Had she got the proper treatment, she would have completed the repositioning of her ectopic canine tooth for Rs30,000.

But now, as her treatment is botched, it costs her Rs3 million just to restore normalcy, which she cannot afford.

Samjhana Panta, 25, from Dadeldhura district, sought repositioning of her ectopic canine tooth at the Mahendranagar-based Bista Dental Clinic, hoping that it would improve her facial appearance and confidence. A health worker at the clinic who posed as a dentist told her that she needed to wear braces, which cost Rs30,000.

“I paid the fee in advance as asked by the health worker,” Panta said. “However, the wrong orthodontist treatment carried out by a quack lands me not only in a serious problem but also causes mental stress, anxiety and depression.”

This was a common refrain among many people who’d approached the wrong person or a quack at one of the mushrooming dental clinics in urban areas. Due to the apathy of agencies concerned with regulating dental clinics, many people have had their treatments botched.

“A lot of complaints have been lodged against dentists and dental clinics at the council,” said Dr Kalu Singh Khatri, a member of Nepal Medical Council, the national regulatory body of medical doctors and dentists. “I would request every patient to check the NMC number of the doctor and dentist before starting treatment.”

Panta said that during the braces treatment procedure, she suffered extreme pain. Her bites, mouth and jaw became uneven and she even felt that her teeth started coming out of her lips.

When her facial structure started changing, the health worker, who claimed to be a dentist, extracted four teeth—two from the upper jaw and two lower teeth.

“Not a single positive change happened in the last two years of treatment,” Panta said. “The structure of my face changed. Due to chronic pain, I could not eat and sleep properly, and I suffered mental stress.”

Panta sought a second opinion from another doctor, who doubted the health worker's qualifications. Whenever she approached him to inquire about the cause of the problem, he would get angry. She asked for his NMC number, but he refused to provide it. When she warned him that she’d file a case with the police, the health worker provided the NMC numbers of some other people.

She checked the number on the NMC’s website, but could not find it. When she asked him to show his NMC number on the council's website, he showed her a certificate for a three-day dental training.

“I sought treatment at other hospitals, but most doctors refused to treat the ruined case,” Panta said. “I lodged a complaint against the dental clinic at the council and sought help for treatment. As per the council's recommendation, my treatment has started at Bir Hospital. But doctors say that it is impossible to make it normal.”

The Post has received another complaint lodged at the Council from another girl, who sought treatment at a New Baneshwar-based dental clinic to correct her misaligned teeth and jaws. In this case, too, the dentist extracted four teeth. The girl suffered from root resorption from tight braces, and the roots of several teeth were irreparably damaged.

Unlike in the first case, the person who performed the treatment in the second case was a general dentist.

Experts say that, along with quackery, handling all types of cases by a practitioner with general training has become a problem in the country.

“We have excellent dentists doing fantastic treatments on par with international standards, but when it comes to braces and clear aligners, patients should always seek out NMC-registered Orthodontics,” said Dr Manish Bajracharya, an Orthodontist. “Orthodontists can handle complex cases more properly.”

Braces and clear aligners are not only for aligning the front teeth but also for maintaining a better harmony of the upper and lower teeth along with the facial muscles and jaws. It involves complex biomechanics, and the treating doctor should have a thorough knowledge of it. Every case has a different diagnosis and each one requires specific treatment planning. Misdiagnosis and improper treatment might cause lots of complications in future.