Braces

[Looneytune253]

My daughter is 14 and needs braces. She’s always taken good care of her teeth but they aren’t straight. Seen the dentist who has put her on the waiting list but said the list to see if she would qualify for nhs is a year long and they only usually do it for the worst cases. She wouldn’t comment on whether my daughters were bad enough or how much it would cost to pay ourselves. Can anyone tell me how bad it needs to be and costs if we have to pay ourselves? Thanks

It took my dd a few years to qualify and she saw the orthodontist yearly until she did. She had a baby tooth that wouldn't come out and the adult tooth underneath was pushing against the roots of another tooth. She also had a bit of an overbite.

You would need an orthodontist to look at her teeth and decide how much treatment is required and how much it would cost privately

Children are graded according to severity and those at levels 4 & 5 qualify for free NHS treatment. Grade 3 are judged on an individual basis.

www.bos.org.uk/Public-Patients/Orthodontics-for-children-teens/Fact-File-FAQ/What-Is-The-IOTN

I think it can cost between £2000 and £6000 for private treatment depending on what is needed.

Have 3 DS, DS1 and 3 both qualified for free. Both were over 4. We’re in Scotland so I think wait times are different - both were approved quite quickly. Started treatment at ages 14 and 12. DS2 didn’t qualify - was a 3 but orthodontist wasn’t optimistic so we paid, was £2,500.

Wow that’s quite expensive isn’t it. Dentist did say all her teeth were in now but they’ve grown in quite unevenly so that they are turned in quite a bit

It is expensive but if you can afford it then worth it. Our orthodontist had various payment plans. Treatment was actually v quick for DS2 but it could have been so much worse if the other two didn’t qualify. Youngest DS needs quite a bit of correction I can image his treatment will take 2 years plus so v grateful that he qualifies.

This link is quite good re explaining the different grades plus the aesthetic component of grade 3;

www.totalorthodontics.co.uk/iotn/

We didn’t qualify, just under 3k it cost.

Thank you for your comments. That link was particularly useful thank you. May just have to wait and see what they say