Need treatment to correct my bite and need the correct orthodontist

SimonFF

Hi, male, late 50s, Birmingham. I've always had a problem with my bite since I was kid and later on in my life this is causing me mild pain and tooth cracks.

My trusted dentist doesn't do orthodontics. I begged him to refer me to the Dental Hospital (NHS) here in Birmingham, which might do that for free, but he said I shouldn't hold my breath as I might not qualify. So he gave me the address of a dental practice that he recommends.

Unfortunately they only do cosmetic straightening (Invisalign). Other practices might or might not do this treatment but I'd still have to go through an initial appointment that I'd have to pay (I've been asked in the range of £90 to £150).

I have stopped trusting online reviews as they can be easily manipulated and obviously I'm not going to ask you a specific recommendation as it is forbidden by the rules.

All I ask you is what should I look for? What are the red herrings, etc?

I'm willing to take days off and look somewhere far from Brum if it is worth it.

Thanks.

GrubbyGirl_2

What is the exact work you need? Having been treated by the Birmingham Dental hospital many years ago I know you can do a self referral if you're happy to be treated by a student, but it depends of the work needed. I can definitely confirm that you will get very good treatment as students are always supervised BUT you will spend a lot longer in the chair as a result because every stage is slower and checked.

Might be worth you checking this out.

https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/students

SimonFF

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81956438#Comment_81956438

Now, are we talking of the proper https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/birmingham-dental-hospital/ ? Because I rang them and they definitely don't take self-referrals.

Or are we talking of this: https://www.thedentalhospital.org.uk/

Because the latter is the  College of Medicine & Dentistry, which is a private school and has nothing to with the NHS Dental Hospital? I know they provide braces for only £1000, but the reviews are few and not very good.

Do you have a direct positive experience with the College of Medicine & Dentistry?

GrubbyGirl_2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81956779#Comment_81956779

As I said it was many years ago, but if you click on the link I posted it's exactly the same NHS web site not a private web site but maybe things have changed - only trying to help

Toothsmith

What you seem to be wanting is actually really difficult to provide by orthodontics.

Your teeth grow in your jaws, and the shape of your jaws is determined by how your skull develops.The 'bite' you end up with is a natural sort of compromise between all the forces in your mouth, forming themselves into a functional 'neutral' sort of position. It's horrendously complex.

If you start getting your teeth shuffled around, you'e going to end up with your teeth moved out of this stable, neutral position - and unless someone really knows what they're doing, the reslts could end up being far worse.

Just be very cautious, I wouldn't trust anyone who tells you it would be easy, and someone telling you to leave things alone and possibly just have a bite guard may well be the best advice you could take. I'm picking up from your post that your own dentist may well be advising you to leave well alone?

SimonFF

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81956973#Comment_81956973

Thanks, sorry I didn't want to bash you. I checked on their website, it says they cannot do braces on their referral form:

https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/download/bdh-self-referral-formpdf.pdf?ver=16736&doc=docm93jijm4n941

SimonFF

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81960641#Comment_81960641

Err. No he didn't say I should leave it alone. I asked him to refer me to the NHS but I'm still waiting for a confirmation. I don't know if this confirmation will come and in which timeframe.

Toothsmith

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81961208#Comment_81961208

Ok - that's good then. The only adults the hospital is likely to take on are those needing jaw surgery to correct the bite. This can be quite life transforming for the people who need and have it - but it isn't a nice thing to go through. Best of luck with it if it's found to be appropriate for you, but listen carefully when they're explaining the risks/benefits of the treatment.