DD told she can’t have NHS orthodontist treatment

[Readysteadife]

Was seen for an assessment about 2 years ago by the orthodontist. She was told she qualifies for NHS treatment .

Roll forward 2 years and yesterday she was told her teeth have improved and they are unable to offer NHS treatment . The teeth have “improved “ by 1mm and apparently that’s not on the parameters for NHS treatment.

Has anyone else experienced this ? I can’t help but think If it wasn’t for COVID she would have them . They said I can pay £2500 for them!

I am going back to the Orthodontist clinic next week to be seen by another Orthodontist as I wanted a second opinion . Should I get a independent opinion too ?

My experience is that dentists are literally sticking to minimum treatments because they don’t get paid enough to do a proper job!

Teeth cleaning is shorter than it used to be, children can have a scale and polish if they pay for it.

DD scrapped in with braces, not many kids ‘pass’ now.

Yes it’s totally shocking.
My dentist pre Covid was NHS and private and I use to pay the NHS price It used do be in ( Bands) 1,2 and 3 if I recall this was before Covid.

I went to the practice about 3 months ago for fillings and a root canal and polish and they informed me they don’t do NHS anymore due to funding from Government so I had to pay private or wait maybe 2 years for a NHS Dentist .

I just about managed to pay for it but it’s awful for people who cannot.
As a example I paid £67 for a scale and polish the rest you don’t want to know.

DD did not qualify under the NHS, so I paid up. She bore the braces very well and they did correct her teeth, result.

Unfortunately she then stopped wearing her retainer (left school by this stage) so they moved back and it’s all been a giant waste of money and effort. I’m pleased that her mental health has not been impacted by having less than perfect teeth, of course.

@B1rthis

Mewing is great but I can't imagine getting a preteen to mew regularly when its enough hassle to get their braces in their gob everyday!

As for people in the past, they lost teeth all the time. Sometimes dying from horrible gum infections so I don't see the past as some golden age of teeth at all My granny born in 1921 had all her teeth pulled at 20 so she could have dentures which sounds extreme but she just wanted a beautiful white smile and no toothache. This was very common.

The cosmetic argument is interesting. If you have sticky out ears or a wonky nose I imagine the NHS don't pay for cosmetic surgery or does it?

@Etonmessisyum I'm so sorry. People can be cruel.

My mum had a similar experience, she waited until she was in her 50s before she got her teeth done the way she felt happy about them.

She never did it before because she thought it was too much money on vanity but it's really helped her.

@Whoopy1 i did a lot of research into the clear aligners and treatment is not overseen by an orthodontist. You're basically on your own. Heard loads of stories of being having to pay for metal braces/invisalign to correct the issues from these companies. Although a friend did use SDC and had good results.

I took the plunge and started invisalign a couple of months ago after being hideously self concious of my teeth for about 18 years, one snide comment from a school friend that i overheard was enough to stop me smiling that same day. I constantly have my hand over my mouth when laughing, forget candid pictures with my DC, it was always, always in the back of my mind. So I got invisalign and even though i'm only 2 months in, the fact that i know i'm going to have straight teeth in a few months already feels like a weight has been lifted. I'm already putting money aside for my DC incase they need orthodontic treatment, I would hate for them to feel the way I have for almost half of my life. For some people it really is more than just cosmetic.

Both my children have had NHS dentist treatment, one is ongoing. Both had overbites, the criterion was something like 7mm or more overbite. One adhered to her block braces, the other has not and that window for fixing the overbite is over, although she's had great results from train tracks in fixing crooked teeth. I would have paid if not, but it would have been expensive for two. We also had to wait for treatment as they would spend their NHS budget in the first three months and then we had to wait for the next year's budget.

I would get a second opinion over 1mm.

@jewel1968,

Who knows anymore to be honest with you.

If it is affecting your mental health and if you are a child then you would usually be referred by your GP to see a consultant but since Covid everything has changed.

You need to get a face to face in person appointment with the GP first and that is not easy .

It is a ridiculous new rule.
In Ireland our HSE NHS equivalent refuse most teenagers now unless severely prominent.
I'd try another dentist, a friend in Belfast had a brace invisi brace at a huge reduction from the NHS.

