Can I Keep Delaying Braces Treatment

[sarahlayton06]

I’m 18 almost 19. I’m eligible for braces for free under the NHS as I was referred by a dentist before I turned 18. However, I don’t want to have braces now; rather, I want to keep delaying my possible treatment in case I change my mind in the future. That way, it will still be free for me as it would be going on the free referral made for me when I was under 18. Is it possible to keep delaying this?

I wouldn't have thought so, but you'll need to contact the orthodontist you've been referred to in order to check.

No. Just get it done?!

Just get on with it and stop wasting people's time.

with my 2 teens we were told if we had to take the appt offered. There are such long waiting lists that they can afford to be picky and kick people off.

Yo may find if you refuse treatment that they will remove you from the list and you would need to be referred meaning you would then be an adult and have to pay for it.

You can delay for as long as you like if you're prepared to pay for it yourself. If you want it done on the NHS you need to have it done when they tell you to.

No, you’ll be removed from the list if you don’t take the treatment in a specified amount of time. For our practice it’s 12 months, if you don’t take it up within that time despite being offered appointments then you’re deemed as declining treatment and taken off the list, then you’d have to pay.

It doesn't work like that. You'll be taken off the list and the next eligible person will get it. Our orthodontist only takes a limited number of NHS patients at any one time.
You might also find you are no longer eligible if NHS criteria changes. People have been known here to have had initial consultation, be accepted under that criteria but by the time treatment starts, they no longer meet the criteria.

My friend was told she'd be taken off the NHS treatment pathway for IVF if she and her husband didn't both attend an initial appointment in person. The appointment they were offered was quite short notice, it was when her husband was due to be abroad for work, and even though he was willing to attend the appointment by FaceTime from a very different time zone, they said no, either you both attend this appointment in person or you will be taken off the list.

They'll do anything they can to reduce their waiting lists, and kicking people off the list for not taking the appointment they are offered is a very efficient way to do it.

Why would you change your mind about getting your teeth sorted out for free? If you qualify for NHS braces, it's because you have a dental need for them.

Why delay? Just do it

No, you’re taking up someone else’s place on the waiting list for free treatment. If you don’t want it now (although presumably there is a clinical need if you have received a referral?) then you need to turn it down and accept that you will need to pay if you change your mind in the future. You must have seen the incredible strain that the whole system is under at the moment, you can’t just string them along because you’re being indecisive.

Just do it as soon as possible! Why are you waiting? I turned down nhs orthodontics as a teen because I was worried about not looking good... oh, how I regretted it. I ended up paying thousands as an adult and didn't get a single negative comment during my treatment just lots of quiet messages asking me how I went about doing it as an adult!

Because I asked the dentist and she said it’s not absolutely necessary for me to get because but highly recommended. Overall, I don’t want braces so if I can have extra time to make my mind up about such a life-altering thing as braces have a permanent impact on your teeth and need lifelong care in terms of retainers having to be worn forever, I want to keep my options open.

How am I wasting anyone’s time?

Lifelong? I think you are being a bit dramatic.

It sounds like my daughters referral, I didn't think she needed braces. There was no overcrowding etc, as a result she only had them on 12 months.

Because you are taking up a spot on the list.

If you want to wait, be prepared for the fact you’ll have to pay.

Also- I had braces- sticking a retainer in my mouth at night really isn’t a “life long decision” that takes years to decide on.

Who told you you'd need to wear a retainer forever?

I'm sure most people don't.

Most people consider that the impact of having braces on their life is a positive thing. That's why they get them. If you don't want your teeth fixed, don't get them fixed. But if you want the option to get them fixed on the NHS, it's now or never. They won't wait for you to decide.

No, you will go as a private patient as an adult and it will cost you £3-4 grand. Just get it done.

Current orthodontic thinking is retainers need to be worn for life (and paid for as NHS doesn’t provide them after initial treatment).

Im sorry but if you don’t decide to have them now the NHs will not provide them . You are lucky your area will take account of when you were put on the waiting list. Local to me the orthodontists only have funding if you actually start treatment before you are 19 .

There is no hurry to decide , unless you want them for free . If you do not have treatment now your braces will be private and will cost £2500 to £6000 depending on complexity.

My sister didn’t get braces as a child. She had them done in her 30s. I think it cost well over £4k and took over 2 years (including various removals and reshaping of teeth, plus whitening). She has a retainer glued on the back which she will need for life.

My 14 year old’s will be done within 14 months, and she will likely only need a retainer overnight for a couple of years before being done with it all. (Costing £2500.)

I’ve no idea why you would choose option 1 if option 2 8: available at no cost.

And the younger you have it, the more effective it is. You don't "have" to wear a permanent retainer but its recommended to keep the teeth in place. Its not a difficult or life altering thing, its just dentistry.

Bit of a nuisance when the braces are on, but imagine being in your 30s 40s or 50s with wonky teeth and then having to pay out to improve them when you could have had it for free.

Please don't delay. You are making a mistake. Or wasting £3.5K+ which is what it'll cost you privately.

Two of my ds have had braces and were told they need retainers for life. For the year after braces removed it's every night then a couple of nights a week

Having had 2 kids go through orthodontic treatment, I know the threshold for getting it on the NHS is fairly high. If your dentist/ortho has said you meet the threshold then you NEED it done. Stop farting about and just get on with it.

Just do it. Honestly. I regret not having mine done when I could have on the nhs. It will now cost silly amounts I just don't have.