Orthodontists - Fredericksburg, VA

"Dr. Sherri Wilkerson-Cox doesn't stand by her work! She placed braces on my 10-year-old son and estimated that he would wear them for about 30 months. Everything was going well and when he was 12 and had been wearing the top braces for 23 months and bottom for 19 months, she determined that he'd completed treatment and removed them. My son wore his retainers as instructed and was seeing Dr. Sherri on schedule for retainer checks. When he went for a routine dental checkup, the dentist told us that there were problems with his bite and that he would need braces to correct a functionality issue, not cosmetic. My son had not even been out of braces a year! I called Dr Sherri's office very upset and spoke with the office manager Claudia, who assured me that whatever the problem was, that Dr. Sherri would address it. Scheduling with this office is tough because Dr. Sherri only sees patients 16 hours per week, Monday and Wednesday afternoons only, but Claudia worked well with us to get my son into see Dr. Sherri throughout treatment. She's great and very professional. A few days later when Dr. Sherri examined my son, she first began making excuses--the dentist didn't have as much training as her, didn't know as much and the teeth were fine. She tried to say that she told me my son may need jaw surgery-NOT TRUE- she said he would NOT need surgery for correction. She even had her assistant tell me that she'd worn braces four times-- like this was a normal occurrence! It was absurd! I pressed Dr. Sherri and asked her whether she was happy with my son's bite and she stated, "I was when I took the braces off." I asked was there a problem with the retainers and she said, "No." She finally admitted that she was surprised at the condition of my son's bite and that he would need additional orthodontic treatment due to jaw growth. Naturally, since my son had worn his retainers as instructed and the relapse occurred under HER care and direction, I'd assumed that she'd address the situation. Wrong! She insisted that we wait and then she would put on another set of braces for which we would have to pay a second time! My son no longer had orthodontic insurance because she'd taken the full payment from them. Another $5300 for a second set of braces! I had worn braces along with several family members and I couldn't figure out how one could wear retainers as instructed and need another set of braces in just a few months? It just didn't make sense. I sought a second opinion with an orthodontist who did not examine my son's retainers and disclosed to us that he personally knew Dr. Sherri. Seeking an unbiased opinion, I made an appointment with a third orthodontist. This orthodontist x-rayed my son's jaw and examined his retainers before determining that his bite had shifted because his retainers weren't designed to hold his 12-year molars! He said that he'd seen this before with some of his patients and he changed the design of his retainers to cover the 12-year molars to prevent future relapses. He said that if something like this happens to one of his patients, he retreats at no additional cost. That is to be expected from an orthodontist that stands by his work, cares about his patients and takes pride in his treatment outcomes. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Dr. Sherri. Not only am I disappointed in her, but I am disappointed in myself for entrusting the care of my child to her. She showed no compassion or concern for the fact that my son would have to undergo additional costly and painful treatment. It was apparent to me that she didn't care about my son and her only concern was getting paid. I have never encountered a doctor unwilling to stand by their work and as such, I am unable to recommend her services. Don't make the same mistake we did--seek orthodontic treatment elsewhere! "