interdental brushes, and toothpaste (to use between meals).
- Attend all of your recommended regular Orthodontist appointments. They are the best people to know your personal care tips, so you encounter less problems and are in a speedier direction to straight, healthy teeth.
Whilst most patients are happy with their results and care during their orthodontic treatment, unfortunately some people don’t get the outcome or the care they deserve. If your dentist does not carry out a thorough assessment of your mouth before starting treatment, diagnose the issues correctly or provides incorrect advice, this may be classed as negligence. In some cases, you may also find that your braces have been fitted incorrectly, which can cause further problems with your teeth, mouth and gums.
If your treatment goes wrong, it can be an extremely distressing situation to find yourself in. You can start the dental negligence claims process and open a case against your dentist with the help of The Dental Law Partnership. This may help you to pay for any remedial treatment required to improve your smile, as well as getting you justice for the negligence you’ve suffered. At the Dental Law Partnership, our expert team of solicitors and in-house dental experts are always on hand to help you through this distressing situation.
If you’d like to proceed with a dental negligence claim, there is no need to make a complaint to your dentist first. Instead, request a callback here.
This was the case for Kai Orley, 18, from Stockton-on-Tees, who suffered three-and-a-half years of dental work which left him “traumatised” and his teeth looking worse than before the braces were fitted. Kai reached out to Dental Law Partnership in 2020 and with the help of our specialist team was successfully awarded £11,000 by his former dentist, in an out of court settlement in November of 2023. You can read more about Kai’s story below.
The Mirror, “Traumatised” teen gets £11k payout after nightmare braces left his teeth sticking out https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/traumatised-teen-gets-11k-payout-32222489
Metro, Teen gets £11,000 payout after his teeth were left sticking out from braces https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/27/teen-gets-11-000-payout-braces-left-teeth-sticking-20358799/
You can read more successful client stories on our Testimonials page here.
If you’d like to get started with your dental negligence claim, please contact us, and we’ll do whatever it takes to secure justice for you.