Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Do you know any orthodontics consultants that specialise in very complex cases?

37 replies

LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 15:51

Basically I need the best orthodontics consultant around. Happy to pay whatever and go wherever. Any recommendations would be really appreciated.

16 yo dd has complex and unusual (almost unseen) issues with her teeth that means that some of them, at the front, will just not come out.

She's being followed at the NHS since she was 8, has had 4 operations and basically 8 years o force being applied to her teeth with only limited success. It's now come to a point where we need to consider more creative, drastic solutions. She'll be starting 6th form soon and we're so concerned about the impact this is having on her confidence and mental health 🙁.

Although we do trust the NHS team we feel we also need to get a second opinion. Thanks so much!

OP posts:
Tufty383 · 31/01/2022 16:10

I'm sorry I can't answer your question but I'm interested in the replies. I hope you don't me asking but whats happened with your DDs teeth? I'm very concerned about DSs, he's 13 and has only lost 8 milk teeth. The adult teeth are all there they're just not moving! Our nhs dentist doesn't seem concerned but he's been referred to an orthodontist, there's a 2 year wait which he's told us gives us time for them to fall out naturally but I'm wondering what will happen if they don't! Your post has spurred me on to try and push things along as DS is starting to worry (as am I!).

Southlandssue · 31/01/2022 16:11

www.londonlingualbraces.com/about-us/asif-chatoo/
I absolutely loved this guy when he did my braces. I have no idea whether he would deal with this level of complexity but I would expect him to be totally honest with you about what he could achieve.

Darkrainbow · 31/01/2022 16:20

So her front teeth are present but haven't erupted? Do we know why? Has she had a CBCT? What's been tried? Gold chains to bring them down? Removal of Supernumerary blocking them? Is she being treated at a 'high street' orthodontist or at a hospital clinic? Are you/ she wanting more ortho or to accept they wont be present and look at restorative options? Where abouts in the country are you?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Dental health
Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 16:29

Hi @Tufty383 hope nothing serious is happening with your ds and he's just a bit 'slow' Apparently it's not uncommon! 🙂.

When you say his adult teeth are all there just not moving, do you know because he had an x-ray or because the dentist can feel the teeth there?

With dd it all started because she wasn't losing any milk teeth. Dentist was also unconcerned and didn't even do an x-ray, but we saw another dentist in my home country who immediately was suspicious that her milk teeth felt so 'solid ' and did an x-ray. There we discovered that dd had a mesiodens or supernumerary tooth and she was referred to orthodontics.

At first we thought the mesiodens was causing the delay and then maybe the operation and bone scarring had a domino effect and it all just escalated. But her bottom teeth are also not erupting so this must be some condition that she has.

Most likely your ds has nothing of these messy complications dd has but I would not wait until he's 15. If he has not had an x-ray, push for one. If he has and all looks normal, and if you can afford it, book a private appointment. Teeth lose eruptive potential, it's important that action is taken sooner rather than later if needed.

OP posts:
Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 16:30

@Southlandssue

www.londonlingualbraces.com/about-us/asif-chatoo/ I absolutely loved this guy when he did my braces. I have no idea whether he would deal with this level of complexity but I would expect him to be totally honest with you about what he could achieve.
Thank you!
OP posts:
gunnersgold · 31/01/2022 16:32

What do you mean they won't come out? They are stuck in her head ? If so this happened to my son and they did an op and braced them to pull them down .

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 16:37

@Darkrainbow

So her front teeth are present but haven't erupted? Do we know why? Has she had a CBCT? What's been tried? Gold chains to bring them down? Removal of Supernumerary blocking them? Is she being treated at a 'high street' orthodontist or at a hospital clinic? Are you/ she wanting more ortho or to accept they wont be present and look at restorative options? Where abouts in the country are you?
Yes, front teeth are present but some have not erupted, some have with the help of braces pulling through chains. One is no longer there, was found to be fused to the bone and was removed. Yes, she had a CBCT, we had one private at some point, the NHS's response has always been a bit reactive and slow which is obviously very concerning. No, we don't know what the problem is, her consultant says this is extremely rare as can't be explained by any obvious genetic condition or trauma. As in what we want, obviously an ortho approach was the preferred to achieve a permanent close to perfect solution, but I think we're getting to the point where she can't have the force applied to her teeth for years on end with very little movement. So I think now we just need to know what the best solution is.

We're in Bedfordshire

OP posts:
Darkrainbow · 31/01/2022 16:49

Has she been seen on a joint ortho/restorative clinic? Is she being treated at a hospital ortho department? I think I'd be asking for a second opinion at one of the London teaching hospitals initially, specifically requesting she's seen on the joint clinic. It may be that orthos got her as far as it can and its time to move on to a restorative approach.

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 16:55

No, she hasn't been seen on a joint ortho/restorative clinic. Do hospitals usually run them? How would it work?
We've been recommended to visit a specialist in restorative I think, but just to decide between two different strategies: move a canine to the space of an incisor or keep the space for an implant. But definitely not a joint clinic, we went private for that consultation on their advice.

