Nhs Orthodontics

[Cloverjo]

Does anyone else agree that the NHS should not pay for teenagers with perfectly good teeth to have orthodontic treatment?

This must cost an awful lot of money that could be better spent on so many other vital supplies and services.

[sunny-dave]

Why would they need orthodontic treatment if they have "perfectly good teeth"?

[LazyGun]

I didn't know they did.

"NHS should not pay for teenagers with perfectly good teeth to have orthodontic treatment?"

Whats prompted this comment?

[boxtops]

Are you talking about braces, here? Youngsters' teeth are in some much better condition these days than they ever were in our youth.

[johnny37]

I was under the impression that cosmetic work was not available except in seriously deformed teeth. There was a time when all teenagers had braces but not anymore.

[divegirl]

Believe me they don't!

My son has terrible teeth and was referred to a orthodontist aged 11, he was told his teeth were 'not bad enough'. I even asked for a second opinion and was still told no. I feel sorry for him as now aged 21 he hides his teeth when he smiles and can not afford to go privately to get them fixed.
My daughter has lovely teeth so no worries there but most of her friends parents have paid privately to straighten 'perfect teeth'.

If your assumption is based on seeing more kids with braces I would say it because their parents now pay for it.

Lisa x

[Old_Geezer]

Isn't teenage a bit late to be considering correcting misaligments and suchlike ?

That said mine started "wandering" in my forties/fifties ruining a decent set-up, so I'd be happy to have NHS correction now.

[lcg]

no.....my son had incredibly wonky teeth and they caused problems eating and drinking properly - he had a functional problem to be corrected. we had to travel for over an hour on the bus to reach an orthodontist who was available to treat him. we may have had free treatment, but it cost us over £20 per appointment (which we didn't really have as we were so poor) but i didn't begrudge the other poor kids going there as they always looked like they needed sorting out. the nhs should stop doing boob jobs, imho.

[rockyracoon]

My kids teeth were incredibly over crowded and are having treatment, if they didn't the situation could become a lot worse if wisdom teeth push through. The bar for getting braces on the Nash is now is quite high.

[bednobs]

Cloverjo, i think you are mis-informed. Orthodontic treatment is only available for the very worst cases now, and has been for some years. People with perfectly good teeth aren't eligible

[bednobs]

please see my answer fromt he thread below : PCTs don't exist any more, but i presume the procedure is still similar
bednobs

each pct (primary care trust) will have its own procedure for appealing and the orthodontist will know about it. in ours, for example you write a letter to the priorities committe as does the dentist. at a neighbouring trust you just write to an adujicator. Alternatively you could ring your pct's Patient advice and liaison service (PALS) who will guide you through the process.
If the work needs clinically to be done then the orthodonist would have given her a score between 1-5
1 and 2 dont qualify for nhs treatment 4 and 5 automatically qualify. If she sores a 3 then it is boderline and the dentist will show pictures and ask the child how they feel about their teeth, or which pictures they think look like their own teeth. This is to assess the psychological impact of having wonky teeth on the child. If this score is above 6 then it can be done on the nhs
so in summary if a child has a score of 3.6 or above they will get the treatment free, if it below 3.6 they will have to pay
It would be helpful if yu could ask her dentist what her "EOTN" score is. if the first number is 1 or 2 you have no chance with an appeal. If it is three you may have a chance.
The system is there to ensure that children who need the work for a clinical reason rather than a cosmetic one get priority

[pixie373]

There is an assessment of teeth before teenagers can have orthodontics. If it's severe enough, it is done on the NHS, if not, you can pay privately. Oldgeezer, teenage years (or adulthood) is not too late. It can be done too early, while children are still growing, which means teeth can grow out of place again. As it is, teenagers have retainers when the braces are off to keep teeth aligned until they have stopped growing.

[cazzz1975]

you have to qualify for orthodontics, the criteria is quite tough and unless you have some pretty badly positioned teeth there isnt much of a chance you will get referred.

[Cloverjo]

Perhaps there are different rules, depending on area. My son didn't have an awful lot wrong with his teeth and got free treatment. Same for some of his friends. Others seemed to have great teeth before and got treatment, but with hindsight some parents may have paid.

The question was prompted by the idea that GPs might be able to charge for routine appointments. I thought that priorities could be changed.

Ah well. thanks for the replies, everyone.

[J9PUR]

Here is a link to the British Society of Orthodontists which has a lot of useful information on treatment provision..........http://www.bos.org.uk/