The Student Room Group

braces on the nhss or private??

hi guys as i was wodnering if anyone could help me

for a while now, i've been dreaming in my sleep a lot. i'm not quite sure what i'm dreaming about but i imagine it's about all the things that are on my mind. it's always active, even when i try to sleep. i just think a lot and as a result of my contant dreaming, i don't get quality sleep. so everyone morning i wake up i feel like sleep, often very moody,depressed and exhausted. i've had enough of it so i'm going to do something about it. the number one thing that's on my mind is the operations i'mn going to have/ i just think and dream about having it done and then i can finally feel good about my self.

basically i'm having barces, a jaw operation and a nose job. as you can imagine, if i'm having all this done i must look a bit weird. well i don't but these parts of my body do bother me a lot. for instance, i was at some training for work the other day. it involved standing in front of everyone doing role plays etc. i'm a confident person anyway so i was quite excited about it. i like attension and i like doing things like that. but i get really demotivated when people are looking at me because i know they're looking at my abnormal features lol. someone did comment on my nose whcih made me feel uncomfortable. it does knock me back but not so that i completely gigve up.

i'm 19 and fed up to the back ear (a new saying maybe?) of this and i want to do soemthing about it promto!!!

ok, i'm on the wairting list for these operations. i've been on there for 24 momnths (2 years!!), ive rang them up to ask how long i've got to wait and they told me they don't know. it's really getting me down now and i'm scared it's going to affect my university performance. i need and want to succeed at university so badly, i do not want this on my case affecting me.
so for this not to happen, i'd perfer a date when i'm going to have my braces and operation. if there's still a long wait, i'm prepared to get a loan and pay for my braces treatment, anyting to hurry this process up!

does anyone know about private braces treatment? how do you go about it?

should i see my dentist or doctor or even the hospital about the way i feel about this? it is affecting my mental health as described above.

would writing a letter to the orthodontic department in my hospital help at all? would they reply?

any replies would be lovely. thanks.
Reply 1
I had braces on the NHS and it didn't stress me out that much considering i was in the middle of my exams. In relation to how you look i advise you to think more of yourself and not what other people think. If your confident anyway why do you need other peoples approval of how you look? In the end of this process you will get the look you want and you an go around the rest of life more confident. Its all part of the process and it is up to you and your personal attitude with how you cope with it. Try not to worry too much it really is not worth it. Genuine people accept you for who you are not what you look like and i am sure there will be someone else in your shoes at uni too.
Reply 2
If you want to go private then you'll need to make an appointment with a suitable dentist/private hospital who specialise in that area for a consultation at first, and see what they say

I imagine it wont be cheap though, braces alone privately can cost anywhere between £3000-£5000, so with the jaw and nose job I imagine it would be quite a lot altogether, but obviously you wont know until you've had a consultation

Obviously its up to you- I guess you've just got to decide whether or not you would like to be in debt because of this, as obviously you'll have a loan to pay off? But if it increases your confidence then I suppose that might justify it for you?

I know it really affects your confidence and you think it will affect your uni life, but in reality, most people probably wont even notice. :smile:
Reply 3
I had really crooked teeth, but a lot of my deciduous teeth had not fallen out, so I waited until I was 17 before braces were applied, thankfully on the NHS and as treated started before I was 18, I dont have to pay a thing which is good as I am 21 now, and there must be at least another 2 years to where them (my teeth were really ****ed up. But I dont pay anything.

Another person had started it after they were 18, and they have Bupa insurance so don;t pay up front but the cost is around £5000 to the insurance company, and their premium has doubled.

Loads of people wear braces now, dont worry about it
Reply 4
Stick it with the NHS a while longer, the private fees, if you aren't that financially secure, can really be extreme. Also, are you having this nose job on the NHS? I thought it was virtually no chance unless it was for medical reasons rather than cosmetic?