Orthodontics for overbite

onlyroz

Nicki wrote: »

Did they say what his IOTN score was? If it was 4 or over than he qualifies for free NHS orthodontic treatment. My understanding is that this is an objective test based on measurements which the orthodontist takes so shouldn't be any question of being pushed into privately funding treatment if there is a genuine need for it.

No I wasn't given a score but I was shown a card with pictures numbered 1-10 and was told that the higher numbers (I can't remember which ones) would be eligible for NHS treatment.

onlyroz

My current thinking is that we should perhaps wait another year and then review it again. He still has a few baby teeth left, his jaw is still growing, and he doesn't seem to have any issues with eating - and to me his teeth look just fine.

peachyprice

onlyroz wrote: »

My current thinking is that we should perhaps wait another year and then review it again. He still has a few baby teeth left, his jaw is still growing, and he doesn't seem to have any issues with eating - and to me his teeth look just fine.

If he still has baby teeth there is no point having a brace yet anyway.

katglasgow

My son has overbite but is not a great toothbrusher he has declined a brace as the overbite doesnt bother him or cause him any problems and I am happy with this decision due to concerns over his ability to brush properly - my priority is getting that sorted

pandora205

I had an orthodontic brace (not on NHS) for an overbite in my 50s. It took around 2 years and was a major decision at the time. This was not for cosmetic reasons - The enamel had worn down on my lower front teeth which were becoming quite damaged. No-one had suggested it earlier and I probably wouldn't have been able to afford the treatment then - It cost me around £3k plus I later had reconstructive work done in white composite bonding on all my front teeth. The results are amazingly good. My teeth are now straight and white and my profile is much improved. I continue to look after them extremely carefully, flossing twice a day and wearing my retainer at nights (required indefinitely).

I'm not sure about the pros and cons of doing orthodontics at various ages in adolescence. However having this done in childhood would avoid needing the reconstructive work that I had done. Wearing a brace is a big decision and needs very careful cleaning. I had metal train track braces as these were most suited to the work that was needed, so it was quite a shock at first but I soon got used to them and stopped feeling embarrassed quite soon. Interestingly, I've since come across several older adults that have gone for this treatment.

Nicki

onlyroz wrote: »

No I wasn't given a score but I was shown a card with pictures numbered 1-10 and was told that the higher numbers (I can't remember which ones) would be eligible for NHS treatment.

This means he was given a score of 3 and his case is borderline. I suspect they will wait and see what the aesthetic position is when all the baby teeth are out, to see whether he qualifies for NHS treatment. I wouldn't rush to start this privately until then.

Have a look at this link which explains the criteria properly

http://www.totalorthodontics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IOTN-infographic.pdf

onlyroz

Nicki wrote: »

This means he was given a score of 3 and his case is borderline. I suspect they will wait and see what the aesthetic position is when all the baby teeth are out, to see whether he qualifies for NHS treatment. I wouldn't rush to start this privately until then.

Have a look at this link which explains the criteria properly

http://www.totalorthodontics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IOTN-infographic.pdf

Yes it was the 10 pictures I was shown - but I don't recall being told where he was, just that only 6 and above qualified and he was lower than that. Looking at those pictures I'd give him a good aesthetic score - none of his teeth are crooked. It sounds like we would be well advised to wait and see for a little while longer.

Nicki

onlyroz wrote: »

Yes it was the 10 pictures I was shown - but I don't recall being told where he was, just that only 6 and above qualified and he was lower than that. Looking at those pictures I'd give him a good aesthetic score - none of his teeth are crooked. It sounds like we would be well advised to wait and see for a little while longer.

The index goes from 1-5. 1 and 2 don't qualify for NHS treatment, and 4 and 5 automatically do. If you score 3, then your case is given a further sub score of 1-10. As you've been told you need to score more than 3.6 to qualify.

FBaby

What does your DS say? I took DD to an orthodontist at that age for the same reasons, and like you was told that her overbite was borderline but not meeting the NHS criteria. We were considering private treatment, but months went by. We were then contacted by the practice, which had been taken over by another company, and sure enough, she suddenly met the NHS criteria, not on the basis of the overbite, but on the basis of it affecting her speech. To be fair, I'd never put it down to that, but she was hard to understand!

The treatment is unpleasant, painful at times, and seem to go on forever, but as so many of them go through it, most just get on with it and are ok. The absolute key thing is to not think that treatment is over when the braces are taken off, not even 6 months down the line. The worse is seeing the teeth going back to how they were before and I've seen this happened with some of DD's friends.

onlyroz

FBaby he says that he is fine with having the braces. One of the factors for me, though, is that he might have to wear the retainer to sleep for years and years after the braces have been removed - as you say to prevent the teeth from going back to their original position. That's something that I think I would have a problem with and it's probably not something that he has considered.