Orthodontic Treatment

Homeagain

I wonder if anyone has any suggestions for me ... I have received so much help in the past on this forum.
My DD needs braces but unfortunately her problems are not quite 'severe enough' for her to receive the treatment required from the NHS. They were quick to advise me after her examination (without even being asked) that she needs her teeth straightening thereupon quoting me 1,800.00. There is no way I can afford this even in installments. I really don't know what to do or if there is anything I can even do! Does anyone of you kind people have any suggestions whatsoever? I do think that her uneven teeth spoil her general appearance but I just don't have the means to pay for this.

Stephb1986_2

Is she happy with the way her teeth are??

You could google search cheap invisalign in your area see what you come up with.

I've got invisalign braces and paid £1700 with whitening.

hth

Steph x

Homeagain

No she is not happy and is quite self conscious about them. I understand from the dentist that she would need proper retainers and braces. Thank you for your reply anyway.:(

Stephb1986_2

Invisalign are "proper" braces my top two front teeth stuck out really badly and two of my bottom teeth were crooked I've nearly finished with the braces now and they are perfect.

They aren't for everyone but it's worth a go surely?

brook2jack

Invisalign are very rarely suitable for children, they are an expensive way to treat someone and other brace systems will be cheaper and may give better results.

Op you are entitled under the nhs for a second opinion although you may need to go on a waiting list. However unless your child is borderline it is very unlikely a second orthodontist grade them as suitable for braces. They use the iotn system to assess need. http://www.bos.org.uk/orthodonticsandyou/orthodonticsandthenhs/whatisiotn

Otherwise there is no option but to accept her teeth or to save up for treatment. Dental hospitals etc will not offer treatment if she does not fall into a high needs category.

FBaby

How old is your DD? Is the problem likely to get worse in time? Maybe you can ask to be referred elsewhere. My situation was similar to you but with a good ending: My daughter had misaligned teeth because of her sucking her thumb as well as a big gap between her two front top teeth. She saw two dentists in the last 2 years and both said she definitely needed braces (and cosmetically, it certainly seemed significant, everyone noticing and sometimes even mentioning it) so was totally taken aback when the orthodontist said that the problem wasn't severe enough and was only cosmetic. There was no way she was going to stay like this so had already accepted we would pay for it on a payment plan.

Then about 6 months later, out of the blue, I received a call stating that the company had changed management, and they were inviting my daughter to come again for an appointment. She had a much more thorough examination, for example, her speech was tested this time, and the orthodontist concluded that she indeed needed braces, but also met the NHS criteria. I could have kissed him! She had them fitted, both top and bottom last month.

I don't know whether it is a case that her condition got worse during the 6 months (she was close to meeting the criteria last time and she did continue to suck her thumb), whether she met other criteria that wasn't considered the first time (like the effect on her speech), or whether the second orthodontist was more flexible with the NHS criteria...but from my perspective, I didn't care!!!

Hell1

Hi Nicolafine,
I had exactly the same with my son, referred from my own dentist, told he needed braces but that his teeth weren't bad enough for NHS. I agreed to pay, with my son looking pleadingly at me..... £3,100, I am paying in installments and am only half way through.

Hope you get things sorted for your daughter at a better price than me! - Can you ask for a second opinion?

Hell1

Homeagain

Thanks for your replies. FBaby, I am glad your daughter got sorted out, (lucky thing)!! My daughter is 15 and I don't know if the problem will get worse. I didn't think to ask them (still in shock at the price)! Judging by the pictures they showed me, her teeth are not as bad as those I saw. She has some other work that needs to be done i.e. removing wisdom teeth etc so once I hear from my dentist as to when he will be doing the other work I will discuss it again and see if there is any alternative treatment. I am so worried about it because she is so shy and self conscious. Short of selling off some of my body parts I can't think of any way to pay it right now.
Hell1 why was it so much? I was quoted 1800.00 which is bad enough, 3,100.00 would put me in the debtors' jail!

brook2jack

Different problems will need different treatment. A simple upper brace only will cost a lot more than upper and lower braces.
The length of time and the number of different braces needed will also affect price.

The bits involved in different brace systems also factor into cost eg invisalign have recently put their laboratory costs up and for simple cases the retainers etc alone cost upwards of £1200 and rise for complex cases.

Finally a surgery in suburbs will cost alot less to run than a surgery in the middle of a big city (running costs alone are around £150 an hour in a cheap area) and treatment may last two years or longer.

silvercar

When my son needed braces we went to see two different orthodontic practices. Both initially said he was not severe enough for NHS funding and then one had more funds allocated and suggested we wait to see if they could fund it. 18 months later he was able to be treated on the NHS.

sunshine2223

Just wanted to suggest the Inman aligner as an alternative as it's not very well known. It's not suitable for everyone but is normally a little cheaper (I'm spending £1300 on mine which includes all the check ups and a whitening treatment). It has quicker results than invisalign and train track braces too, I've got mine for 5 months based on wearing it for about 12 hours a day.

Might be an option if a second opinion still rules out NHS treatment.