Specialist orthodontics
Fixed Metal Braces
The fastest, most precise appliance there is, and the cheapest. Most of our under-16s choose these, usually with coloured elastics that get changed at every adjustment.
ExploreSpecialist orthodontics
Children’s
Orthodontics
Assessment at eight or nine, treatment usually at eleven to thirteen once enough adult teeth are through. A few bite problems are worth intercepting earlier, and the assessment exists to find those.
- £110 First assessment
- Age 8 Assess from
- Age 11–13 Treat from
- Included Retainers
Timing, and the cases worth catching early
Most orthodontics is best started once the permanent teeth are mostly through, which is eleven to thirteen for the majority. Starting earlier for straightforward crowding means a longer time in braces for the same result, and children get tired of appliances.
The exceptions are worth an assessment at eight. A crossbite where the jaw shifts sideways to bite together, a significantly protruding upper front tooth at risk of being knocked out, and an impacted canine spotted on an x-ray all respond far better to being caught at nine than at fourteen.
A first assessment with Dr Frances Aldridge is £110 including x-rays and a written plan, and a large proportion of them conclude with “come back in two years”. That is a legitimate outcome and we would rather give it than start something early to fill a diary.
Common questions
Possibly. NHS orthodontics is available to under-18s whose case scores highly enough on the national needs index. We will tell you honestly whether yours is likely to qualify, and we are happy for you to join an NHS list instead — waiting times in this area are commonly eighteen months to two years.
Sometimes, where there is more tooth than jaw. Modern practice extracts far less often than it did twenty years ago, and where we do propose it you will get the reasoning and the alternative in writing.
It matters up to about seven, after which continued sucking starts to change the bite in ways that need correcting. If it is still happening at eight, that is worth an assessment on its own.
Related treatments
Specialist orthodontics
Retainers
Included in every treatment fee here rather than charged as a £250 extra at the end: a bonded wire behind the front teeth and a removable clear retainer for nights. Replacements afterwards are £180 a set.
ExploreChildren’s dentistry
Children’s Dentistry
Under-6s are seen free alongside a treating parent. Dr Simi Adeyemi runs the children’s list and treats a first visit as a ride in the chair and a count of the teeth — nothing more — until a child is happy to go further.
ExploreBook a consultation
A written plan with fixed prices before anything starts, at either clinic. Ring us or book online — reception can usually find something while you are on the call.