More parents are choosing to go private when their child needs braces, as patients in some areas face waits of up to two years on the NHS.
New research has revealed how much the treatment can cost, with parents in some areas of the UK having to pay an average of nearly £4,300.
More are also turning to credit to spread the cost, rather than paying thousands upfront.
Extended treatment: Waiting lists for NHS orthodontists are long – and the cost of a full set of braces with a private dentist means some parents may opt to get credit
How much do braces cost privately?
A set of fixed metal braces for your child will set you back up to £4,285 in the South East of England, making it the most expensive region for orthodontic treatment, Intuit Credit Karma research reveals.
Almost one in five parents (18 per cent) choose to pay for private dental treatment for their children according to the figures, with a third of them needing braces.
Prices will vary between different dental offices so you can shop around.
The South West proves to be the second most expensive region for braces, at £3,757, while Scotland is marginally cheaper at £3,726.
Meanwhile, in the East of England and Wales, braces will cost around £3,415 and £3,246 on average.
Those in certain parts of London can expect to pay as little as £2,368 for a set of braces, which Intuit said reflects the number of options available in the city.
However, according to Orthodontics specialist Emma Laing, the cost of braces in Central London is more likely to be around £5,500.
According to the NHS, the bill for braces with a private dentist can range between £2,000 and £6,000.
Waiting lists for NHS treatment are not set to shrink anytime soon as some dentists choose to leave private practice due to lower pay and heavy workloads.
Laing told This is Money: “Before Covid I was working a mix of private days and in NHS orthodontics. In my NHS days I saw around 25 to 35 patients a day.
“NHS Orthodontics has been really hit by Covid as with social distancing these numbers have not been achievable and waiting lists, which were already high at around 18 months, have really increased.
“You don’t get paid a huge amount for every NHS case, so you need to see so many patients in a day. You can’t physically see more than that, even with two dental chairs at the same time.
“I had two prolapsed discs in my back after years of working like that and that was my turning point to stop working at that intensity.”
For Laing, as for many others, privacy meant prioritizing her own health, as well as that of her patients. “I chose to see patients privately as by charging more than NHS fees you can extend appointments, spend more time with each patient and deliver your best work,” he said.
“If the NHS paid clinicians more, there would be less of a flood of clinicians leaving the NHS, but in this economy I can’t see how that will ever happen.”
What this means for patients, however, is that finding an NHS dentist or orthodontist is increasingly difficult.
A recent parliamentary report reveals that the number of NHS dental treatment courses completed in 2022/2023, 32.5 million, was 15 per cent lower than pre-pandemic figures of 38.4 million in 2019/2020.
With credit: Some parents turn to credit cards or loans to pay the high upfront cost
Does your child qualify for NHS braces?
Orthodontic treatment is free for under-18s on the NHS, but only if the dentist thinks they need it – and some don’t qualify.
“You need something like an impacted tooth, missing teeth, protruding teeth or very crowded teeth to qualify,” explains Laing.
“If, for example, the teeth are not as full or spaced, the NHS may not cover this.”
However, private dentistry and orthodontics come with their perks, with the price you pay reflecting the extent of care private patients receive as a result of higher charges.
“Private fees may sound high, but this includes taking dental records, treatment planning time, braces fitting, six-week fitting appointments for 18 months, any emergency appointments, brace removal and providing fixed retainers and removable retainers for use at night,” said Laing.
“If you think as an adult that your dentist gave you a list of 12 to 15 appointments in advance, you would expect a reasonable bill for that, yet when we refer people to orthodontics for a similar situation for their child, they always think the charges are high .’
However, the high cost of going private means many have to borrow money to fund treatment.
According to Intuit, 29 percent of parents turn to credit to pay for their child’s braces, while 13 percent use their savings to do so.
About 39 percent of families say they have delayed big plans, such as vacations, in order to pay for dental treatment.
Akansha Nath, general manager (global) of Intuit Credit Karma, told This is Money: “Most dental treatment is considered a necessary expense to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
“Alongside this, many parents will also consider investing in orthodontic treatment for their children as a priority.
“As the NHS continues to struggle with long waiting lists, many parents will be funding this treatment themselves, which means many will be using credits to do so.”
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