To think if your child needs an NHS orthodontist, and cant go private, the appointments are during term time only from 9.30 to 3pm

[LieLikeALoungeroomLizard]

So either pay thousands or your child will have to miss school in year 10 and 11

Both my daughters have NHS Orthodontists at different practices.

We've had lunchtime appointments, after school appointments and school holiday appointments. They even let us choose what day of the week.

What you're experiencing isn't standard practice and there isn't a grand conspiracy to make parents pay for treatment beyond the waiting lists.

My kids both had NHS orthodontics. They were seen outside school hours and during school holidays. We did sometimes have to make appointments during school hours so tried to mix up it a bit, ie never the same day/time so they weren’t always missing the same lesson.

Appointments are usually every six to eight weeks.

Same situation here. Except the NHS orthodontist who had the NHS contract lost it because his lax attitude to hygiene matched his aptitude for making up imaginary patients, and we were transferred mid-treatment to someone a 45 min drive away who only did term time only school hour appointments.

The local 10 min walk from school orthodontist did 0% finance so we went there, after school appointments and a dentist who washes his hands between patients, it was a vast improvement. But yes, costly.

Despite what the DofE would have you believe missing school for appointments in years 10-13 will not affect exam results.

Sounds like a crap orthodontist of they'll only do NHS patients in school hours but ultimately, unless you're going twice a week with an hour round trip and it's then too late to go back etc she's not going to be missing that much surely? Can you move the appt so one on a Monday am, next on a Tuesday pm etc so it's different lessons?

@RunHobbitRun

Both my daughters have NHS Orthodontists at different practices.

We've had lunchtime appointments, after school appointments and school holiday appointments. They even let us choose what day of the week.

What you're experiencing isn't standard practice and there isn't a grand conspiracy to make parents pay for treatment beyond the waiting lists.

Thank you for posting. I thought we were special or something. I had never heard of an NHS school orthodontist.

Private patients can go after school or in holidays

I used to do mine on afternoon when I had a less important lesson so maybe art or music or PE.

Depends on the teeth.

Some of mine had naturally great teeth, so had braces/invisalines on for only a few months to fix minor flaws. Done in 3-4 appointments. Others required more extensive work and endured multiple appointments over 2-3 years. A couple have high liplines (inherited from me, poor buggers) and still go every three months to have their gums cleaned.

Dental work is expensive, in terms of both money and time.

Also my DD has a NHS brace and has been booked in for holidays and after school sometimes. Your orthodontist doesn’t seem very helpful.

That's a good idea, I could try and do it during pe I guess

Just she's starting her GCSE stuff from sept and she's certainly given herself a massive challenge with all her options

She's has a couple of retained ababy teeth

@LieLikeALoungeroomLizard

That's a good idea, I could try and do it during pe I guess

Just she's starting her GCSE stuff from sept and she's certainly given herself a massive challenge with all her options

Are you tied to this one Orthodontist?

So I guess they need removing then a brace

I've always bust a gut making sure my dcs never missed any school. But after the year we've all had, missing a couple of hours every 6 weeks really doesn't seem like a big deal any more.

I don't know, as I don't know anything about braces and orthodontics
Do you think I should try ringing around or something?

Schedule for as late in the day as possible, or during PE or other non exam subject.

This is true of most NHS children's specialist appointments and although there are some in school holidays there is less availability because of staff wanting these as holidays themselves.

Two of my children had braces through the nhs, the practice itself was private and as far as I remember only offered out of school hours appointments to year 11s and year 13s

What age did your dc have braces put on ? Is 14 a bit late ?

My daughter was referred NHS, COVID hit and no appointments as hadn’t started. Decided to go private but chosen school hours as cheaper. She had to have 4 teeth out by dentist - I think we would probably still be waiting for NHS. She’s 16 so needed doing ASAP as likely 2 years. So yes, we can choose date but not hours.

Any peadiatric service school holiday/after school appointments are going to be hard to come by because most people want them if at all possible. It’s one of those things and sometimes with the best will in the world some school has to be missed

Surely all medical treatment is during normal working hours? How could schools not understand that?

@LieLikeALoungeroomLizard

What age did your dc have braces put on ? Is 14 a bit late ?

Any age is fine, provided they've lost all their baby teeth. You can be 100 and still get braces.

I've just spent all morning at the hospital with my son for something completely different but a routine (for his condition) appointment which they only do Friday mornings and were there for 4 hours! It's his GCSEs year too! Aaaarrrggghhh.

If it makes you feel better our kids had private orthodontist treatment and all our appointment were in school time because it's such a busy practice.

Last one starts this year at age 8 so I'm praying her dreadful jaw/teeth (from her father not me) is fixed before she goes into high school.

NHS dentists generally wait until all teeth are through before referral to orthodontist to see if they fit the criteria for treatment outlined by NHS, (so it's around the time they're in the second half of high school) private dentists will sort before all of their baby teeth come out and adult teeth come through so its often finished before those important school years.