can't afford orthodontic treatment for my child

silvercar

My son was a marginal case for NHS orthodontics, we were placed on a waiting list with little hope of being treated. I went back to the dentist and had a referrral to a different orthodontic practice who was able to treat him with only a 6 month wait.

I thought it was because this orthodontist had more funding, but he said he assessed him in a high band. The only wierd thing was this practice treats NHS children between 10 and 3 only, the times before and after school are for private patients only!

peachyprice

Same thing at my son's orthdontist Silver car, NHS children mornings only from 8.30-1.00, private patients in the afternoon. Although there were a couple of occasions he fitted my son in early afternoon.

rolymo_2

reading all the posts has made me realise how lucky my dd has been with her treatment - absolutely wonderful NHS dentist (oasis) referred her to the local hospital, they looked at her teeth and got her treatment started pretty much straight away.
she has had awful trouble with her teeth tho -baby teeth were late to come out, meaning adult teeth were coming through in some very strange places -along with her small jaw, she had two sets of teeth for a while !
she had 4 remaining baby teeth extracted -then 4 adult teeth -now waiting for the fitting of the braces during the summer hols ( they even scheduled it then, so she gets used to them before starting back at school)
Blooming marvellous all the way !
Clarebear - i sat in with DD when she had her teeth out, i asked her what she wanted me to do -i ended up sitting on the floor holding her hand, it wasnt too bad tho tbh - apart from the last tooth -which was very troublesome, i was hiding behind the little sink thing crying for her at one point ! - but she is glad she had them out now.

pollypenny

Was looking at Elton John's cheerful smiling face today.

His gap is part of his character. And, according to Chaucer, a gap in the front teeth is a sign of a lusty nature.

OP - I'd choose my battles.

j.e.j.

you know, on that subject I notice Madge has never had the gap in her front teeth corrected, either. And I bet she could afford a good orthodontist :rotfl:

Mrs_Imp

carebear13 wrote: »

he got to go back to have some teeth taken out -dreading at as he's not had it done before. do i talk to my son about it or not mention it too much for fear of freaking him out. i'm not good with the dentist myself so find it all really difficult, but fortunately we have a fantastic family dentist and has never once hurt me and has a very good way with kids.

My mum used to turn it into a treat day when I had teeth taken out. I had my jaw numbed, so was awake during it. Then mum would take me round town and buy me a chocolate eclair to eat when I was allowed to (and I'd stopped dribbling everywhere). I remember the treats more than the teeth being taken out.

Don't show your fear of the dentist, or he will pick up on it and it may pass on to him.

And I got extra money from the tooth fairy for being so brave.

carebear13

guess i'm just gonna have to be a big girl about it. i do try to keep it all light hearted when we go for check ups and have a bit of a banter with the dentist so it doesnt seem too scary. hopefully i'm just worrying about nothing( he is nearly 14 after all), i just dont want him to be scared and put off going.
rolymo- did she get upset or was it just that you found it difficult to watch?

brook2jack

One of the things to be really careful about is the messages you give out even when you think you're being supportive. Why should your child think a dentist is scary?

You need to be honest ( you will feel a scratch from the injection, you will feel pressure, you will hear a crunchy sound), but saying things like "if you're brave then I will...." (kid thinks why do I have to be brave it must be really bad) , or don't worry it won't hurt (kid thinks it's going to and also you will feel a bit of a scratch from injection so child loses trust).

Hundreds of children have teeth out every day. With luck this will be the only time your child needs teeth out. Be honest but don't build it up into a big thing. A person who is nervous,has adrenaline coursing through their body reacts in a different way physically and psychologically then someone who is relaxed. Number one tip is make sure your child has something to eat before the extractions as a hungry person can feel a bit wobbly.

Finally in the end it is your child who is having treatment, not you. I have seen plenty of times when a child has had treatment and been perfectly ok but mum or dad have had a bit of a moment and we have to divert our attention from the child to the parent and child has ended up being upset not because of treatment but because mum or dad has got a bit upset. Perfectly understandable but if you think you may have problems being there is there anyone else you can ask to accompany your child?

rolymo_2

carebear13 wrote: »

guess i'm just gonna have to be a big girl about it. i do try to keep it all light hearted when we go for check ups and have a bit of a banter with the dentist so it doesnt seem too scary. hopefully i'm just worrying about nothing( he is nearly 14 after all), i just dont want him to be scared and put off going.
rolymo- did she get upset or was it just that you found it difficult to watch?

the last tooth didnt want to come out (as it was pretty overcrowded) so it needed alot of jiggling, plus she indicated that it was hurting -and ended up having 8 injections -she did get a little upset , as the others 7 had popped out really easily, and because she got upset....i got upset too ! ,but as said, she was really glad she stuck with it (as neither of us fancied coming back to try again, or a general ) and she even gave a 'high 5' when it came out.
i am terrified of the dentist, i cry and panic during a regular exam -but dd was cool as a cucumber, and i (hopefully) did not show my fears to her.
it will be fine, both you and your child will be fine, the thought of it is worse than what actually happens -my dd even went back to school 1 hr after having all her extractions.

Filey

as he has quite a gap between his 2 front teeth. I know he is quite self conscious about this

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Some people, me included, think a gap between the front teeth is very endearing. People with a gap are said to be good natured. One of my daughters has a gap and to be honest she wasn't particularly good natured as a child but she is now. I think it is very attractive.

My granddaughter has braces (but no gap) and these days it is quite a fashion statement. She gets to choose what colour the little rubbery things are each time they are replaced - purple, pink, lime green, turquoise, take your pick.

I wish I had gaps between my teeth instead of them being crammed together but in the far off days of my childhood we were only offered (coerced more like) removal of back teeth in the hopes that the rest would realign. In those days to have braces was social death, and if you were unfortunate enough to need glasses as well (pink plastic ones if you were a girl, otherwise wire rims) you needed an invisibility cloak. Oh the shame!