(Newser)
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If you thought the couple years you spent in braces were bad, get a load of this: Devin Bost says he was in braces from age 7 to age 18—and that the 11 years he spent wearing them left many of his teeth rotten. Now Bost, 22, is suing Brad Chvatal, the Oregon orthodontist he says is responsible. It seems you can't leave braces on that long without risking tooth decay and periodontal disease, Bost's lawyer explains to the Oregonian. Worse, some of Bost's teeth can't be replaced because they're rotted to the jaw. He's already racked up $35,000 in dental bills and counting, what with all the teeth that have needed to be replaced with implants.
As for how in the world Bost could have worn braces for 11 years without realizing something was amiss—particularly since his mother is a medical doctor—the lawsuit offers little clue. He reportedly got his braces from a different orthodontist and then started going to Chvatal afterward, although he didn't make as many visits as he should have; then, in 2008, Bost got "an urgent phone call" from the orthodontist's office saying the braces needed to come off. Even Bost's lawyer admits, "We aren't really sure what happened." Chvatal says the lawsuit can't possibly be right, because he didn't even get licensed until 2002.
