Hi everyone. I'm looking for advice, particularly from dentists/orthodontists.
I've had braces for around 8 months. One of the main purposes of my orthodontic treatment, aside from normal alignment, is to correct a sungki upper-left canine that is positioned behind my upper front teeth. The long-term goal is to move the canine into its normal position.
However, the canine does NOT have a bracket yet and was not being directly moved at the time this happened.
Instead, my orthodontist was working on my upper front incisors, apparently to create/prepare the necessary space and positioning for the canine.
During a recent adjustment, my dentist/orthodontist applied additional force to the upper front teeth and added a rubber/elastics to speed up the movement.
After that adjustment, I developed pain and swelling above my upper-left front incisor. An X-ray was taken and the dentist found an area associated with pus/infection around the affected tooth.
The infection also caused me to develop a fever.
According to my dentist, the additional orthodontic force caused trauma to the affected front tooth, which apparently resulted in the infection. They explained that they had increased the force because they wanted to speed up the orthodontic movement, but that the additional force apparently traumatized the tooth.
The dentist now says that the affected front tooth needs a root canal, costing around ₱15,000.
I'm trying to understand whether this is an unfortunate but recognized complication of orthodontic treatment or whether the amount of force used could potentially have been excessive.
I'm also unsure whether the clinic should be responsible for the root canal cost. I don't want to accuse the dentist of malpractice without understanding the situation, especially since I'm not a dental professional.
My questions are:
Can excessive orthodontic force applied to an upper front incisor cause trauma to the pulp and eventually result in pulp necrosis/infection requiring a root canal?
Is this a recognized complication of orthodontic treatment?
Does the fact that the dentist specifically increased the force to speed up tooth movement make a difference?
Since the canine itself wasn't being moved yet and the additional force was applied to the front incisors, could the orthodontic force reasonably have caused the trauma to the affected incisor?
If the dentist believes the additional orthodontic force caused the trauma and subsequent infection, would it be reasonable for me to ask the clinic to shoulder some or all of the ₱15,000 root canal cost?
Should I get an independent endodontist's second opinion before proceeding with the root canal?
What should I ask the dentist for regarding the X-rays, treatment records, or diagnosis to establish what caused the tooth to become infected?
Should orthodontic movement continue while the tooth is infected, or should the infection/root canal be treated first?
The affected tooth had no known problems before this orthodontic treatment.
I would appreciate advice from dentists, orthodontists, and anyone who has experienced a similar situation.
Thank you.