<prompt> Human: Ill try to keep this brief. My girlfriend is about to get her braces removed, but the orthodontist is telling her that they wont remove them until her younger sisters account balance is paid. My girlfriend has been independent of her parents for some time, but her younger sister still lives with them, and they are the ones who were supposed to be paying the sisters bills. To be honest Im unsure if my girlfriends account is in the same name as her sisters or if they are somehow joint accounts, Im not sure.Can the orthodontist really hold my girlfriends teeth hostage until a family members bill is paid? I would be shocked if this was the case.Edit - Yes Im in the USAThank you for the responses. I have some homework to do to gather some more information. Assistant: This is unethical. If there is no medically necessary reason for your girlfriend to have the braces on, then they need to be removed. How long is this going to work for him? Your girlfriends mouth is going to grow and change, she is going to need to have a thorough cleaning, she is going to need to be fitted with retainers. This seems like a dangerous form of intentional malpractice. At the very least its shady.There are already established methods for collecting debt. Human: Ah, that was my other thought. Is this really their way of ensuring payment? Why not send the bill to collections?  <response>: I dont know if theres a state board of orthodontists, but look into contacting them. 