Nhs first consultation

[thomas89]

I first enquired about braces several months ago with a private dentisit, he examined me and took various x-rays. After he looked at these he come to the conclusion that he could not treat me with braces as, in his opinion, I had an under developed upper jaw and asymetry and braces alone would not correct this and could possibly pull teeth out. He suggested I needed jaw surgery and sent a referal to my local Nhs hospitals.

I attended my first appointment with the hospital a few days a go, I was examined in the school of dentistry initially by one dentist to establish my basic history etc, I was then examined by a consultant orthodontist( only for a few minutes ) and he said that he could achieve acceptable results just with braces, ruling out the need for surgery, I am slightly concerned that he did not take any x-rays and ruled out surgery so quickly, I am concerned that what he is suggesting will be only a superficial solution( and the easy option) and will not address the underlying jaw issues. I agreed to let the dental school carry out my treatment but I think I would prefer the surgery option, Is it possible for me to ask for this or to have it reconsidered? Or is it possible for me to ask for a consultation with a jaw specialist/orthognathic surgeon to get another opinion?, As the two opinions I have are conflicting and this has me slightly worried.

[CaliforniaKid]

know little to nothing about the NHS but have you considered calling them? If a private dentists examined you extensively and recommended surgery, while an NHS dr. appeared to passively look at your records and dismiss surgery (which is way more expense than braces) as necessary...what does that make you think?

i had braces for a very long time even though my ortho said from the beginning it would only mask the real underlying issue (jaw.) i was okay with that because surgery wasn't an option at 11-13 because hard tissue was still growing. rather have a mask than an open bite which i would have developed w/o braces.

[thomas89]

Hi, Thanks for the reply, I'm waiting for my next appointment with the NHS and in the mean time I have spoke to my regular dentist and he suggests that I write a list of questions and concerns and ask them next time, I'm hoping they does some xrays next time, it would make me feel alot better about what ever decision they make.

[oimysizex]

Hey Thomas, I'm also on the NHS for treatment,
I first saw an orthodontist, she just did an initial assessment and instantly said she needed to send me to the other orthodontist there, (who specialises in jaw problems) I didn't have x-rays until i saw this different orthodontist.

I'm *sure* your ortho knows what he/she is doing, but it wouldn't hurt for you to ask for an x-ray or to review your eligibility for jaw surgery!!

good luck!!!

[CaliforniaKid]

have you considered going outside of britain? other european countries? i know it might seem odd, but trust me this is not something you want to go through twice.

[thomas89]

@ oimysizex, Thanks, thats reassuring, hopefully they will do some x rays next time( whenever that may be), I will let them know what my concerns are and ask if I could they could possibly reconsider my options.

@California Kid, I would if I could afford it but at the moment its not possible, plus its free on the NHS.

[yorkslad]

Hi Thomas

Was this in Yorkshire by any chance?

Yorkslad

[thomas89]

Hi, Yorkslad, no it was in Belfast, I still havent got my next appointment so still waiting to ask some questions.