Adults with braces

GwylimT

Toothsmith wrote: »

You're only going to get it done on the NHS if it is severe enough for surgery though.

Yes I'm well aware of that, I did point this out as mine was only funded as my underbite was large enough to be considered a deformity, which is why i suggested the retainers as they can be funded by the NHS for less severe cases where they are suitable, if self funded they aren't at all expensive.

schwam66

not from the uk originally so am curious how it works over here.....are braces covered on the nhs?? if not what is the ball park figure for them.....surpirsed reading this as i thought most everywhere used the invisaline or whatever they are called...

all the best OP hopefully the pain has died down....

Toothsmith

GwylimT wrote: »

Yes I'm well aware of that, I did point this out as mine was only funded as my underbite was large enough to be considered a deformity, which is why i suggested the retainers as they can be funded by the NHS for less severe cases where they are suitable, if self funded they aren't at all expensive.

Not quite sure what you mean?

'Retainers' are the things made at the end of active treatment to hold the teeth in their new position whilst things stabilize (and for longer if the patient wants absolutely no relapse).

If you mean the clear retainer-like things that do treat - like Invisalign - then these are really a very expensive option when funded privately.

Generally, as a rule of thumb, I would tell patients to expect to pay about £2 to £2.5k for a course of orthodontic treatment.

Things like Invisalign, when suitable, can be £3-4k

ampersand_

GwylimT wrote: »

Yes I'm well aware of that, I did point this out as mine was only funded as my underbite was large enough to be considered a deformity, which is why i suggested the retainers as they can be funded by the NHS for less severe cases where they are suitable, if self funded they aren't at all expensive.

Do you mean functional appliances rather than retainers? They look similar to retainers (the ones with the wires rather than the clear plastic ones) but they help to change the position of your jaw. I was under the impression though that they tended to be used in children because they alter the jaws as they're growing? I had a few different ones as a child to try to help my overbite. I may well be wrong though, maybe they can be used for adults too?

GwylimT

Toothsmith wrote: »

Not quite sure what you mean?

'Retainers' are the things made at the end of active treatment to hold the teeth in their new position whilst things stabilize (and for longer if the patient wants absolutely no relapse).

If you mean the clear retainer-like things that do treat - like Invisalign - then these are really a very expensive option when funded privately.

Generally, as a rule of thumb, I would tell patients to expect to pay about £2 to £2.5k for a course of orthodontic treatment.

Things like Invisalign, when suitable, can be £3-4k

Retainers aren't just used after a fixed brace is removed, there are many that are used before this and some that are specially used to alter the position of the jaw, if my jaw was less severe I would have had one of these which would cost less than £100.

Toothsmith

ampersand_ wrote: »

Do you mean functional appliances rather than retainers? They look similar to retainers (the ones with the wires rather than the clear plastic ones) but they help to change the position of your jaw. I was under the impression though that they tended to be used in children because they alter the jaws as they're growing? I had a few different ones as a child to try to help my overbite. I may well be wrong though, maybe they can be used for adults too?

Ahhh - that makes more sense.

Yes, it could easily be a functional appliance that is being thought of there.

And yes - you're right. They are really to help direct natural growth in the desired direction. They wouldn't be suitable for adults.

Toothsmith

GwylimT wrote: »

Retainers aren't just used after a fixed brace is removed, there are many that are used before this and some that are specially used to alter the position of the jaw, if my jaw was less severe I would have had one of these which would cost less than £100.

See previous reply.

I doubt your pricing here is correct. Functional appliances can be quite complex to make - and the technician's fee for simply constructing it is likely to be more than £100. Never mind the orthodontist's fee on top.

Are you thinking of the sort of repositioning appliances made to deal with tooth grinding or snoring?

They can be a bit simpler and cheaper - and do look more like orthodontic retainers.

GwylimT

Toothsmith wrote: »

See previous reply.

I doubt your pricing here is correct. Functional appliances can be quite complex to make - and the technician's fee for simply constructing it is likely to be more than £100. Never mind the orthodontist's fee on top.

Are you thinking of the sort of repositioning appliances made to deal with tooth grinding or snoring?

They can be a bit simpler and cheaper - and do look more like orthodontic retainers.

I very much doubt my dentist (who is also my orthodontist) got his price wrong, if he did he would most certainly tell me when booking the procedure. As I have already stated, the retainer was to remedy an underbite, not snoring etc.

Toothsmith

GwylimT wrote: »

I very much doubt my dentist (who is also my orthodontist) got his price wrong, if he did he would most certainly tell me when booking the procedure. As I have already stated, the retainer was to remedy an underbite, not snoring etc.

I think this must be something that he felt might have just worked in your case.

It certainly doesn't sound like anything commonly done.

pinpin

Toothsmith (or anyone else)
What do you think about damon braces compared to 'traditional' braces.
I've read lots about the benefits of damon braces in regards to things like facial harmony, 'widening' of the smile etc etc,
One of the 2 orthodontists I saw told me that they'd stopped using them, and that they are more of a 'gimmick' with no advantages over traditional braces.
The other ortho wasn't sure.
I'm probably being taken in by the marketing, but I'd go for teh damon braces at this stage (if i'm able to find someone in my area who does them).

Regarding functional appliances in adults(mentioned above), one of the orthos told me that he'd seen excellent results in adults when using various applicances, and that the dental world were in disagreement about the whole topic, with some saying it's not possible to expand the pallet in adults and some claiming and demonstrating obvious results