Getting cheap braces from someone without proper training is dangerous and could end up costing more

Woman in Detroit caught selling braces without proper licensing

DETROIT – Help Me Hank is going deep undercover to expose a bizarre business that medical professionals are saying is potentially dangerous.

A woman in Detroit was offering top and bottom braces for just $200 cash. She said she had done the procedure many times before.

“In the short term it seems like something that may give them their desired effect,” Dr. Blake Livingston said. “But in the long term, they’re gonna have complications that are gonna cost them magnitudes of dollars more.”

Blake said when treatment is done by someone with no training, the possibilities of detrimental outcomes are significantly more. He has seen patients with bad braces that have lost teeth.

“It seems easy, it sounds easy, but there’s a reason why orthodontists go to school for dental school and then 3,700 hours of exclusive orthodontic training,” Blake said.

Most professionals are willing to work out payment plans.

Local 4 brought this case to state officials and they said an investigation is underway.


Have a news tip? To reach Help Me Hank, call 313-634-WDIV (313-634-9348) or email at helpmehank@wdiv.com.

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About the Authors

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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