"40% of Orthodontic Damage Reports Involve Side Effects Like Loosening"

Contract-Related Damages Also Reach 38%

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 18th that among the applications for damage relief related to orthodontic treatment, complaints about side effects such as tooth loosening and malocclusion accounted for the highest proportion at 40%.

Analyzing 77 cases of damage relief applications related to orthodontic treatment received by the Consumer Agency over approximately four years from 2020 to November this year, contract-related damages such as consumers refusing refund requests for remaining payments after stopping treatment or offering insufficient refunds also accounted for a large portion at 37.7% (29 cases). In addition, insufficient effectiveness accounted for 13.0% (10 cases), and incorrect treatment methods such as recommending non-extraction clear aligner treatment when extraction and fixed orthodontic treatment were necessary accounted for 6.5% (5 cases).

Looking into the details of the 31 cases complaining of side effects, the most common were "I received orthodontic treatment, but my bite does not fit" and "my teeth are loose," each accounting for 25.8% (8 cases). Next were gum disease at 22.6% (7 cases), and temporomandibular joint symptoms such as jaw joint pain and noise at 12.9% (4 cases), in that order.

Among the 29 contract-related reports, 44.8% (13 cases) canceled the orthodontic contract within one month after signing. In cases canceled within six months of contracting, simple change of mind or dissatisfaction with the service were the main reasons, and as the treatment period lengthened, changes to the treatment plan or requests for additional costs different from the initial plan were factors leading to cancellation.

The Consumer Agency plans to recommend dental clinics to provide consumers with detailed explanations about the patient’s dental condition, treatment methods, orthodontic period, expected results, orthodontic treatment costs, and refund policies in case of treatment discontinuation. They also urged consumers not to be misled by exaggerated advertisements such as events or discounts, to reconfirm the necessity of treatment, and to receive sufficient explanations about side effects, refund policies, and possible additional costs before signing a contract. Furthermore, they advised choosing a nearby medical institution for consistent regular check-ups whenever possible.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.