Has anyone got any advice about finding a good Orthodontist (in London)? I had braces as a child but have never been happy with the results and so am thinking about another try as an adult (which will almost certainly involve wearing palate expanders).
I've had initial consultations with 3 orthodontists so far (2 recommended by my dentist, one by a friend of a friend) but haven't felt 100% comfortable with any of them - plus I'm feeling very confused as they've all said quite different things and cost varies hugely!
Is it normal for (private UK) Orthodontists to quote a flat fee, as opposed to charging based on which appliances are required? Is there any way of finding out about average fees in the UK?
Any advice gratefully received.
Good orthodontist in London?
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florencegal
- Posts: 154
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- Location: south-west UK
Hi there AnnaC - I'm in the UK too and I've only seen one ortho for an initial consultation so far but was surprised to be given what seemed to be a flat-rate quote - I was told a straight £2800 for traditional braces, an extra £300 if I wanted invisible brackets (Clarity). I thought this was reasonable (I'd expected more like £4k but don't recall where I got that figure from) but I'm not sure how prices vary across the UK, I'd be interested to know! There was nothing said to imply that if treatment took longer than the expected two years or got complicated in any way that this figure would go up. For my very long initial consultation (about 1hr) including all the x-rays and impressions and my next follow-on session at the end of August I was charged £120 which I was happy with.
I just did LOADS of internet searches to find out about orthos in my area - most searches brought up just about all of them in London so I'm jealous you have so many to choose from! Out here in the sticks in Gloucestershire the choice is a bit more limited! Altho not all will be good of course - I'm sorry you didn't get a good impression from the ones you've seen. I think it's vital to find one you feel totally at ease with as the road ahead could prove rocky and emotional.
If I hear any recommendations round London way I'll be sure to pass them on - good luck in your search.
I just did LOADS of internet searches to find out about orthos in my area - most searches brought up just about all of them in London so I'm jealous you have so many to choose from! Out here in the sticks in Gloucestershire the choice is a bit more limited! Altho not all will be good of course - I'm sorry you didn't get a good impression from the ones you've seen. I think it's vital to find one you feel totally at ease with as the road ahead could prove rocky and emotional.
If I hear any recommendations round London way I'll be sure to pass them on - good luck in your search.
There is one in aldgate, the website is http://www.thebrace.com/
It is a small practice that does both NHS and private patients. Becasue of this the doctor can only see you on Thursdays (for your own benifit as some adult patients would prefer not to sit with children in the waiting room).
The doctor is very friendly and very helpful, he charges a lot less than other orthodontists. £2000 for basic and £2400 for ceramics, however I would advise against ceramics as they stain so badly.
He also does lingual for £3000 and invisalign for £4000.
It is a small practice that does both NHS and private patients. Becasue of this the doctor can only see you on Thursdays (for your own benifit as some adult patients would prefer not to sit with children in the waiting room).
The doctor is very friendly and very helpful, he charges a lot less than other orthodontists. £2000 for basic and £2400 for ceramics, however I would advise against ceramics as they stain so badly.
He also does lingual for £3000 and invisalign for £4000.
Hi Everyone from the UK!
My advice is definately to find one that you trust and believe in.
I've had 4 consultations with different orthos (Berkshire area) and have finally settled at a practice in Windsor. I'll be getting upper linguals and lower ceramics and will also have to have lower jaw surgery (covered by my health insurance)
I'll be paying upwards of £5500 for all of this, however my ortho has agreed a capped total payment. i.e. If things don't go to plan then i won't pay more than £XXXX
My initial consultation including X-rays was £400 but I think it bodes well on the practice that I have been in 5 times since then in order to chat to the ortho, and haven't been charged a single penny.
However one of the most important things for me was trusting what the ortho says, and not thinking that they're just telling you what you want to hear.
All along, my ortho has been honest with treatment times, and methods used to get there, and has never given me anything but a straight answer.
I think this is the most important aspect, as you'll be visiting these people regularly, you need to be as reassured as possible about what is happening with your treatment!
