Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how much you paid for child's braces ?

38 replies

MiddleEasternMummy · 04/12/2021 23:02

Hi , my daughter needs braces . Her dentist nhs agrees .
Before the pandemic the waits were pretty horrendous 2-3 years . Now well who knows .
She's 12 and really insecure about her teeth .
Was wondering how much it would be for me to pay ?. Thanks

OP posts:
mummyof2boys30 · 04/12/2021 23:05

NHS here and free. Treatment started during covid

DramaAlpaca · 04/12/2021 23:09

It'll depend on what needs doing. I spent a lot more on DC1 than on my younger two. I'm in Ireland where you have to go private as it's almost impossible to get free treatment. In total we spent around €10k over the three of them - though we got tax relief on it so it's not as bad as it sounds.

Why not book a consultation with an orthodontist to see how much it'll be? They let you pay in instalments.

Notgoingonholiday · 04/12/2021 23:09

Do you mean going private to get it done quicker? I had private treatment for braces about 19 years ago and it was at least £1500 then so would imagine alot more now?!
My DD had her braces removed just before the first lockdown. All NHS treatment so no charge.

DogsDinner · 04/12/2021 23:15

I was quoted £4,000 for Invisalign (the private treatment they offer). Can’t afford it, so my daughter has to wait another two years for NHS treatment, when really it should have started already.

I don’t suppose it will make much difference in the end though.

ErickBroch · 04/12/2021 23:18

I am an adult. top and bottom train tracks with top clear aligners. £3,500

Incrediblehulky · 04/12/2021 23:23

Hi, @MiddleEasternMummy. We were in the same situation, my daughter was nearly 12 and the waiting list for NHS was over 5 years! Ridiculous! You want to be coming out of braces late teens not starting the whole process. We paid privately (exactly the same orthodontist as NHS) and it was £2,600 for the fixed brace...plus £750 for an inital block brace. We took out a payment plan that the orthodonist clinic offer, it's interest free and you pay back a bit each month. It is a lot of money and a pain in the arse but waiting a minimum of 5 years just wasn't possible. I don't regret it. Good luck 😊

22Giraffes · 04/12/2021 23:24

NHS so free for both kids, treatment started within weeks of referral, during covid. I do realise how lucky I am when others are waiting years.

Antiqueanniesmagiclanternshow · 04/12/2021 23:26

Nhs so free.
Orthodontist said it would have cost about 5k.
He was in train track for nearly 5vyesrs

Karwomannghia · 04/12/2021 23:26

My dd was not in nhs criteria but had gaps and really wanted them. £1900 for metal. Appointments were straight away.

Karwomannghia · 04/12/2021 23:27

Just ring your local orthodontist and ask them.

Donotgogentle · 04/12/2021 23:28

£3100 in London, top and bottom teeth.

LadyWithLapdog · 04/12/2021 23:28

About £2500 for private braces. I think we’re done paying next month (instalments over one year),

BabbleBee · 04/12/2021 23:28

One of my DC met NHS criteria and was free. The other missed by millimetres and is costing £3k for upper and lower train tracks with retainers. Luckily she didn’t need any extractions or bite correction.

PlinkPlankPlunk · 04/12/2021 23:30

£3000 for ceramics, top and bottom. Would have been cheaper to get metal train tracks - I think £2000

MrsEricBana · 04/12/2021 23:31

£2kish paid on monthly instalments. So well worth it.

RaisedByPangolins · 04/12/2021 23:32

DP is apparently paying about £6k for his two to have them - one is Invisaligns and the other regular metal ones (looked at white ones for her but was told they discolour easily so went with metal - don’t know if that saved him anything much?) Only one of them would have been eligible for NHS anyway but she was already 13 by the time he took her so didn’t want to wait.

Mine were both free on NHS starting aged 11 and 13, taking 2-3 years so far and still counting! Hoping they’ll be finished soon but lockdowns delayed appointments and at one point I had to trim uncomfortable wires using a pair of rusty pliers at home as no appointments were being given!

Original poster
MiddleEasternMummy · 04/12/2021 23:32

Thank you all for your replies . She's extremely anxious so no way I can wait another 3-5 years .
I will be calling around Monday morning just wanted to get an idea . Thanks again xx

OP posts:
MindTheGapMoveAlong · 04/12/2021 23:35

North west region for context. DNiece meets NHS criteria at age 13 but orthodontists say that current waiting lists are so long that she's unlikey to be seen for 3-4 years. Private costs will in the region of £4000 and treatment will be complete within 12-18 months.

mrsp2009 · 04/12/2021 23:38

If you are in England you also have the option of asking for the referral to be sent to orthodontist of your choice that accepts NHS patients so it’s worth ringing around to find out which ones near you have the least waiting times. I paid £3950 for top and bottom fixed ceramic braces for myself last year, I was so pleased with the treatment I received that I asked my daughters dentist to send her NHS referral to them rather than the local one they normally refer to, despite being in a different area and some distance away. Her treatment started 3 months later once she had lost the last of her baby teeth. Good luck!

IWishIWasABaller · 04/12/2021 23:38

4000 euro private orthodontist as even though he met the criteria for free braces in the public health system here we were told the waitlist is several years. Start treatment in January and they will be in place for 18 months

SnarkyBag · 04/12/2021 23:39

On the process of having mine done now. The braces will be about 4K plus another 1.5k for other things

Aubrey1981 · 04/12/2021 23:39

West Midlands wait was 2 years so we paid £2000 ish privately to stop problem getting worse.

Meadowbreeze · 04/12/2021 23:54

Are you sure the waiting lists are that long? DD is 13 and she just got braces in August. She was put on the waiting list in July and the ortho said the way NHS funding contracts work is their waiting lists move every 6 months. They try to get everyone on the list in braces at that point. This would mean the next 'opening' for DD would be to possibly get braces in Sept. However, someone cancelled and she got them in August.
Like you I was really worried about COVID waiting lists and was proven wrong. We're in London and it's normal to hear of 3 year waiting lists. I think the NHS may be pumping some money into this to make up for the COVID pause. I know for sure no one was getting braces around us in N London as even the private places told me to wait.

Meadowbreeze · 04/12/2021 23:57

But to answer your question about private. Our ortho charges the following for private patients: £750 for bond up (putting them on), £100 for the tightening appointment every 6-8 weeks, and £150 to take them off. So total cost will depend on your treatment time.

Marmitecake · 05/12/2021 00:05

£2500 bottom teeth only. Been told 9-12 months of treatment. She was only 2.1 on NHS scale and needed to be 3.6 for free NHS treatment but decided to go for it as it was troubling her and top set mostly ok.

Swipe left for the next trending thread