We had to pay £2500 for 15 year olds braces as wait was 2 1/2 years. Annoying but no way around it.

They have to draw the line somewhere, too bad for whoever is only just on the wrong side of it

My daughter has just been accepted, Its taken a couple of years though! I bet it's about them filling their NHS contract - they can only treat so many. Then they say you don't qualify and have to pay. Or maybe I'm cynical?

Get a second opinion. We are with Total orthodontics and if you do have to pay, you can interest free by instalments.

Wonky teeth just don't affect your self esteem. Imagine avoiding smiling?

They are very difficult to clean too, can effect eating and speaking and have other implications on overall health.

It's not just about them being straight.

My dd qualifies for nhs orthodontic but her mouth and jaw are very very misaligned and causing problems with eating and speech. I’m glad the criteria is so strict- I don’t think the nhs should fund smaller adjustments for cosmetic purposes. The funding should only be available for significant and severe cases.

My son was told the same .We
have gone privately, costs £210 for 12
months although he'll have braces for 24 months

@Aubrey1981

We had to pay £2500 for 15 year olds braces as wait was 2 1/2 years. Annoying but no way around it.

Yes that’s the cost and when you tell people they don’t believe you as I paid £95 for my 11 year old to get her baby tooth extracted as it was blocking her big tooth coming through. It took about 12 minutes to do but that’s the way it is as basically there isn’t a NHS dental service unless you want to wait 6 months or you have a abscess and it’s life threatening and have to go to A&E.

It’s just Shocking and very sad

My daughter needed braces. Quoted over 3k. Smile direct was 1k and fixed them in about 6 months. No problems it was an easy process.

My DD did qualify for NHS orthodontic treatment, but waited two years for the initial appointment to assess whether the NHS would pay. On top of that, COVID delayed the removal of her braces when they'd done the job so I can definitely see how the waiting lists would be even longer now. The braces did make a big difference and she was very self-conscious beforehand.

My daughters were referred before they were ready by our NHS dentist. So by the time we had sat out a two year waiting list, all the baby teeth had gone and we were ready to go. Canny.

I really resent the comments re 'it's just cosmetic'. Its demeaning. It's not always. The IOTN guidelines and criteria are a lot tighter than they used to be, years ago, because of a lack of funding.

Ds1 says majority of his year have braces. It's true, I've seen them. How is that even possible.

My 2 ds's both have overcrowding, 4 teeth including top front 2 crossed over, those front 2 had come down further than they should of, and the next 2 incisors on either side were very naturally small, and also hadn't come down as far as they could have. Both have had to have jaw moved aswell. And still private orthodontist tells me they wouldn't qualify. I struggle to get my head around this.

I got 2 opinions and was told neither qualified and that criteria in this area was fierce.

Just cosmetic. It's not always.

@Adirondack

My dd qualifies for nhs orthodontic but her mouth and jaw are very very misaligned and causing problems with eating and speech. I’m glad the criteria is so strict- I don’t think the nhs should fund smaller adjustments for cosmetic purposes. The funding should only be available for significant and severe cases.

Why should it? When I was at school nearly every teenager had NHS braces.

I'm absolutely dreading this. My 7yo has inherited his father's teeth: he has too many, and they'll end up looking like a neglected graveyard when all his adult ones come through 😔

His first lower front adult tooth grew through right at the back of the gum, and leans towards his tongue. He speaks with a lisp because of it, love him, and the dentist was very clear that he'll end up needing several teeth removed as his adult ones grow in, then braces.

He was a few days short of his 7th birthday when he lost 3 milk teeth at once - they're so tightly packed, they weren't even wobbly.

Dental fees are so bloody prohibitive, I'm saving money in preparation, because no doubt it'll be treated as cosmetic.

So are people saying that the NHS guidelines are wrong and that children who need braces for medical reasons are being categorised as cosmetic?

That seems very wrong and unfair.

I do think some people/kids get braces when they don't really need them and their teeth/jaws can look a bit odd afterwards. A bit false looking. I have a friend that had teeth that honestly looked fine/good. She had braces as a teen. For some reason she thought they looked wonky. They really didn't. She got braces and now they look squished together and false. I have seen this with kids too.

Well, yes totally. MH treatment is gone too. (Paremt of a self harming teen sick of trying to get support for her).