Orthodontic referral - normal?

[AnotherAlias]

My daughter was referred to the orthodontist about 5 years ago, I was pretty sceptical, her teeth looked fine to me - they persuaded me there was medical need based on what "could" happen if she didn't have the braces:
My husband takes my ASD DS to the dentist appointments as he is firmer with DS than me (in terms of making him sit in the chair and cooperate).
His teeth are stick out very slightly because he sucks his thumb. I know we "could" have taken steps to stop him - but at least this way he sleeps - we had years of him not sleeping, so I'm afraid that is the way it is. I really don't think it is noticeable. Dentist has referred him to an orthodontist. Husband didn't question this at the time she said it.
I find this very odd. The dentist had to send him to hospital have a filling and extraction under general anaethetic and even then he was quite "difficult". ie she must know this is a non-starter, surely?

Anyone know more about this /advise me please?

Having spent time in our local nhs orthodontic waiting areas at hospital I can assure you that they will be well used to dealing with patients with SN. I'm not sure what your issue is, your dentist is trying to prevent longer term problems which could be trickier to treat.

He hasn't been referred to a hospital, it is a private clinic.

His dentist is a private dentist but takes children as NHS patients, so my kids see her as NHS patients. You are right though, Liz, I'm not sure what my problem is - but to illustrate, they had to get security to physically restrain him to administer the anaesthetic. So possibly a hospital would be a better place to start. Can I ask her to refer him to a hospital instead of a private clinic?

I would have thought so. Worth a call.

Don't fret about it at this stage OP, because the first visit will be for an orthodontic assessment only. Whether your son has any subsequent orthodontic treatment depends on a number of factors, including cooperation levels.

The initial specialist orthodontist your son sees, will decide whether an onwards hospital referral is necessary; leave it up to them.

Within our dept (children's dental) it's very standard to get an orthodontic opinion for children with Severe SN;whether treatment is possible is another matter & bridge to cross.
Good luck !

thanks

Thanks both for your help.