Child NHS Orthodontics

WILL MY CHILD QUALIFY UNDER THE NHS?

Newbury Orthodontic Centre has agreed with NHS England to provide specialist orthodontic services to patients under the age of 18.

All children under the age of 18 who are referred by their NHS dentist are entitled to a free NHS orthodontic consultation.
Treatment is only available to those patients who require it for dental health reasons such as severe crowding, missing teeth or very protrusive teeth. This is assessed by orthodontic specialist using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN).
NHS treatment is carried out by our experienced Orthodontic Team with most routine appointments provided by our fully qualified Orthodontic Therapists.
Due to the limited amount of NHS funding each year, you may need to join our NHS waiting list for treatment should you qualify for treatment.

Your first appointment is for an initial NHS assessment only and is free of charge. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by their parent/guardian or carer with parental responsibility.
At the appointment, you will be asked to fill in a medical questionnaire. It may also be necessary to take some radiographs (x-ray) to complete the assessment.
Please remove all earrings, hair clips or other metallic objects worn on the head and neck areas beforehand to facilitate this procedure.
After a thorough examination, it should be possible for the specialist orthodontist to advise you if you would benefit from having treatment, if you qualify for NHS treatment, if you are ready for treatment and if so, an outline about possible treatment options. However, a detailed treatment plan will not be available until further records are taken and assessed.
You are free to decide if you would like to proceed with the treatment proposed. If you need further information, please feel free to ask any member of our team.

Usually used once all the adult teeth have erupted and are ‘glued’ to the teeth
The wires are held in place with brightly coloured elastic rings, lots to choose from!
Require excellent oral hygiene to prevent unsightly marks on the teeth at the end of treatment
Provide excellent, predictable treatment results

Is usually used in the growing patient to help correct significant ‘bite’ problems (e.g. very protrusive teeth)
Is removable for cleaning, sports and instrument playing. It is worn on the upper and lower teeth with the teeth biting together into the new bite.
Requires excellent compliance and full-time wear to achieve the required tooth movements and jaw growth
Not suitable for all bite problems

Occasionally used in the younger patient for the simple correction of teeth straightness or bite problems
Is removable for cleaning, sports and instrument playing but requires excellent compliance and full-time wear to achieve the required tooth movements
May occasionally prevent the need for full orthodontic treatment in the future

Are always required following orthodontic treatment with braces to prevent unwanted tooth movement (‘relapse’)
Are removable for cleaning, sports and instrument playing but require excellent long-term complianceto maintain tooth straightness
Occasionally need replacing

If you have any questions about NHS treatment for your child please don’t hesitate to contact us.