The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

thriftmonster

Class 1 2 and 3 refer to how the top and bottom teeth come together. Ds2 had an underbite where his front top teeth were behind his bottom ones and that was class 3. If you google it there are pictures. Bad luck on the orthodontist - if there is any wear to the teeth, keep pushing.

kezlou

They said a couple of his teeth are class 1 and class 2 and his mouth is a bit over crowded but not much.

Orthodontists said its mainly his lower rather than upper teeth.


Thanks pops and thrift

twofishes

That's awful kezlou! I'd be fuming.

Re Jack, she's never pretended that her recipes are to everyone's taste as far as I can see - she's just cooking for her own situation. That's fine, as is somebody preferring a different kind of food. I can see someone who is really a meat eater not getting along with her recipes, but for me (for example) they're fine because I only eat meat a couple of times a week. If the only meat or fish I ate in a week was tinned sardines or other cheap fish, I'd be perfectly happy. Jack is still an ally to those trying to keep body and soul together in hard times.

Also, all this old-fashioned baking sounds wonderful. My mum can't cook at all so I was never brought up cooking - I was raised by my nana until I was 8 but she didn't do a lot of baking. With the exception of bread and butter pudding and rhubarb crumble (rhubarb grew in the garden), all the food I remember is savoury food. Her homemade yorkshire puds and egg and chips *drool*

FairyPrincessk

Oh, Kezlou that sounds so stressful. And, I have to be honest, not unfamiliar. This gives some break down of what Class 1 and Class 2 mean, although I'm not sure it helps with your problem much! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malocclusion

As a kid, my parents were always careful to choose a dentist that was more concerned with the health of my teeth than cosmetic procedures--as you probably know, cosmetic dentistry is far more common in the states. Although I have an overbite, my teeth are absolutely fine and braces would have meant more problems in the long run as they would have caused over-crowding and the need to have wisdom teeth pulled (I have all four, and have never had issues with them).

The first dentist I saw when I moved to the UK tried to convince me that I needed a very expensive bite guard. I would never have been able to afford such a thing, so decided I would wait until I could go back to the states and get a second opinion from a dentist I trusted not to advise me on cosmetic grounds. As it turns out, my parents moved away and I never saw that dentist, but I was right to be sceptical. I've never had any problem with my teeth, and my current dentist (who I found via my OH's family) assures me that my teeth are in wonderful condition. Many of my other American friends have had similar experiences and I think sometimes the stereotype of Americans being obsessed with their teeth means not so honest types think we'll be an easy target.

All that said, I think you should definitely get a second opinion if you can. I know sometimes braces can help prevent headaches, jaw and neck pain and really be important--but there is no reason for your son to go through all of that and for you to bear the cost if braces aren't necessary for those kinds of reasons. Could you afford another private assessment? Perhaps finding a dentist on your own would help give you more information. I know it will cost money and I know funds are tight, but probably much more feasible that the cost of braces!

tattycath

twofishes wrote: »

That's awful kezlou! I'd be fuming.

Re Jack, she's never pretended that her recipes are to everyone's taste as far as I can see - she's just cooking for her own situation. That's fine, as is somebody preferring a different kind of food. I can see someone who is really a meat eater not getting along with her recipes, but for me (for example) they're fine because I only eat meat a couple of times a week. If the only meat or fish I ate in a week was tinned sardines or other cheap fish, I'd be perfectly happy. Jack is still an ally to those trying to keep body and soul together in hard times.

Also, all this old-fashioned baking sounds wonderful. My mum can't cook at all so I was never brought up cooking - I was raised by my nana until I was 8 but she didn't do a lot of baking. With the exception of bread and butter pudding and rhubarb crumble (rhubarb grew in the garden), all the food I remember is savoury food. Her homemade yorkshire puds and egg and chips *drool*

My mum used to make bread and butter pudding too-to use up old bread. She always made her own Christmas cake, loads of mince pies and a couple of Christmas puddings- and us kids always had to have a stir of the pudding mix for good luck.
She used to bake for the church garden party and various other functions too.

kezlou

oh its so confusing,i'm still none the wiser!