My wisdoms are coming out in September and the upper Linguals go on early October so look out for the start of my blog!
Is anyone else here having surgery in the UK???
Cheers!
Dave
My advice is definately to find one that you trust and believe in.
I've had 4 consultations with different orthos (Berkshire area) and have finally settled at a practice in Windsor. I'll be getting upper linguals and lower ceramics and will also have to have lower jaw surgery (covered by my health insurance)
I'll be paying upwards of £5500 for all of this, however my ortho has agreed a capped total payment. i.e. If things don't go to plan then i won't pay more than £XXXX
My initial consultation including X-rays was £400 but I think it bodes well on the practice that I have been in 5 times since then in order to chat to the ortho, and haven't been charged a single penny.
However one of the most important things for me was trusting what the ortho says, and not thinking that they're just telling you what you want to hear.
All along, my ortho has been honest with treatment times, and methods used to get there, and has never given me anything but a straight answer.
I think this is the most important aspect, as you'll be visiting these people regularly, you need to be as reassured as possible about what is happening with your treatment!
My wisdoms are coming out in September and the upper Linguals go on early October so look out for the start of my blog!
Is anyone else here having surgery in the UK???
Cheers!
Dave
Thanks for replying Meryaten!
I just thought I could get additional opinions here from people who have actually received treatment and personally like their orthodontist. I've actually already have an appointment with the one my dentist recommended but i wanted to get a few more consultations before going ahead with anything. =p
I just thought I could get additional opinions here from people who have actually received treatment and personally like their orthodontist. I've actually already have an appointment with the one my dentist recommended but i wanted to get a few more consultations before going ahead with anything. =p
Hi Daveyboy,
i'm not from the UK but my husband is and, boy, am i glad i'm not paying for my ortho treatment in pounds
Here in Singapore the exchange rate is like GBP 1 = SGD 3.1, so if i were to pay your dentist in my currency it would be like more than $16, 800!! Wowee... 
(Market rate for ortho treatment here is around $4000-6000 i.e. GBP 1309 to 1900+)
Cheers!
i'm not from the UK but my husband is and, boy, am i glad i'm not paying for my ortho treatment in pounds
Here in Singapore the exchange rate is like GBP 1 = SGD 3.1, so if i were to pay your dentist in my currency it would be like more than $16, 800!! Wowee... (Market rate for ortho treatment here is around $4000-6000 i.e. GBP 1309 to 1900+)
Cheers!
Daveyboy wrote:
Is anyone else here having surgery in the UK???
Cheers!
Dave
Are you having linguals though Koolmama? That bumps the cost up considerably. The "average" figure for orthodontic treatment in the UK is about GBP 3000 ($6000 or so), still more than the US though.
Shanell, I'd recommend my ortho, but he's not in London, I live in Fareham which would be an hour and a half each way on the train, so I doubt you'd want to consider that.
Shanell, I'd recommend my ortho, but he's not in London, I live in Fareham which would be an hour and a half each way on the train, so I doubt you'd want to consider that.
Oops, sorry i didn't realise Daveyboy was talking about linguals (thanks for pointing it out Lisa!)... but i think even with the average figure of GBP 3000, we do save a little here compared to over there (S$5000 as opposed to S$9000?)
Anyway, do you guys get free treatment if it's under NHS? Lucky you
Anyway, do you guys get free treatment if it's under NHS? Lucky you
Heh heh Shanell i wish the same thing too! That's 'cos braces cost only about S$2000 (GBP 600+) when i was a teenager, now the price is more than double that! Sigh....
Oh btw, your parents must have been working here? Which lovely international school were you in?
Anyway, London is beautiful... and we love going there... but the prices... ouch....
Oh btw, your parents must have been working here? Which lovely international school were you in?
Anyway, London is beautiful... and we love going there... but the prices... ouch....
Re: Good orthodontist in London?
If you are looking for a good orthodontist , I would recommend you Marie Heintz shes a great doctor and as you can see on her profil, she has quite nice reviews :) https://www.findoc.co.uk/specialist/lon ... rie-heintz