Patient Assessment Appointment

Please arrive a few minutes before your appointment time. You will be asked by the receptionist to fill in a medical history form prior to being examined by the orthodontist.

Once in the treatment room your teeth and mouth will be examined by the orthodontist. We will be checking because oral hygiene- braces can only be fitted on a well cared-for mouth. The patient must show a commitment to keeping the teeth and gums clean. You will be given instruction at this visit how teeth should be cleaned. A commitment to a healthy diet is essential if you are to undertake orthodontic treatment. Motivation for wanting treatment will be assessed. There has to be a strong desire for straight teeth on behalf of the patient for treatment to be a success. Treatment will not be successful for a patient who has a half-hearted approach to orthodontic treatment. The patient’s parent or guardian has also to be motivated and be willing to support their child through treatment, encouraging them to keep their teeth clean and ensuring the patient keeps up the necessary changes to their diet and bringing them to all their orthodontic appointments. If we see a highly motivated patient we will take impressions of the teeth so that plaster/stone study models can be made to allow Dr Olsberg to plan your treatment at the next visit.

Your 2nd visit- treatment planning appointment with Dr Olsberg

A treatment plan will be formulated when the various problems that need sorting will be explained to you. An X-ray will be taken and you will sit with the nurse who will go through all the practical aspects of treatment. We will also confirm whether your treatment will be covered by the NHS or you will need to pay privately.

A note about NHS funding for orthodontic treatment:

The NHS has put in two restraints to limit the amount of money it is willing to spend per year on orthodontic treatment

1.  The severity of the problem has to be moderate or severe to get funding. Mild problems would need to be   funded by the patient. At this visit we will assess which category your problem fits into. If it is a mild problem and you still want it correcting you will need to pay privately.

2. The NHS gives orthodontic practices a budget which covers a certain number of patient treatments per year. This budget runs from April to March. If the patient’s orthodontic problem is in the moderate/ severe category and we have used up our budget we will not be able to offer treatment until the following year which commences in the April. If you wish to start treatment more promptly you would need to pay privately. We would then be able to fit the brace within 2 to 4 weeks.

Please see our fees pages for private patient treatment for under 17s. For adults, we would need to quote on a patient by patient basis.