Is my dd being entitled?

A professional IE a dentist says the op's dd isn't in NEED of dentistry work done...

Definitely not the case in my experience! 5 of my 7 children have had or been referred for braces on the NHS, 20 yr old had them at 13, 18 yr old got them at 15 (delay due to Covid), 16 yr old got them at 14 and got them off 2 weeks ago, 13 year old currently has them and 11 year old was referred a few months ago and getting them just before Christmas.
Only two of them had what I would say were really bad teeth, the others were just a bit wonky or a bit of an overbite. It must depend on where you live and how generous they are with funding as round here it seems that majority of teenagers do have braces, and NHS ones at that, it’s more unusual for my children’s friends to have not had them than to have them.

Honestly I would have done it for my child first before myself.

OP said herself:

dd's teeth are a little on the overcrowded side but you'd hardly notice unless you look closely

That sounds purely cosmetic and very minimal so no obviously it won’t be covered on the NHS. In terms of crowding the NHS is only for moderate to severe crowding that impacts proper cleaning or maintenance of the teeth. It’s nothing to do with the ‘looks’.

Bloody hell people on this post are being ridiculous!

Did you all miss the part where OP said she enquired as to whether DD needed braces and was told no because its only minor crowding that is hardly noticeable.

No wonder teens are so entitled and think the are owed all sorts. Private orthodontics is expensive and Mum has every right to treat herself. Just like if she wanted highlights, a facial, a new car - does that mean DD must receive these things too just because she wants them?!

I would get train tracks for both of you if at all possible financially, just her if not. I wouldn’t get Invisalign, train tracks will fix your teeth faster and better.

NHS braces - really only if a “need” if teeth impair speaking, eating / normal life functioning. They will say No, if not impacting life in this way.
Can always get them private. Invisalign are most expensive choice. Seems they are same price no matter how much work needs doing.
First visit, they photo your teeth, face & cost it up your choices.

Up to you if u want to pay, but don’t get her invisalign. Kids lose them.

Almost no child will qualify on the NHS. Braces are very much an expense parents need to cover, despite NHS dentistry. It’s similar to glasses. You can get the NHS voucher for £80? (£90?) for glasses but as a parent you spend more to get frames your child likes, to reduce the width and weight of the glasses and to get them to be anti glare etc.

I'd get a second opinion for hers, one dentist said my DD wouldn't qualify, another did and she had them for 18 months on NHS.
I probably would also prioritise my DDs braces if she needed them but I don't need braces so it's a bit different. Teens can be extremely stroppy and ungrateful and my DD never bothered to wear her retainer until now, and only because she likes that it looks like a grill :S (she has the ones with a metal bar)
It's also good for your DD to see that you look after yourself tbh. I wouldn't get Invisalign though! Train tracks, the see through ones if you must but god Invisalign is so expensive and doesn't correct a lot a lot of the medical level problems, just cosmetic.

I would put my dc first in this scenario 100%. No way would I get something for myself only that we both needed.

When dd found out she threw a strop saying if I'm getting braces why can't she?

I would say yes that is entitled behaviour to expect she should get something just because you have!

You are the adult here paying for your own treatment. She is a child (or presumably teen) who doesn’t qualify for the treatment on the NHS, so when she gets a job she can also choose to pay for her own braces, it’s that simple.

You are the parent and as such responsible for your DCs dental work - and if her teeth are overcrowded it needs fixing.

No, she isn’t being a diva. Having crooked, overcrowded teeth would make any teenager self conscious, as would having braces when she is in her 20s and maybe finally able to pay for them herself.

I don’t think either of you are being divas.

I understand why a child would think they should have the same entitlement to health and wellness resources as an adult. We tend to teach them they are, if anything, more important in that respect. And the impact of having it done early on in life is probably much higher than later.

‘Being a diva’ for wanting to get her overcrowded teeth fixed? 🙁 please take her to an orthodontist as PP said above, ask them for their opinion on what sort of results she can expect from braces.

She's not being entitled just because she's going 'why are you getting this for yourself and not solving the equivalent problem for me?'

I'd take her to an orthodontist and ask there whether braces would be useful for her, not at the standard dentist's at a check-up.

(I'm saying this as someone who was told by an orthodontist in my youth that I should get braces, but that this would require the extraction of 3-4 teeth. I didn't get the braces. Just to make it clear that perfect dental alignment is not my obsession!)

I had train tracks fitted in my 40's.. Dd moaned hers were a bit squashed but didn't qualify for NHS. Didn't cross my my mind to prioritise a stroppy teen over my hard earned for cash paying for my own teeth done. I also had a big over bite. Dd can pay for hers to be made perfect when she can afford it.

Personally, as a parent, I'd prioritise braces for my daughter over Invisalign for myself, but to each their own.

I'd put my DC before myself in this scenario honestly. I wouldn't do it in all scenarios but for dentistry yes.

I think braces aren’t really given under the NHS, without exceptional circumstances, so they are still something parents have to pay for since it’s cosmetic.

I think dentistry has changed significantly in recent years, so you’re probably right about the retainers, but I am assuming you can understand the desire to have aligned teeth and a nice smile and it’s not diva-ish or entitled to want to have it (especially not in the shallow social media world children grow up in today).

Dentist providing braces under the NHS - they're not needed
Dentist selling invialign with a hefty commission - wonder whether the opinion will be different?