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NHS FAQ'sNHS FAQ's
| Currently there is NO WAITING LIST for NHS treatment at our Nuneaton Practice. Will my child receive Orthodontic treatment on the NHS? Currently the NHS will provide all children under the age of 18 years with a consultation (Orthodontic assessment). During the consultation all children are assessed using a National scoring system to determine if they will be eligible to have a full course of Orthodontic treatment covered by the NHS. You will be informed at the end of the consultation if your child will receive treatment under the NHS. How does the grading system work? The Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) is the assessment Tool used during the consultation. The IOTN is an objective and reliable way for specialists to select those children who will benefit most from treatment and is a fair way to prioritise limited NHS resources. There are two components that are assessed:
Quite simply, if above 3.5 Orthodontic treatment will be provided on the NHS. Below 3.6 and treatment wont be provided on the NHS. Are there any NHS charges for Orthodontics, like those in general Dentistry? It is not permitted to charge patients under the age of 18 for an appliance or any part of the treatment, nor to insist that part of the treatment is undertaken privately before acceptance as an NHS patient. To do so is, in effect, asking to be paid twice. Any such practice is a serious breach of NHS regulations. NHS patients can still be charged for Sundry items such as tooth brushes or retainer cases. My children both had assessments. One passed and one did not. Why? Every person, even siblings, will likely have a very different Orthodontic presentation. The IOTN assessment when carried out,may give rise to two very different scores. It is not uncommon for one child in a family to have a very high score i.e. 4.7 and hence have Orthodontic treatment under the NHS while their sibling may only score 2.3 and hence not have treatment covered. What options do we have if my child does not pass the IOTN assessment? There are a number of courses of action that can be taken:
At what age should my child start Orthdontic treatment? This is an issue that different Orthodontists will have different views, opinions and approaches towards. Given the perceived trauma's and challenges faced by teenagers and young adults, we are very much of the opinion that Orthodontic treatment for children should be a one off exercise. Treat them once and treat them completely. That means usually (but not always) we will start treatment if it is required, once all milk teeth have fallen out and children have started growing. Obviously this will vary from child to child. On average then treatment will start somewhere between the ages of 11 - 13 years. In some cases however it will be younger and some cases older. Can adults have Orthodontic treatment under the NHS? In short, No. Orthodontics on the NHS is made available only to children who are under 18 years of age and who meet the appropriate IOTN assessment criteria. This rule came into effect in April 2006. Prior to this some adults were able to receive Orthodontic treatment under the NHS. This is no longer the case. |