can't afford orthodontic treatment for my child

j.e.j.

rachhh wrote: »

Cosmetically attractive teeth are a privilege not a right I'm afraid. If people want nice new boobs, they pay for them, so why shouldn't you pay for your own teeth?
If it's a corrective thing/health issue, then yes, the NHS should cover it, but there's not enough funding anymore to allow for vanity procedures.

What about cosmetically acceptable teeth.. OK I don't think anyone expects beautiful American-style perfectly aligned teeth at the expense of the already stretched and underfunded NHS. But you do sometimes see people whose teeth (not being rude) really do look unsightly, due to being badly positioned/protruding, etc. Who knows what that is doing to someone's self-esteem and confidence.

dollypeeps

Just read through all these posts and I feel lucky that my children have both been referred to the orthodontist and are on waiting lists for braces etc and there has been no mention of any payments whatsoever.

we are in wales so maybe thats the difference i dont no

brook2jack

Those people would be eligible for nhs treatment as that degree of "sticking out" has dental health implications. That being said some people would be eligible for nhs orthodontic treatment but don't get it because they don't keep their teeth clean enough or have a high sugar diet. In cases such as these brace work would cause more damage than it would fix.

In reply to another poster the nhs does not provide all dental preventative care , otherwise mouthguards for sport would be provided on the nhs.

The IOTN scale has a small component for aesthetics ie the look of teeth which may tip the balance in a borderline case but primarily it is a scale to judge clinical need not looks.

As another poster pointed out some people find a gap between front teeth pleasing. Looks are so subjective you cannot base a cash limited service on perceptions of what is or isn't cosmetically acceptable.

brook2jack

dollypeeps wrote: »

Just read through all these posts and I feel lucky that my children have both been referred to the orthodontist and are on waiting lists for braces etc and there has been no mention of any payments whatsoever.

we are in wales so maybe thats the difference i dont no

Orthodontics are limited by clinical need in Wales the same as in England.

*Robin*

We have dental insurance because all the NHS dentists in our area had a full list; it costs less than a cigarette habit and I'm happy to pay as our private dentist is wonderful.

When my son was seventeen, we noticed that his teeth met edge to edge, so he was sent to an orthodontist. (Waiting time: two weeks). Although DS arrived as a private patient, the orthodontist treated him under the NHS as he fitted the criteria.

I had no idea how lucky DS was - some of these stories make sad reading.

mynameistallulah

j.e.j. wrote: »

What about cosmetically acceptable teeth.. OK I don't think anyone expects beautiful American-style perfectly aligned teeth at the expense of the already stretched and underfunded NHS. But you do sometimes see people whose teeth (not being rude) really do look unsightly, due to being badly positioned/protruding, etc. Who knows what that is doing to someone's self-esteem and confidence.

You also see some very ugly people - should they be offered cosmetic surgery?

mynameistallulah

aliasojo wrote: »

That's all very well but what if you already have debt? What if you can't get a loan? What if you couldn't afford loan payments? What if, what if, what if etc etc etc.

It's not always that simple.

You should have thought about that before having children ... or did you expect the state to fund your lifestyle choices?

carebear13

brook2 jack- thank for the advice re the hand holding, will ask my son what he prefers to do.
coldstream- this is the first time i have faced this situation and i dont think it was unreasonable to assume that it was just part of the normal nhs treatment that is free for children.
fbaby- many years ago if you needed ivf a gp would sometimes fund the drugs whilst the ivf clinic provided the actual 'treatment'- at least in the area i lived in they did.
talullah- no need to be rude. that was a bit uncalled for- i dont think that was what aliasojo meant.

brook2jack

I think carebear it's that you clearly don't realise how nhs dentistry is funded. Doctors get a pot of money for patient care plus money to provide specific services plus money for rent, wages etc. They have a pot of money to provide care in ways they think appropriate.

Nhs dentists and orthodontists get paid for providing eg 1000 treatments a year. If they provide 900 they pay money back if they provide 1100 they are in breach of contract, will not get paid and may lose their contract. Each one of these orthodontic treatments has to meet guidelines to be approved. There is no other money paid to a practice this money pays for all the costs of running a practice and everyones wages. There is no pile of money lying around waiting to be used. If a patient is not eligable for nhs treatment then the practice cannot use the money provided for a treatment. If a practice provided treatment free of charge not approved by the nhs then the orthodontist would literally be paying the costs out of their own pocket and laying themselves open to all sorts of legal problems.

j.e.j.

mynameistallulah wrote: »

You also see some very ugly people - should they be offered cosmetic surgery?

How rude are you

If that's a serious question then it would depend (same as dentistry) on the level of disfigurement I would think.