Getting my head around orthodontics for teens...

[cheeesenonion]

Railtrack braces on a teen on the bottom row to correct badly placed teeth, with rubber bands attached to the upper row to correct skeletal overbite - once the braces are on, how frequently does the child usually need to see the orthodontist to get everything tightened and checked and so on?

Do most people in the UK pay for this privately, or do most people get this sort of thing done by NHS? Are some areas in the UK better than others in relation to getting work done by NHS?

Any other advice you could give me? I am just trying to get my head round it all!

What do you need to get your head around? If they are entitled to NHS treatment they will be referred by their dentist. It takes a good year usually to get to the top of the list. Once on they are tightened every 6-12 weeks. I don't know if most teens get them on the NHS, I see a lot at the clinic when I take DS but have no idea if they are paying or not.

My daughter had her fixed braces for a cross bite. She was assessed and the problem was accepted under NHS treatment but she did have to wait two years on the waiting list.

She had two bands to pull the teeth over and her appointments were every 6-12 weeks but she only had to wear the bands for part of the treatment.

Her braces were on for around 20 months all together.

I have no idea what most people in the UK do but I've had 2 kids have braces on the NHS. Both had very overcrowded mouths though, it was very obviously they needed them. We were referred to an NHS orthodontist by their dentist. We were told with my youngest there would be a long wait but in fact it wasn't that bad - maybe around a year?
I can't remember how often my eldest was seen but it's about every 3 months for my youngest at the moment.

Getting my head around the treatment needed hence the question about how often appointments were needed. Spoke to receptionist today who said after they were put on, the next appointment was in a year so I was confused, will check what they meant tomorrow. We aren't in the UK. I was planning to move back, but have recently found out about the orthodontic needs and it is a factor. Thanks for your other advice.

Thank you everyone!

A year? That's not right! They have to tighten and adjust them regularly. How are they going to move in a year with no adjustment?

I'm in Ireland but dc is every 6 weeks for tightening wires and checking if elastics are working . Her teeth were not bad enough for free treatment so we have to pay. She could be on the list until late teens if her teeth were bad enough for the list , so we went private .

Yes, a year doesn't seem right at all.

The braces move the teeth quite quickly these days.

I've just been told 3 years for the NHS waiting list for my daughter.
She's got TMJ, has had the consultation and is considered a good candidate for braces. She's is pain all the time and can hardly open her mouth.
I'm obviously going to pay for the treatment, they can see her in a month if I do that instead.

Kids get assessed over here, you either meet the criteria for NHS funding or you don’t, DD just met the criteria but in our area, as she was still considered a minor case, we were quoted a 4 year wait to have braces fitted. Since she was very self conscious, we paid privately, £3500, braces were on just under 18 months, appts every 6 weeks, follow up appts once braces are removed for 2 years. Price includes fixed and nighttime retainers.

It's well worth the money for the pain factor alone .

We were seen quite quickly. My child was 16 and was offered them to fix a slight overbite. Their teeth were pretty straight but they still offered them due to the measurement being just over the limit. They were seen within 8months, and are meant to return every 6 weeks. Has only been 4 months but can see a difference.

Mine was referred still with baby teeth in the mouth, so our longest wait was for all adult teeth to erupt.
There is strict criteria for NHS criteria which is based on teeth measurements and clinical need.
4 year journey here with complex palate procedure thrown in also. But what the braces achieve is incredible!
And braces tightened every 6 weeks.

DD’s 1and 2 had NHS treatment - Dd3 was assessed during COVID and when we were finally seen again it was a five year wait so I paid privately (£120 a month for 2 years) but she was 13 and would be waiting until adulthood!

Yes, I fully intend to go private. She's 14 and can't be in pain as she is for another 3 years. I just couldn't believe how long the wait was, it did shock me.

We paid for DC to go private as the NHS waiting list was 18-24 months post covid. All paid upfront. They had a removable block brace to change bite and now fixed braces with bands to keep that in place. We go to the orthodontist every 4-6 weeks.

Thanks very much again to everyone, all the information has been very useful.

Over hear , I know of people who have been on the list until 17 , it's become so long now but I do think the guidelines have been made harder to reach also , the measurements have been changed . My dc is 14 too, braces on 18 months, huge improvements and hopefully they will be off by Christmas.

The NHS only pays now if there is a medical reason rather than just cosmetic eg and overbite is medical but wonky teeth is cosmetic. Sometimes train tracks and sometimes a removable one. Process lasts 2-3 years. The thing I didn't know was afterwards they have to have retainer at least twice a week at night for ever. These cost £100 ( not covered by NHS) and can crack quite quickly. So I wouldn't rush into starting the process early

My daughter was assessed for braces but it wasn’t bad enough for NHS so we went private. Her friend has braces treatment at the same orthodontists but on NHS and she has far fewer appointments and her teeth are not making the same progress.

I agree you need to make a case for clinical need, e.g. pain or difficulty chewing etc, for the NHS to cover orthodontics but my experience is that it's about the form of words you use rather than any objective test. They have to be under 18 at the beginning of treatment but if it goes on past then it continues to be paid for until the process is over. Unlike a pp, my DS was also provided with a retainer FOC. His treatment was a few years ago now but I think we waited 6 or 8 months for the initial appointment and then 3-4 months between appointments, and the whole thing took a couple of years, including a hiatus while we waited for a second tooth to grow into the space vacated by a baby tooth that had to be extracted. He saw the same orthodontist throughout and it took place in a private practice despite being NHS funded. Hope your DC manages to get what they need. The term "British teeth" isn't a compliment.

My DD is 14 this month and had braces fitted last May - our (private) dentist referred her for NHS orthodontic treatment when she was about 10 because the waiting list is 3 years in our area. First appointment they do an assessment to see if they qualify for NHS treatment and my DD does. She had a gap between front teeth and a moderate overbite.
She sees the orthodontist about every 12 weeks for a checkup. She has also needed one emergency repair - they only allow 3 repairs on NHS so they have to be careful about what they eat!
The treatment from the orthodontist has been excellent, we expect she’ll have the braces on for another 6 months or so.

I had no idea about the retainer either! I have said "wonky" but I think that it is something which is seen as clinically necessary to correct, partly to do with teeth not aligning above and below I think, which would need to be corrected before surgery, if surgery ends up being needed.

The difference in treatment sounds shocking - could it be because the underlying problems were different?

Another thanks to everyone. I checked with the receptionist who said the next payment installment was in a year, that the brace would be adjusted every couple of months - so that clears that up! I think I am worrying so much my brain is shutting down.

I have another question, about surgery - this would be for skeletal overbite. Does anyone have any experience of this? In the UK, is the decision usually 100 percent clinical made by a surgeon, or would there be an option for patient to try non surgical with an orthodontist first to see how successful it is? Thanks!