NHS Braces

Annieuk75

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post...but here goes. I have always suffered with mouth ulcers since a child, but in the last 2 years have been getting them on my tongue. This is due to the fact that my top jaw is quite narrow and my tongue does not fit inside my top palate. Therefore, the teeth are rubbing and I bite my tongue causing ulcers. I was refered to my local hospital to see an orthodontist, who basically told me that there was no guarantee that fitting a brace would stop the ulcers, but if I wanted to try it I would need to pay between £800 - £1600!! Apparantly this kind of treatment is not available on the NHS because it is classed as cosmetic. I'm not after the perfect smile, just to stop these ulcers. Is it worth me pushing for a second opinion? Thanks

JodyBPM

I've never really thought about it before, but I'm pretty sure that my tongue doesn't fit within my upper palette, and I've rarely suffered from mouth ulcers. I do know that mouth ulcers are common in people who are overtired, overstressed or not looking after themselves properly (diet & lifestyle).

Are you really sure it is your dental arrangement that is causing the problem?

Nicki

I am fairly sure adult orthodontic treatment isn't available on the nhs but there are several dentists who post on the health sub board who will know definitively.

As your jaw has presumably always been the same shape, I would query why it was only causing a problem in the last 2 years though if making that financial decision on the part of the NHS. I think I would also regard mouth ulcers as a relatively minor condition and not worth spending £2k of public money on to minimize. You can buy a lot of bonjela for that kind of money.

Having had adult orthodontic treatment myself recently, the fees are not all payable in one hit, but by phased instalments, so if you did want to give it a go, perhaps it would be more manageable than you think. On the other hand if you think £2k of your own money is too much to pay to solve this problem, then its probably also too much of public money to spend on a non life-affecting condition.

pigpen

ulcers are caused by all sorts of things.. virus, vitamin/mineral deficiency.. potassium usually apparently, stress, ovetiredness, illness.. allsorts!!.. I doubt your teeth have much to do with it.. OH gets horrific ones which can take weeks to heal.. one has just started going after 3 weeks!!! it was about the size of a 5p and just inside where the lips meet.. he couldn't eat for the best part of 2 weeks when he had a matching one the other side! He bit his lip apple bobbing at halloween last year which took until almost christmas to heal.. :eek:

I would suggest visiting the GP and requesting he checks the above things and anything else it could be.

In the meantime OH has found Iglu to be the best stuff.. takes a while to get the knack of getting it on and it is better when warmed so he keeps his in a trouser pocket! (£6.15 in boots)

mumps

Nicki wrote: »

I am fairly sure adult orthodontic treatment isn't available on the nhs but there are several dentists who post on the health sub board who will know definitively.

As your jaw has presumably always been the same shape, I would query why it was only causing a problem in the last 2 years though if making that financial decision on the part of the NHS. I think I would also regard mouth ulcers as a relatively minor condition and not worth spending £2k of public money on to minimize. You can buy a lot of bonjela for that kind of money.

Having had adult orthodontic treatment myself recently, the fees are not all payable in one hit, but by phased instalments, so if you did want to give it a go, perhaps it would be more manageable than you think. On the other hand if you think £2k of your own money is too much to pay to solve this problem, then its probably also too much of public money to spend on a non life-affecting condition.

You obviously don't get mouth ulcers like I do. I walked into late night pharmacy once, looked awful, felt even worse, begged for something to ease the pain and let me eat. The pharmacist was really worried, thought I was suicidal. This was all down to the pain of a mouthful of ulcers, yes I do get so many I can't even count them. Don't know why, just every once in a while I get one and within days the whole inside of my mouth is covered.

Humphrey10

mumps wrote: »

You obviously don't get mouth ulcers like I do.

I thought that when reading his post. I've had to use prescription only painkillers for mouth ulcers before, they can be terribly painful if you have a lot at once, bonjela was not much help, there was no way I could have put it on the ulcers at the back without choking anyway.

pigpen

OH used medigel which he said was better than bonjela but he likes the iglu.. now I sound like a rep.!! lol the anbesol liquid is good but stings like bejeepers!

Humphrey10

First I tried just the gel, but that hurt too much to put on.
The second routine after I'd been to the dr and chemist went: painkillers, anaesthetic mouthwash, anesthetic liquid stuff for applying directly to ulcer, then I could bear the pain caused by putting the gel on the ones I could reach (I think it was iglu gel that sounds familiar) but it still made me cry with the pain. Then more painkillers because it still hurt!
Mouth ulcers are not fun.
Luckily after that occurrence, I have only ever had one or two at once, so nowhere near as bad in terms of pain.

Nicki

Actually I suffer from ulcerative colitis and therefore get ulceration all down my digestive tract including my mouth at times. And yes, mouth ulcers are painful and unpleasant, but they are not life threatening, unlike the other symptoms of ulcerative colitis!

I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic but lots of people get very painful and unpleasant conditions from time to time, eg migraines, severe period pain, etc but when they are self limiting and non life affecting, you are generally expected to manage them with appropriate pain relief on the nhs.

It goes back to what I said in my first post. If it is genuinely that bad, and braces would correct it, then you would not baulk at finding the money to self fund, especially as it would be payable by instalments, interest free over the course of the treatment which is likely to be around 2 years. If you don't think it's worth it, why would the NHS think it is?

shouldstopspending

Hi OP

Do you have any teaching hospitals close by? That have an Ortho dept? I was referred to one via my dentist and got my braces for free... None of that fancy invisiline... But bog standard metal tracks. Might be worthwhile checking out?

100yoga

I suffer from terrible ulcers too!

You need to go to GP for blood tests to check that you are not anaemic and that all your blood results are within normal ranges. Standard blood tests will only check for your iron levels and NOT your iron stores.

My GP did a seperate test for this and found that although my iron levels were okay my iron stores were very low. I was prescribed iron tablets to get the store levels back to normal. I now take multivitamins with iron everyday and get far fewer mouth ulcers.

I used to have a great product from my GP for ulcers called Adcortyl in Orobase. It was fantastic but is currently out of production. It would be worth asking your GP if they have brought out an alternative treatment on prescription as I do not find that any of the over the counter meds are any good.

Hope that this may help.