Legal Question in Consumer Law in Florida

I entered an orthodontic treatment and have been having many issues. The brackets attached to my teeth have been repeatedly falling off and the orthodontist now wants to charge me a total of $600 a 4th of the treatment cost to repair them. in the contract it states "there will be additional charges for broken or lost appliances. Including but not limited to excessive broken brackets which will be determined by the the doctor." The exact nature of these charges was not disclosed to me as he now wants to charge $100 per bracket. I was expecting something smaller as many of my friends had similar problems and were charged $10-$20 per bracket but never anything this large. I simply do not have the money to pay for this however if i cancel the treatment I must pay $1356.00. They are being very uncooperative not even allowing to pay it on a payment plan is there anything I can do to prevent being charged such insane amounts of money.


Asked on 8/17/10, 9:46 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Shelly Schellenberg MI & FL private practice

Get a second opinion from a different orthodontist to determine if the brackets have been properly applied. Ask that doctor to indicate the cost of broken brackets, in writing. You may be able to do a "survey" of your friends' orthodontists, and document (via their bills) a usual and customary charge for broken brackets. Take all of your documentation, including your contract with the orthodontist, to a general practice attorney. Sometimes a phone call or letter from an attorney outlining the facts and pointing out sharp dealing by a licensed practitioner, is enough to get them to rethink their policy or billing procedures.

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Answered on 8/23/10, 6:07 am


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