Orthodontist - turned 18 on waiting list

[MrsWhites]

My DD was referred for a brace 3 years when she was just turned 15. It had been talked about the year before but then Covid hit and we didn’t get to see a dentist to process the referral until 2021.

She requires surgery to uncover an impacted tooth so we were advised the NHS was the best course of action but she has not turned 18 whilst on the waiting list. She finally has an appointment coming up with orthodontist but I’m now panicking that they will refuse free NHS braces because of her age.

Our dentist has always given us the impression that because she was referred well before 18 that it would be covered regardless but I just wondered if anyone else has been in the same position.

The orthodontist accepted her referral a year ago (before she was 18) but it has taken them until now to offer her an appointment.

I’m a NHS orthodontic receptionist, providing she was referred prior to turning 18 and she qualifies under the NHS guidelines for orthodontic treatment then she can receive treatment from the NHS. Make sure you attend the appointment that she has been given and do not move it as they can return it to the dentist for failure to attend the clinic. Hope this helps.

Thank you @PinkShimmerSparkle , that is extremely helpful!

We’ve waited so long, we will definitely be attending all appointments. Does it matter that she hasn’t officially had her IOTN score done before her 18th birthday? I read somewhere else that this should be done before.

We are 90% that she qualifies because she has hypodontia and an impacted canine.

Really appreciate your help!

I'm in this position too with my DS and I've had it confirmed by both our dentist and the orthodontist that it will be done on the NHS as he was referred before 18. He's had a few orthodontic appointments so far but no treatment yet and actual treatment won't start until after his 18th birthday now.

@yarnwitch thank you for replying.

Can I ask what they have done at your sons appointments so far, my DD went for one and we didn’t even see the orthodontist, they just did scans and x rays. Follow up is next week so just wondering what is likely to happen at this one.

We know she will likely need an element of surgery to allow access to an impacted tooth so I imagine we will go on another waiting list for that before they can fit the brace so she’ll be well over 18 before her treatment starts!

Has your son been waiting a long time too?

If she qualifies under NHS guidelines then she will get NHS even if she hasn’t been seen yet as she was referred before turning 18. Lots of Orthodontists do things in different orders, at my clinic they are assessed first and told same appointment if they qualify, if they do then next appointment is pictures, scans and X-rays, Depending on what treatment is needed then the next appointment is to start treatment.
Hospital referrals need to be done at the second appointment because it’s a minimum of a years wait to be seen at the hospital where I am.
We have a very large NHS contract for Orthodontics, double most other practices so are able to do things this way.

@PinkShimmerSparkle thank you!

I’m hoping hospital referral isn’t that long here then, fingers crossed.

Dd was on the waiting list for 5 years and we were assured she would be seen as we were on the list before 18. She got in at 16 and a half.
First appt was xrays. Then we had a letter to dentist to detail which teeth needed to come out. We made an appt with dentist for this to happen over two weeks.
Rang orthodontist who had us in a week after extraction for braces to be fitted. Dd is slightly less than a year in and her teeth are beautiful. They were straight after 5 months, just waiting for the gaps to settle. We are expecting another 6 months.
Hope your hospital wait isn't too long.
As an aside I have an impacted wisdom tooth I was told would need surgery. Saw a different dentist who said he could do it himself.

@MrsWhites he's had 3 appointments so far that included an initial consultation and examination, some photos taken, and then some form signing and a discussion about the treatment plan.
He's been on the waiting list about 2.5-3 years. Unfortunately in our case the dentist referred him far too late and now after waiting so long his age has really limited his treatment options.
If you've had the photos done I would think the next appointment will be to show you the photos and discuss your treatment options such as any surgery and tooth removal options, the risks and pros and cons etc.

@Rowgtfc72 thank you, that’s reassuring to hear that impacted teeth don’t always require surgery. Her primary dentist said it doesn’t look too bad but needed scans to be certain, hopefully orthodontist will organise this next week. Glad your DD’s treatment is underway and going well. The waits are crazy at the moment aren’t they.

@yarnwitch i’m concerned my DD’s age has limited her options too, she really doesn’t want lengthy treatment now as she feels more self conscious about having braces than she would have at a younger age.
We asked her dentist from maybe age 12 to refer her but she failed to spot the impacted tooth and so didn’t feel she needed referring yet, then Covid hit so she was 15 before she finally got referred.
Fingers crossed your son gets his treatment stated soon!

@MrsWhites this is exactly what happened with us, we asked about braces from about 12 every time we went and got excuses or it just shrugged off. All his friends had braces on and off and we couldn't even get a referral. My son ideally needs jaw realignment that could have been done easily when he was younger but now would require surgery.

I hope you get the impacted tooth removed ok and it's not too traumatic. Good luck with the treatment!

