Orthodontist - nhs vs private any advice?

[DiddlySquatty]

Dd12.5 in yr 8 has been referred by dentist. She’s sort of got her canines coming down not in line, kind of protruding because the baby teeth are still there.
There’s a well thought of clinic where we live that does nhs and private.
Got a letter from them saying it’s 6-9 month wait for an nhs appointment.

Anyone know if we could pay for initial appointment and then opt to go nhs?
Presumably one benefit of private would be a shorter wait. Might there also be more options in terms of more discreet looking braces? I wonder if you can ‘top up’ nhs service or if it’s fully one or the other 🤔
And has anyone got an idea how much private costs? I guess we’re taking £1000s rather than £100s....?
Dd has recently entered a painfully self conscious stage and is very low in general.
I think ideally it would be good to get on with the braces ASAP.
Any experiences or expertise welcome!

Guess depends on where you are in the uk but once my kids had been assessed as having bad enough teeth for NHS treatment it was a quick process and they've had excellent service which I doubt could be topped privately. COVID has changed what orthodontists are able to do though and like dentists, going private may circumvent those restrictions. For me, getting started early is a good thing, no-one wants to be trying to get into a pub with braces on.

Hi op, my daughter (13) was referred at the beginning of the year before Covid hit. The dentist warned us that she was unlikely to qualify for nhs treatment and that even if she did there would be a 2 year wait after the initial assessment before treatment would start. Then covid hit and all orthodontic treatment stopped. When things reopened we decided just to go private as the nhs orthodontist wasn’t even seeing new referrals until next year. It’s costing us £2600 although we’re getting a 5% discount with my Dh’s blue light card. Dd should be getting her metal braces on next week.

We paid around £4000 privately. DS needed an overbite corrected and teeth straightened. All done with top and bottom fixed braces, no twin blocks needed (which he was absolutely dreading as the NHS orthodontist said he had to wear them full time for 18 months) and treatment completed in 14 months. We paid £500 extra to have clear braces so metal would have been £3500. Worth every penny.

My son has just started his treatment through NHS, on waiting list about a year, I nearly went private but then got our first appointment through NHS. Currently got upper and lower block braces to correct jaw , should be on for about 9 months. He will then have fixed retainers to straighten teeth for approx 2 years.
We’ve had 3 appointments so far, 2 whilst he was off school when schools were closed so that was fine. His latest appointment was in school hours so had to take him out for about 2.5 hours in total.
Really pleased with service so far, and very grateful to get them on NHS.
Only downside you don’t get to pick and choose appointment times, it’s getting what your given’. And he will miss quite a bit of school over next few years unfortunately. I work part time and most of the appointments are in my day off so am very lucky as I would have to take half days off.

Just go add , he has just turned 12

Dd1 was seen within about 9 months. She was all done and dusted by 14. Just about over the NHS threshold for treatment.
Twins just reached the top of the list this August and of course we haven't heard anything for months. But they are only 11 so it would appear we are in a short waiting time area.

We are doing private with dd. £2400. We are still seeing nhs for checkups but didn’t want to wait re nhs. She is having a mouth expander then braces. I figured it’s worth it although with Covid treatment will take longer due to delays.

Interesting everyone, thanks.
So there can sometimes be a wait after initial assessment....
I am also eligible for blue light card so that’s good to know that it may help a little if we go private.
The costs of private are quite scary but slightly less so if spread over a few years

DS 1 referred and wait time wasn’t too bad, we just couldn’t choose appointment times and it was actually financially better value to go privately. Especially when you added in travel time and parking.

Dd was referred a year ago. There is a 4yr waiting list in our area. Dentist receptionist says most are seen at age 16/17.

Are you all actually getting treatment now?

Mine is only available for emergencies. Dd has been on the list since 11. She’s 14 now. She’s at the top of the list, but all the clinics are cancelled.

We all had appointments in may. When we rang we were told to ring back in october and see what the situation was.

My children have both had their treatment at the same clinic. Oldest private, youngest nhs. So far there has been absolutely no difference in the quality of their braces, treatment or available appt times and both had the same double blocks to kickstart their treatment.

The only difference was the one that went private had the senior partner in the practice. However both are nhs consultants anyway. We have been incredibly lucky and received great treatment for both.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince
We have been to 3 appointments since March and also an extra one when we had to go as my son broke his brace so had to go in for an emergency appointment for it to be mended and fitted.
This was at Leeds Dental Institute NHS.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince our orthodontist started regular appointments around July time and DD is being seen every 6 weeks as she did before lockdown