Thanks fairyprincess i really appreciate the link and thriftmonster i'm going to see the dentist on Thursday who originally him referred to the orthodontist. Going to find out exactly what's goings on.

No idea what i'm making for dinner,went to the market today and bought a large casserole dish for £2.50 out of a cs and a huge turnip, large leek and 3 bags of grapes all for £3. Even the prices at the market have gone up

OH smashed my last casserole dish so this one is ideal.

Hmm might make soup, curry or pasta again for tea. I have two packs of garlic / coriander nanns bread in the cupboard. Found them HB for 29p sealed. Thought bargain were having you!

savingqueen

re dentists: I have no experience of braces other than I had them as a child and can see already that DS9 will probably need one and possibly DS6.

However when I had problems with one of my teeth a couple of years ago, the dentist said he didn't have the experience/equipment/some other nonsense to do it himself but he would refer me to another dentist outside the practice. He didn't tell me she was private and when I asked the cost, it was astronomical. The very same day a letter came in the post from my dentist informing me of a new preferential system giving you priority appointments etc at a cost. That did it for me. I asked around friends for recommendations and changed to a friend's dentist. The new dentist was brilliant, quoted me costs to try and save tooth on NHS or extract. In the end I opted for an extraction as the odds for success were limited. Dentist said after extraction I had picked the best option. He does a scale and polish every visit whereas my old dentist insisted I didn't need one ever and just tried to sell my expensive toothpaste etc.

Anyway sorry to ramble - but at the least I would get a 2nd opinion from another dentist.

sq:)

savingqueen

Hi everyone,

well a bad start to the day (spare you the details but family stuff as usual) lead to griping stomach pains. I guessed it was stress/feeling upset and managed to calm myself down and lo and behold the pains subsided. So managed to bake 2 loaves and a batch of muffins and head off to a friends with them.

Said friend has 5 kids but only one home today but she has invited 3 friends with 6 kids between us so 7 in total, she is a glutton for punishment! My friend has a massive garden with tons of things like a tent, play shed, wendy house, swings, slide etc and all the children had a ball playing together and making dens even though most had never met before. We all took bits of lunch and shared a picnic. It was a really good day.

:j Some good news to share: back home from friends to find a message from WEA and when I phoned I have got myself a place on the next stage of counselling skills, more theory etc this time. I am over the moon as I have been looking at college courses and not sure we can afford the fees - this is a free course as we are in a deprived area and a local charity (the one I begin volunteering for in Sept) fund our places. The course will also help me with my new volunteer role.

Oh and DH managed to get the dishwasher working so all good news. Holiday washing pile going down now, still need to get the house in shape though. off to make a lasagne and maybe bake some bread. Will see if I can do a quick tidy and clean up tonight in lieu of a proper one as another friend is popping over for coffee tomorrow.

Isn't it great when you start the day feeling awful and then somehow it turns around. I know it isn't always as simple as that but it helps to know that life is a bit of a rollercoaster and after a bad patch, a good one often follows.

sending lots of positive thoughts to you all today
sq:)

savingqueen

oh another thought on dentists - a colleague used to always go to a dental college for cheap treatment, not sure if this is still possible or if it covers orthodontics but worth enquiring even if it is just for a consultation?

brook2jack

Nhs orthodontic treatment on the nhs is only available on very strict criteria you need to be at least a grade three or four this explains the iotn scale http://www.bos.org.uk/orthodonticsandyou/orthodonticsandthenhs/whatisiotn

The orthodontist has no leeway and if your child doesn't fit the criteria then the nhs will not allow treatment. Only an orthodontist can accurately judge iotn . Occasionally if a child is borderline a second opinion may be worthwhile but most of the time it is a straight forward judgement. £1500 is a fairly standard private charge.

Dentists are not allowed by law to receive any incentives for referrals and would be struck off if they were.

The orthodontic system changed in England and Wales in 2006 and many who had braces in the past would now no longer qualify. Scotland and NI are also adopting this rationing system.