@MrsWhites because of covid dd was on the list 5 yrs. Every time we rang we were told an orthodontist had left but they were doing their best. Her teeth were so crowded the front two had twisted and one had dropped significantly. She went on the list at 11 as he was waiting for baby teeth to fall out, they never did.
On a routine dental check up the dental nurse mentioned a brand new orthodontist had set up in town, were taking nhs and had we registered?
We rang from the car.
We seriously believe we would still be on the original waiting list otherwise.

@Rowgtfc72 I think we’d still be on the list now if I hadn’t kept calling from November onwards, come February I think they got fed up of hearing from me so gave in. You were lucky you heard about the new practice. I don’t know how they fix the problem with NHS dentistry at the moment but something needs to be done about it.

@yarnwitch I hope the jaw alignment goes well, it really sounds like your son has been let down - that should have been done much younger. Especially since he’s now at an age when they could be really disruptive to his studies. Fingers crossed it goes well for him!

@yarnwitch dd was told she would need jaw alignment. Her bottom jaws off centre and she has a big overbite. Orthodontist told us not to consider it till the braces had been off a couple of months as dd may feel shes happy with the final result without surgery. Got to say, now her teeth aren't overlapping and her top two are straight, her overbite certainly doesn't look so bad. We wouldn't have noticed the off centre jaw if the Orthodontist hadn't have mentioned it.

@Rowgtfc72 thank you that's reassuring to hear. My sons is an overbite but not something we feel is bad enough to need something as drastic as surgery. He won't have perfect teeth even after braces as ideally he needs teeth removing first, but they said removing the teeth will make the overbite worse, so it's a case of making the best of a bad situation really.

@yarnwitch dd had two at the top and two at the bottom taken out. They left massive finger sized gaps which we worried about but they've almost closed up a year down the line.
Dds got quite a bad overbite but now her front teeth are level and in line it doesn't hurt for her to eat anymore so she's happy with it.

Hi glad I found this thread , we are in similar position my son was referred to orthodontist in Oct 2022 he was 16 not heard anything apart from he still on list and last time I rang they said because he had now turned 18 he would have to pay! I’m going to push that he gets it free as it’s unfair as he should have really been referred sooner! We still haven’t had initial appt so hoping it’s very soon x

I would thank your lucky stars and avoid these people like the plague.
Is your daughter in pain? Do you like her face as it is?
If the answers to the above questions are No and Yes respectively, she doesn't need the orthodontist. Impacted teeth might sit there fine for years on end. I have one in my fifties despite dentists doom mongering at me about infections.
Please research people who are devastated about orthodontistry and what children's faces look like before and after. We are not told, because it's huge business.

@Culebra what planet are you on? I've reported your post for your weird scaremongering.

Of course, I say this as someone who has had braces and had 2 impacted teeth removed.... didn't realise my face was ruined!

My child was 18 when treatment started for the same reasons as you and is still in treatment 3 years later, no issues. NHS, obviously

@kittybiscuits was your son/daughter on the list before turning 18? And how long ago did they get seen xx mine was referred in Oct 22 and hasn’t had anything yet however rang and they are into contacting people who were referred Sept 22 so nearly there! Dentist says we should t pay as he was 16 when added to list x

My child was on the waiting list for 3 years when underage and stayed on the list after turning 18

Hi my daughter had been on waiting list for treatment at the dentist for 2 years ..
We.went down today for an appointment which they called us for , we didn't recieve a letter , although they did send it ..
Anyway I asked my dentist, if she is 18 by the time this goes through will she have to pay ? He said no because she has been on the waiting list for 2 years ...
Turns out the letter i didn't recieve stated payment for a check up before treatment ..
I didn't know this so I turned up today not expecting to pay anything them.asking me for money before.treatment ..
My daughter turned 18 October and I know they have waiting lists but I was told I didn't have to pay..
Now they are trying to get my daughter to pay ,
So Do they have to pay for Dental treatment if been on a waiting list through community ? And the appointment has come through as 1 month after turning 18 , she was 16 when put on it ? Help i may have repeated myself here .. (we left and re booked ) no money before Christmas

@Liblozki, if you are in Englsnd, it depends who she is seeing. NHS orthodontics is normally provided free of charge to over 18s if they are eligible (need to meet IOTN criteria so their teeth are severely crowded enough) and they were referred before their 18th birthday. NHS dentistry is not free to over 18s unless they are under 19 and in full time education or in receipt of other benefits Who is entitled to free NHS dental treatment in England? - NHS

@Liblozki sorry to hear this , my son has been on the waiting list since he was 16 and 2 years and 4 months later we got the call. My dentist had always told me we wouldnt have to pay due to him been on the list before he turned 18. However when i rang orthadontist to check his postion on list she said he would now have to pay unless i tried to fight it! we got our appt through just before xmas and I went ready to argue my case, but was surpised no need she said as long as we started treatment before his 19th Birthday all would be at no cost to us. And hes not in Full Time Education so good luck

Our ortho said as long as we had started treatment before she was 18 it was covered. She's now 19 and having additional work to correct an overbite and we've not paid a penny.