My ds has a yearly referal through the nhs to an orthodontist due to teeth that were not coming through. Ds has a slight overbite and, due to losing an adult tooth a few years ago, the top and the bottom set dont align and he has gaps either side when he puts his teeth together. It is not massively noticeable but it bothers him and I have noticed recently that he has stopped smiling with his teeth but when he does its a kind of hesitant smile.
Anyway, the orthodontist pointed it out and said that we could fix this with top and bottom braces and could start immediately with xrays and the braces would go in in 8 weeks. However, it would not be covered by nhs as it would be deemed cosmetic. Then he casually mentioned that it would cost £4,400 with £500 upfront ie right now and then £200 pm. He seemed geniunely surprised that I wanted to go away and think about it because basically we can't afford it. However, Dh comes into some money in December, so I asked him if we could wait for a year. He was quite persistent and said that the sooner the better as other things get in the way (like uni). But ds is 15 now and so the 18 months of treatment would finish while at college. I have to say that he does have a good reputation.
Would appreciate ppls thoughts. Of course we want to do it for ds. But would it be worth getting a 2nd opinion or comparing costs with other dentists? I have looked online but not sure how to find reputable dentists. We thought we were going to his standard yearly check up, so I am basically still in a bit in shock! 
Thanks!
does anyone want to buy a kidney?