[tinchy]

Basically, i really want braces for my top teeth, i don't know why my dentist didn't give me them, need them due to some gaps. It affects how i smile. Can i still get them done for free or do i have to pay as i'm over 18? thanks for your help guys

[Ayshizzle]

(Original post by tinchy)
Basically, i really want braces for my top teeth, i don't know why my dentist didn't give me them, need them due to some gaps. It affects how i smile. Can i still get them done for free or do i have to pay as i'm over 18? thanks for your help guys

You'll have to go private and pay for them I'm afraid.

[tinchy]

any idea of costs?

[snowflake23]

No you won't be able to get them for free..you will have to go private if you want them.

The cost will vary upon each dentist and the severity of your teeth etc. Costs will average usually between £2000-£5000

[tinchy]

oh brilliant

[Ayshizzle]

Search for private orthodontists in your area, most of them will have websites and will have price lists on them.

But yes, as someone said above the price will vary due to a number of factors such as how long you will need to wear them for, and the type of fixed appliance you want.

[Gales]

I was under 18 and had to pay for them myself, my dentist told me that due to cuts they will only do quite bad teeth now. Mine weren't too bad and affected my confidence, but still had to pay :/

[Gales]

Oh, but mine cost £500. I was expecting to pay much more, but since my teeth weren't *too* bad and I don't have to have them on for long, it was much cheaper.

[millie-rose]

im 18 and i went to see if i could get them free. they said because i had under a 4mm gap between teeth they wont be free. (dont quote me on that, it might have been 5 or 6 i cant remember)

but if your over a certain gap measurement,they become free as you 'need' it for oral health rather than appearence

[zippyRN]

there are clinical criteria for braces etc, i.e. malocclusion etc, you don't get NHS orthodontics for cosmetic reasons

[Tinsley]

I got my top teeth done privately, cost me 2K. Another 2K for the bottom ones if I wanted those done.

Gaps generally aren't a massive reason for braces, it tends to be more overcrowding which will get worse with the appearance of wisdom teeth, unless the gaps are quite large.

My teeth got a lot worse when I was 18, hence why I got my braces just after I turned 19 (had them on for 11 months). I am really happy with them now, my confidence is so much better I never could have imagined it. I could have got braces on the NHS when I was 17 but like my dentist said, did I want to lose two healthy teeth to straighten my others, and I didn't. Luckily with going private and using the type of brace they did I didn't even need teeth taken out

[HeatherHatter]

I heard that you could sometimes get orthodontic treatment free when you were over 18? You can certainly get dental treatment free if you're in full time education and not earning enough, if you fill out an HC1 form and get an HC2...

What I heard was that if mistakes were made when you were younger, which has affected your teeth in the future, those would be corrected free of charge, if those mistakes were major. For example, I know someone who had an orthodontist that pulled out their bottom front tooth because it was slightly behind the others, and then fitting a brace to straighten and keep the rest in place, rather than pulling out some back ones and fitting a brace to straighten the whole mouth. In later life, this person was given what was basically an entire tooth made out of a filling so they didn't have a gap in the front of their mouth any longer. They didn't have to pay a penny, they even got a white filling rather than a silver one like you usually would.

But they don't give braces as often any more, if you've got big gaps, or overbites, or there's crowding, teeth missing or something major then you can, but otherwise they don't offer them.