Which London teaching hospitals / specific consultants would you advise (if you know them!). And can we just make an appointment? Would they run private clinics?

Thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 16:55

Sorry, to clarify, yes she is being treated at the hospital ortho department

OP posts:
Tufty383 · 31/01/2022 17:07

Thankyou for the information. I've just emailed the dentist to get things moving. He's had an xray (I pushed for one during lockdown and they agreed) and his adult teeth are all there waiting, the milk teeth just aren't moving!

Tufty383 · 31/01/2022 17:13

gunnersgold would you mind explaining what your DS had done? (Sorry to gatecrash your thread OP!!) Did he have teeth removed? If so how many and were they all taken out in one go? How long did it take for his adult teeth to them come down and how old was he when he had the operation? So sorry for all the questions! I've posted about this before and didn't get many replies.

VitalsStable · 31/01/2022 17:17

Brickstables Dental Practice in Stanway in Essex. Guy called Francois Rousseau. Specialises in complex cases. One of DDs friends has impacted front teeth that they were told would never come through as they are growing horizontally across her palate but he's sorting those out.

Not cheap but does cutting edge stuff and orthotropics which most general orthodontists don't do!

CountlessScreamingArgonauts · 31/01/2022 17:17

@LaCerbiatta

No, she hasn't been seen on a joint ortho/restorative clinic. Do hospitals usually run them? How would it work? We've been recommended to visit a specialist in restorative I think, but just to decide between two different strategies: move a canine to the space of an incisor or keep the space for an implant. But definitely not a joint clinic, we went private for that consultation on their advice.

Which London teaching hospitals / specific consultants would you advise (if you know them!). And can we just make an appointment? Would they run private clinics?

Thanks!

UCLH Eastman Dental Hospital is a good bet. You should be able to get a referral to them from Bedfordshire and they are specialists in complex orthodontics
Angrymum22 · 31/01/2022 17:19

Ask for a referral to the Eastman Dental Hospital. It’s a postgraduate teaching hospital so deals with complex cases.

gunnersgold · 31/01/2022 17:22

@Tufty383 , he had an operation where they took the tooth out that was blocking the adult tooth and attached what they call a gold chain to it . We then saw orthodontics in maxillo facial at the hospital who braced the teeth thr basically drag it out of his head . It's through now and took about a year . They are now bracing to try and line them up again . It was all done on the nhs and he is 10 so when we started all this he must have been about 7.

gunnersgold · 31/01/2022 17:23

He has special needs but is exceptionally good as it's been a lot for him to deal with at his age and understanding but I couldn't leave him without a tooth as it was his front one .

Darkrainbow · 31/01/2022 17:24

London isn't my area so I don't know anyone specific. You'd need a referral either from the ortho or your general dentist. All teaching hospitals will run a joint clinic, sometimes you'll see one or the other first then be booked on to joint clinic once records/study models are done. It works well as both consultants are there, eg restorative -we can do x if ortho can get us 3 more mm, ortho- we can't get you 3, could you do that with 2.2mm? It basically cuts through the back and forth and hopefully comes up with a plan everyone can get behind.

chesirecat99 · 31/01/2022 17:25

Which London teaching hospitals / specific consultants would you advise (if you know them!). And can we just make an appointment? Would they run private clinics?

The Eastman Dental Hospital, part of University College Hospital Trust, in London has private clinics.

Tufty383 · 31/01/2022 17:25

gunnersgold thankyou for the information. I hope he has a lovely smile at the end of it all.

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 31/01/2022 17:27

Thank you all so much!

OP posts:
gunnersgold · 31/01/2022 17:36

@LaCerbiatta /are the teeth definitely there ? Have they tried what they did to my son? I would have got him An implant had the teeth not been there .

viques · 31/01/2022 17:36

@LaCerbiatta

No, she hasn't been seen on a joint ortho/restorative clinic. Do hospitals usually run them? How would it work? We've been recommended to visit a specialist in restorative I think, but just to decide between two different strategies: move a canine to the space of an incisor or keep the space for an implant. But definitely not a joint clinic, we went private for that consultation on their advice.

Which London teaching hospitals / specific consultants would you advise (if you know them!). And can we just make an appointment? Would they run private clinics?

Thanks!

Try to get a referral to Eastmans Dental School. My dd had very problematic teeth, the then head of orthodontics took one look and put her under his personal care. Brilliant, she was always seen in a private room, never had to wait........ and ended up with lovely teeth.
viques · 31/01/2022 17:37

And all on the NHS too, which is how it should be if there is a medical need for the treatment.

Darkrainbow · 31/01/2022 17:40

Any of the London, or other, teaching hospitals will be good. I said London as this is closest to OP. All dental hospitals have postgraduate teaching units, it's just the Eastman doesn't have undergrads. This isn't an undergrad or post grad case so it really doesn't matter. This is a consultant/ senior SpR case which all the teaching hospitals have. (It's also not an orthotropics case)