Orthodontist malpractice

What is the name of your state? Missouri.

Our fifteen year-old son has recently been discovered to have severe erosion of enamel on all of his teeth. For the past three years he has been treated by an orthodontist who saw him monthly to straighten his teeth and to correct a jaw placement problem. About two weeks ago the orthodontist made note of the severe erosion and made an appointment for our son with a specialist to develop a plan to deal with the erosion. The specialist was astounded at the erosion and quickly determined that the cause was not teeth grinding but likely to be related to acid reflux. He made an appointment with a physician. The physician agreed with the diagnosis and ordered tests and a prescription for acid reflux. During this visit he told me that he was told by the dentist that the orthodontist had said the erosion occurred in the three weeks between our son's last two regular visits. We found our son's annual school pictures going back several years, each taken in the beginning of the school year. We noted that at about 10 years of age his teeth were straight and white. The picture showing his first year in braces, at about 12 years-old, showed his top front teeth to have a slight gap and little erosion. His 13 year-old picture, again in braces, shows that there was notable erosion and a wider gap. His picture from last fall shows quite a bit of erosion and discoloration of his teeth. The condition now is much worse than his fall 2001 picture.

Is there a chance that the orthodontist 1) misdiagnosed our son's need for braces initially, and 2) failed to recognize the erosion of the enamel over the three years of monthly visits? Either way, if the erosion had been diagnosed early, we would not be facing the problems we now face, including potential esophagus damage and numerous caps or implants. Our son will start his sophomore year in high school in two weeks. While we are working with the team of medical people described above to find a solution, our son is facing the agony of going through high school with dreadful teeth. He has expressed real fear about that. We may have paid for orthodontia that was not necessary. The solution, no matter what that turns out to be, will be painful and expensive.

Please give us some info to help us understand what we and our son are facing. Does any of this sound like malpractice? If so, what should we do right now? Should we wait for the treatment of the problem?

Thanks.

[pele]

I am not an expert on this subject and I am sure someone else will reply to your post, however, I would like to add my experience with erosion of tooth enamel. I am a lot older than your son. A few years ago I had to have my front teeth capped due to severe erosion of the enamel. The dentist told me it was from carbonated soda, that it slowly eats away at the enamel of the teeth, especially if you dont use a straw and swirl the soda around in your mouth before swallowing. If I had known this I would always have used a straw. I hope things work out with your son, this a terrible thing to happen at his age. Best of luck to you.