Orthodontics
Would you like straighter teeth or do any teeth need correcting?
We have an excellent specialist orthodontist. Dr Ben Cross treats children and adults and has various treatment systems to offer adults.
What is orthodontics?
Orthodontic treatment (usually with braces) is most often used to improve the appearance and alignment of crooked, protruding (sticking out) or crowded teeth, and to correct problems with the bite of the teeth.
The benefits of orthodontics can include:
- correction of dental crowding and straightening of your teeth
- correction of your bite so the front and back teeth meet evenly
- reducing the chance of damage to prominent teeth
- improving your appearance, including your smile
Who Can Have Orthodontics?
Children
Orthodontic treatment is usually only started after most of a child’s adult teeth have started to come through. This is usually when they’re about 12 years old, but depends on the number of adult teeth and the growth of their face and jaws.
Adults
Orthodontic treatment for adults can begin at any age, but the treatment options are more limited. However, there are great treatments available if you are suitable for them, such as brackets that are positioned on the back of your teeth (lingually) and tooth coloured systems that aren’t as visible as traditional metal brackets.
Treatment also won’t begin unless you have a good standard of oral hygiene as orthodontic treatment can increase the risk of tooth decay.
Types of Orthodontic Treatment
Orthodontics mainly use braces (Braces are metal or tooth coloured small brackets temporarily placed on teeth with very thin wires connecting each bracket) to correct the position of the teeth. Your exact treatment will depend on the problems with your teeth/bite. You may also need to have one or more teeth removed as part of your treatment.
The length of treatment will depend on how complicated the problem is, but it’s usually between 18 and 24 months. There are short term brace systems available at Passage House Dental Care (Six Month Smiles for example) for adults and these can be discussed to see if they are suitable.
NHS Orthodontic Treatment
Passage House Dental Care can supply children’s NHS orthodontic treatment for patients under the age of 18 with a clear health need for treatment.
NHS orthodontic care isn’t usually available for adults, but may be approved on a case-by-case basis if needed for health reasons.
Private Orthodontic Treatment
If you don’t qualify for free NHS treatment or you don’t want to wait for treatment to start, you may choose to have private treatment.
Ben Cross, our experienced Specialist Orthodontist at Passage House Dental Care will estimate the treatment cost after an initial assessment of the problem.
Which Orthodontist will I have?
At Passage House Dental Care we are proud to have a Specialist Orthodontist – Ben Cross, who is extremely experienced and can recommend orthodontic treatments to get the best outcome for you.
How much will the treatment cost?
Ben will assess your needs and provide a treatment plan and costs and can advise if you can have this treatment under the NHS or will need to have private treatment. We have a private fee guide on our website which gives a guide to costs. We also have a 0% finance* plan available.