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My child has been referred for orthodontic treatment or teeth straightening treatment, but it has not been allowed under NHS funding. Why is this and what does it mean?

Since 2006 all patients under 18 years of age who are in need of teeth straightening (orthodontic) treatment are assessed according to IOTN or the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs. This mean that the Orthodontist you are referred to see will look at how your child’s teeth meet – the malocclusion – and how they look. They assign a nationally recognised code from 1 – 5 and only codes of 3.6 or higher are eligible for free NHS funded treatment.

Generally most accept that this allows the children most in need of treatment to access funded care.

So what happens if my child is outside this category?

If they have been assigned a code of 3.5 or lower it is considered that the way that your child’s teeth meet and look do not and will not impact upon their health.

We know, though, that adults with straighter teeth generally have healthier teeth, they are easier to keep clean and so less likely to become decayed or have gum disease.

So you have several choices

• Accept the way the teeth are at the present, both you and your child can see the teeth are totally acceptable the way they are.
• Question the decision re funding. Maybe your child is extremely distressed about the way their teeth look and maybe you didn’t stress this to your orthodontist.
• Go ahead with orthodontic treatment because you can see the long term benefits and you will need to consider an alternative funding method to NHS funded.

At Pennington Dental we have come to realise that many children fit into this category, their teeth require some changes and yet they have not been accepted for NHS funding. Therefore we offer a package for parents who would like to see their children take advantage of the best care possible and have beautiful straight teeth.

Once you have seen the Orthodontist and we have a proposed plan and the decision has been made that you are not eligible for NHS funding, we can then start your treatment at Pennington with our two dentists who have a special interest in orthodontic treatment. Dr Fuz Jamall and Dr Tasma Ismail are both experienced dentists and work under the guidance of the Orthodontist’s plan.

But what about the costs? Isn’t private orthodontic treatment expensive?

Well it can be, but at Pennington Dental we have put together packages that are affordable and can be paid in stages as your treatment progresses.

All our prices are available to view on our website here.

We ask for an initial deposit at commencement of treatment and then payments at each adjustment appointment. This means the cost of the treatment can be spread out over the course of your child’s treatment.

For a full breakdown of all the costs of all the different types of orthodontic treatment please pop in to the practice or ring Jenny and she can meet you and arrange to help.

We look forward to seeing you soon to start straightening those teeth

For more information on Orthodontic treatment also have a look at http://www.bos.org.uk/