Teeth straightening/Braces on NHS?

Toothsmith

socrates wrote: »

read thread #3 - the dentist will never tell you about this.

There are about 12 dental teaching hospitals in the country, including Nthn Ireland.

If you have one near you, you probably think there's one in every town. There isn't.

Most people are miles away from one.

The nearest one to my practice is in Leeds, which is 40 miles away, so you're right - I never tell my patients about it!

Plus it has about a 4-5 yr waiting list, it applies the IOTN guidelines more rigerously than anywhere else, and if the patient is wearing the wrong coloured trousers, I'm more than likely to get a letter back with 'not suitable for hospital care' written on it!

They have tight budgets too!

Most ordinary hospitals have orthodontic departments where people with malocclusions too severe for specialist orthodontists go. That's generally people needing osteotomies (Having the jaw broken and surgically repositioned). Or people with cleft palates.

Adults with these severe malocclusions can get free treatment here, but I have referred no-one for this in my whole career so far. And I have come across only 3 patients who have been - and 2 of them decided not to be treated in the end.

The IOTN guidelines does still catch everybody who 'NEEDS' treatment (As much as it can be argued anybody needs orthodontics - no-one ever died of a funny bite).

There are kids with the odd squiffy tooth who don't qualify, and those parents wouldn't get any further through any other system, regular hospital or teaching hospital.

These patients really don't NEED treatment though, treatment is a lifestyle choice.

In a cash strapped system, there are a lot of unfair things that get paid for, and don't get paid for.

With orthodontics though, I think the balance is about right. When patients of mine have babies, I always suggest starting a savings pot 'just in case' they want treatment for their kid that wouldn't qualify. done from birth, it's not very much a month. If the kid doesn't need treatment, or if it's done on the NHS, then that's a pot that can be used for a nice holiday, or a college fund.

I can't think of any patient I've had in the last 5 years though that hasn't qualified for NHS treatment if they've 'needed' it.

Both the orthodontist I refer to, and myself though always try to put off the less severe cases from being treated at all. It's just not necessary to go through all that just for a perfect smile. Perfect is very rarely stable when everything finishes anyway, and unless you want a wire bonded behind your teeth forever more, there is bound to be some movement away from the ideal at the end.

So if things need treating, the NHS will generally pay for it. If you want perfection, you pay yourself.

shimmershelly

Thanks for all of your replies, they were really helpful. We will just have to wait and see what becomes of the referral now.
Thanks again

Poppy9

While the straigtening of my DD teeth is classed as cosmetic we took the long term view that the maintainence of her teeth long term will be better as she can now clean the bottom ones properly. One of my sisters has a protruding tooth and she says she regrets not having it sorted out (she's mid 50s now) and threatens to do so when her youngest finishes Uni.

pinkpong

I have had my braces for 6 month now. I am 38 and pay £600 each top , bottom. I never had an adult tooth the second one on both sides..... So they took my baby teeth nomber 4 out and she is moving them back, will still have them for another year, but they wobble soo much now! I am worried.
My dd was quated £1800 last week in different practise for the top and bottom

Toothsmith I bet you tell me that I should have it paied by NHS as my teeth is actually missing , so not cosmetick!

Toothsmith

If you'd lived with it until ou were 38, the NHS view would be that a partial denture would be the most cost-effective way to fill the gaps, so no problem there.

What feels wobbly though, the brace, or your teeth? Either way, you should get that checked out.

poppyolivia

At the end of the day do you reckon that its where abouts you come from and what they will allow...because reading this I'm suprised I got it done so easily..I just went in to the dentist and said...do you reckon I need a brace...and was put on the waiting list, it was the ortho that first told me about my bite, clicky jaw and not being able to eat properly when older...in fact I only went in to get the top done, then the guy in charge came in took a 5 second look in my mouth and said I may as well get the bottom teeth done too.

for the record my jaw still clicks so might mention that at next appointment.

poppyolivia

pinkpong wrote: »

I have had my braces for 6 month now. I am 38 and pay £600 each top , bottom. I never had an adult tooth the second one on both sides..... So they took my baby teeth nomber 4 out and she is moving them back, will still have them for another year, but they wobble soo much now! I am worried.
My dd was quated £1800 last week in different practise for the top and bottom

Toothsmith I bet you tell me that I should have it paied by NHS as my teeth is actually missing , so not cosmetick!

My teeth wobbled too, I was told it was ok I've been out of braces for about 2 months now and the back ones move still.

Arwen

Are we living in a parallel universe, or just lucky then? My DH had his crooked teeth fixed by an Orthodontist at our local hospital fixed for free-at the age of 37. Has to have them in for 2 years, and now as retainers. a friend at a different hospital also had hers fixed on NHS.

We are in Scotland

Toothsmith

Arwen wrote: »

Are we living in a parallel universe, or just lucky then? My DH had his crooked teeth fixed by an Orthodontist at our local hospital fixed for free-at the age of 37. Has to have them in for 2 years, and now as retainers. a friend at a different hospital also had hers fixed on NHS.

We are in Scotland

It is just you happen to know 2 people with a severe enough condition to qualify.

Arwen

Toothsmith wrote: »

It is just you happen to know 2 people with a severe enough condition to qualify.

In the case of the female,maybe.In the case of my DH,there is no way his teeth were so bad that they warranted braces.It was purely cosmetic. He went to his dentist because of a broken crown, and dentist mentioned that he had a slight crooked overlap on his front teeth.Dh stated that they didn't really bother him,but dentist sent him anyway. Dunno what he said on his letter to hospital

Must say his teeth look stunning now-he looks like an Osmond.:D