Thumbs up

So today I had my review at the dental hospital to assess whether I was eligible for orthodontic treatment on the NHS. I nervously perched upon those torture like chairs they have at dentists. A lovely lady dentist assessed me exactly like my previous visit to the orthodontist, lots of numbers being shouted out and recorded. So eventually the dentist called over a consultant to discuss her findings with me and basically she said that the only thing that could hold me back from receiving braces was that I have so much 'restorative treatment', i.e. too many fillings, root canals etc. So I was sent off for an x-ray to assess the health of my teeth and make sure there was no underlying problems. Once the dentists had assessed the x-rays they called me back in to let me know the verdict. I was told that I have to wait 9 months to make sure that their are definitely no dormant problems which will need fixed and that I can go for a while without needing a filling! Other than that I definitely qualify for treatment, which I couldn't be more happy about. Actually after waiting for 2 hours during the whole appointment I think I would be happy if they told me it would take 9 years to be seen again! It sucks to have to wait so long for another review but I'm just glad to be getting the ball rolling. So if I go quiet on here for a while you'll know it's due to the wait however I'll pop on and keep you all updated with any news from dental check ups etc. and finger crossed I'll eventually be the 'brace lady'.

New Appointment

Just to keep you updated I received a letter from the Dental Hospital for my new appointment date. It is on the 24th May, so that makes it about 8 weeks between being referred between orthodontists, I'm rather surprised at how quickly I got my appointment I expected to be waiting another few months.
So about another 5 weeks to go and I'll post again to let you know what happened at the clinic.

Initial consulation

Today I had my appointment to assess my 'need for treatment' and whether I would be eligible to receive adult orthodontic treatment on the NHS. I was nervous but soon my name was called out and I was ushered to a dentist chair by a lovely dental assistant. I sat down and was introduced the orthodontist who owns the practice. He proceeded to ask me what my dental history was and after rattling off a long list of extractions, fillings and root treatment we finally got down to the assessment. I sat back nervously whilst being asked to  open and close my mouth repeatedly, smile from the side, be measured up by a little metal ruler and listen to him shouting out lots of different numbers which the assistant noted down. The only parts I really caught were that I have an over jet of 4mm and that the aesthetic component of my smile was a 7 possibly an 8.
So eventually eventually I was informed that the crowding in my teeth that would be easy enough to fix, however the hardest part would be correcting my over jet and alignment. The orthodontist suggested that I may need a consultant orthodontist to carry out the work and so I have been referred to my local dental hospital for assessment there. I'm still unsure if I am actually going to receive treatment but I assumed from the fact that my treatment would require a bit of specialist work that perhaps I do qualify, but who knows, confused.com!
I was then left with two lovely ortho assistants who were to take photos of my mouth. For someone who never smiles open mouthed in photos this was extremely unnatural. I had the taken front on with no smile, side on with no smile, front of with huge teeth showing smile, close up  front on with mouth retractor and close up of each side with mouth retractor.
Apparently my areas target for dental hospital orthodontic referrals is to be seen within 15 weeks, so I'm looking at up to the middle of July before being assessed again.
My advise to anyone thinking about a NHS referral for orthodontics is to ask as soon as possible, as it the process for assessment alone is a length one and that's not including treatment time.
Will update once I have my new appointment.
Keep on smiling :)

UPDATE: I just found this assessment guide online  which gives the full detail of my assessment today, thought it may be useful to know exactly what they are assessing for.

The story so far

In December 2011 I visited my dentist for a routine check up after not having been for 2 years. I needed work done so braved it an made an appointment. I also decided to ask my dentist if I could be referred to an orthodontist as I badly need braces.
After that appointment i needed a lot of work done to my teeth including 3 fillings and two root canal treatments on a premolar and a molar. The dentist advised me that I would need to have all my treatment done before any referral could be made. So fast forward a few weeks of dental treatment and I had my final appointment on 27th January 2012. My dentist informed me that I was more than likely eligible for orthodontic treatment on the NHS however criteria for qualifying has tightened so it was no promise. She asked if I wanted to be referred to our local dental hospital which has a very long waiting list of  months-years for treatment or if I was willing to pay a consultation fee I could be referred to a private orthodontist  who could carry out NHS treatment for me. I opted for the private route.
So I received a letter from the orthodontist a week later asking me to call to make an appointment. When I called I was informed that I could make an appointment for an informal chat to discuss my needs. So on 8th February I had an appointment with the lovely Lisa . We discussed what I didn't like about my smile and she agreed that I had a reasonable enough case to apply for NHS treatment and then where we can go from there if I am not accepted.

So this is where I'm at so far. I have another appointment booked for 27th March so I can have moulds and x-rays etc done to see how much treatment will be required.