It’s common for orthodontic treatment to begin in the teenage years, once all or most of the permanent teeth have come through. At that point it becomes clear whether someone might have dental concerns such as significant crowding, an over or underbite, or difficulty biting the teeth together which might affect eating or properly cleaning the teeth.
In cases where these issues are significant, braces will be available on the NHS. They assess who will receive braces according to a scoring system called the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need, or IOTN score.
Some teens may not meet the IOTN score, in which case the NHS treatment is not available, or the waiting list in their area may be very long meaning they are unable to start treatment quickly. That is why we have a range of affordable private orthodontic treatments available for teenagers.