Hi, I have had my braces since 2003, I was a few weeks away from getting them removed in 2006, before I could finish up my appointments I had moved out of my parents house and across the country, my ortho said to contact an ortho and things should be taken care of. I fell on hard times once I moved, and couldn't get to set up an appointment. I've moved 13 times since 2006 and am now in desperate need to get my braces off. I went to an orthodontic office a year ago and they said it would cost me 1,000 dollars to get them removed. And money is something I do not have. I just moved to Indianapolis a few weeks ago and I have been trying to find somewhere I can get them removed for little to no cost, I am still in the process of finding a job and getting some form of income. Can I go to a hospital to get them removed? Could I do them myself with out yanking my teeth out? All the rubberbands on the top braces have fallen off, and the bottom ones are there but falling apart. I want to get these braces off before they cause any/more damage to my teeth.

All I am going to say is: WOW!

You can go to the hospital especially if the braces are causing you any pain either to your teeth or the inside of your mouth. You can still go if they aren't. Explain your situation to them and they should be able to help you find a dentist who will be willing to help you either for free or at low payments. You may have to wait awhile to be seen at the hospital but they will not refuse to see you. If you live near a teaching hospital they may have a dental program that will help. Good Luck!

I looked for several dentists around the area there was a completely free place to go, but they do not offer orthodontic services, they suggested IU school of dentistry where I live, but there services cost money, I don't know how much, but again no money to speak of. I will defiantly check out the hospital I live 5 minutes away from one.

I keep kicking myself in the butt about this whole situation...

How far away are you from the orthodontist who placed your braces? Is there ANY chance that you can afford a trip back to visit family/friends and prebook the appt for removal? The orthodontist shouldn't charge you to have them removed if you had paid for all the orthodontic treatment in the time your teeth were being shifted.

I cannot believe that an orthodontist would have the gull to charge someone $1000 to have the brackets removed!!

Didn't ANY of the dentists you checked with have the proper tool to remove the brackets?

You will need to have some kind of retainer made to keep the teeth in place after all this time.

Did you call the Dental School to find an exact cost for what you need? What about a Dental Hygiene School? Some teach ortho and bracket removal would be part of that.

DO NOT try to take them off yourself! They are well cemented to your teeth!!

That is bananas! If you care about keeping the teeth straight then you will need a retainer... all of the above advice is good, I'd say find a dental school , or see if a hygienist will do it since dentist chair time is always pricey... id be willing to bet that unfortunately, since they have been on so long, you might end up with some cavities/decay around the brackets... a dental school is the best bet for cheap comprehensive care