August 2016
Today we have to get Annie over to the other side of the city to where we used to live for her Orthodontist appointment. Annie is enjoying wearing her brace as it makes her feel older and more like a teenager! It certainly makes her look older and it has taken me a while to get used to that! She has coped really well with the brace so far, and progress seems to be taking place. There is one small problem however. The orthodontist that we have signed up to lives near our old house, which is at least a 40 minute journey. This may not sound like much, but with regular 6-weekly appointments to adjust the brace, the next one is scheduled to take place during term time. Annie’s school will allow a short absence for orthodontic work, but will not allow for a round trip for an hour, plus however long the appointment takes!
We raise this with the orthodontist, hoping that he will simply be able to transfer Annie to an NHS orthodontist nearer to our new home. This is not as simple as it sounds. He says that he is unable to transfer her. I double check this with our new dentist, and they confirm the only way of getting a new orthodontist would be to get the brace removed, then have a new referral and wait 2 to 3 years for a new orthodontist. This seems crazy and we are all left feeling very frustrated.
So our options are to keep her treatment in the same place, and try and negotiate with her school for a longer absence every 6 weeks, to have the brace removed and start the treatment again here (subject to a 2-3 year waiting list!), or take the hit and pay to go private. There is no easy answer here, and it seems ridiculous that nothing else can be done.
We have a few weeks to decide so I make a few enquires with private practices and take up the offer of a free consultation with a local dentist – we will see what kind of money they are asking for to finish her treatment – then we will have to make a decision.
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