AIBU to think that £4055 is expensive for braces?

[Mikklehaha]

I’ve just come back from the orthodontist with my 13 yr old DS. He has good, healthy teeth with long roots (I’m told this is relevant). His teeth are a little crowded so there are teeth on both top and bottom that are going a bit wonky. Apparently he doesn’t quite qualify for the NHS criteria so we have to pay privately. I was aware that this might be the case and had prepared myself for £2k at the outside. I was gobsmacked to be told that the full treatment is going to be over twice that.
AIBU to be so shocked or is this the norm?
(For full disclosure, this guy was in Tunbridge Wells btw.)

@AuntFidgetWonkhamStrongNajork go with the NHS option! With a bit of judicious appointment juggling it won't be too much school lost. e.g. Having appointments in half term / school holidays / inset days and as late as you can get in the day.

Braces are expensive. Your quoted price sounds around average (depending on area) but I suspect you could get it cheaper if you shopped around and looked at different options - I know plain metal train tracks are cheaper than clear braces. The 6 month smile options can work out cheaper in the long run but not suitable for everyone.

I would love to get some as an adult but can’t afford to. I require surgery to move my bottom jaw forward and years of braces to fix my teeth and I was estimated a cost of 20k to get it done privately. I don’t qualify for NHS as I’m over 18. I have one tooth that is over a centimetre in front and my actual top teeth completely cover my bottom teeth the majority having a 1/2 cm gap before the gum line. so well over the 6mm. I hate my teeth and never smile, I automatically cover my mouth with my hand a lot when talking which isn’t ideal. If I ever come into money then fixing my teeth would be first on my list.

My mum refused to let me go ahead with the treatment as a teen due to the surgery part - she viewed it as cosmetic and not worth the risk of an operation. I really wish she had let me have the treatment at the time and still feel a bit resentful about it to be honest.

I paid €3600 for my daughters in Ireland which is around £3100

Yes, get another quote. I shopped around, as I was quoted £4k for DD & I was buggered if I was paying that. I found a great orthodontist who has a flat rate for all teenagers of £2.5k. I'm also able to pay it monthly, with no added interest over two years, which makes it feel far less painful.

ds qualified for NHS but we didn't get on with the NHS orthodontist so went private.
Paid £2100 for top to be straightened, was going to be another £950 for bottom but we decided not to go ahead as you'd need a microscope to see the misalignment .

Sun my dd had hers done top and bottom on the nhs but she needed 4 teeth out so the one that was up in her gum could come down and it took two years to get hers in place and straight. I dread to think how much it would've cost privately!

Sorry, yes, one of my local trust's criteria for NHS braces is a 6mm overbite (not gap). I'm sure there are others.

One of my kids cleared that, the other didn't. I see the same ortho for both, I just had zero input into when the NHS one started his treatment.

My daughter just had her first brace fitted two days ago. On the NHS.

It never occurred to me that the NHS wouldn't pay? What makes a child eligible/ineligible for NHS treatment?

Blimey currently got 3 kids in braces on the NHS. Imagine the cost if they didn't qualify.

I’m in Norfolk and we paid 3000 for my then 13 year old daughter she had an underbite and they had to take two teeth out and she had clarity braces fitted.

Having lived in West Malling which is not far from Tunbridge Wells I’m not surprised at the price given the area, If I was you I’d maybe try other places but it does sound high to me given his age of your child.

Teen We can't get there. It's a 90 minute bus ride one way, they only take NHS during the school day. Smack in the middle of GCSE year. I can't take the time off work, even to drive - it's two M25 junctions and in the next county - just not happening. There's 3 orthodontists within a 10-15 minute walk from school, all which do NHS work.... however we can't transfer care there.

moonlightkissed you can read the criteria for free treatment here

You need to be grade 4 or 5, or it can be discretionary for 3.
Fortunately DGD's teeth were sufficiently wonky for her work to be free.

My two teens have just had orthodontic treatment in Tunbridge Wells. Luckily both qualified but it would have been around the price you were quoted for us to go privately. There are two principal places in town which everyone seems to use, so if you've been to one, go to the other! PM me if you want me to tell you where we were. They have been excellent from start to finish (DDs were very challenging with extractions and potential headgear)

Wow - some of the prices on here! We were quoted £2500 last year for train tracks top and bottom to straighten DD's teeth - no teeth to be removed, slightly crooked teeth. Compared to her siblings (who did qualify for NHS orthondontics) her treatment will be much more straightforward and will be completed much quicker. I thought it was a lot of money, but compared to some of the prices on here I'm starting to think we got a bargain!

Far north west England here.

Dd is just completing private work £2100 all in with warranty permanent retainers and night gum shield thingys. Not bad enough for nhs, just a front tooth overlap and prominent eye teeth. She is very pleased. Paying monthly. Flat rate for kids in full time education.

Dd2 on nhs list, borderline at a 6.5mm overbite. 7mm ruling here for nhs. They will reasses her when she gets to the top of the list. Dd3 will get free treatment as she has teeth missing .

We are very low income, but for me its a top priority (over having a holiday even), but 2k was less than I was fearing! I think the nhs criteria is right to screen out purely cosmetic problems, if eating is difficult, or speech impeded say, over a slightly wonky front teeth.

I actually wept when the orthadontist said he could close the gap between my front teeth while fixing my back lower teeth (somehow came through on their sides??). It had simply never occured to my parents that it bothered me.

I'm astounded.

It's an awful lot of money to suddenly try and find!! No one at orthodontic place warned me we my have to pay!

Shit, you know what I actually typed the amount in wrong it's £1200 up here, £400 upfront on fitting, and 8 months at £100!

Having neat straight teeth (that I still love 24 years later) does not help me proofread!

My DD didn't qualify either, your overbite needs to be more than 6mm. Your quote seems a bit much. In Guildford I paid £3,000 staggered over a couple of years, for full top and bottom retainers, followed by train tracks, inc. all solutions, and then final plastic retainer as well. She also gets to go back FOC whenever her retainer breaks all part of the service. I obviously did well. Oh, and he was brilliant and lovely as well :-)

I have paid 1200 for top braces. I am in Surrey. I was quoted 1,200 for white braces, full metal train tracks £950.

Sadly this is the going rate in TW. My teenager has just finished their treatment and the results are really good. Ask if you can have your appointments in school time as you might be able to get a 10% discount. I was always able to get an early appointment around 9-9.30am.

My son has just finished orthodontic treatment. It was £3800, worth every penny. We have his 6 month retention check next week and it has been amazing so far.
He qualified on the nhs but the treatment time was in excess of 3 years and he was expected to wear a twin block 24 hours a day for 18 months, he was 12 and had endured years of bullying because of his teeth, there was no way I could do that

Interesting link to the criteria
I see that both my dc have grade 5 severe dental problems so that’s why we’ve received thousands of pounds worth of free treatment.
I was completely unaware!