Children 'in pain' waiting months for braces care

Parents of children fitted with braces at a dental practice say their youngsters have been left in pain after not having follow-up appointments for several months.

Mums and dads said the Torcross Dental Practice in Coventry had left their kids "stuck in limbo" waiting for information for several months.

Sarah said a piece of wire on her 15-year-old daughter's braces had been "cutting into her cheek" and was "very painful", but she has not had a follow-up appointment since October.

A spokesperson for Torcross Dental said, like many dental practices, they at times struggled with recruitment and "we regret the impact this transition has had on some patients and any inconvenience caused".

"That can't continue indefinitely because obviously I don't know what impact that is having on the teeth," Sarah said.

The BBC spoke to several parents, none of whom wanted to use their real names over concerns it could affect their relationship with their dentist.

Amisha's 14-year-old daughter was last seen by an NHS orthodontist at the practice in May, after she had braces fitted in November 2024.

"That's all we've had," she told me. "I rang them before Christmas and they said they're waiting for a new person to start.

"I was like, 'fair enough' but I rang again on Monday and they said 'we're still waiting for a start date'."

Dentists provide general oral health care whereas an orthodontist is a dentist who specialises in straightening teeth and aligning jaws, according to the NHS.

Sarah said she was worried the lack of appointments would affect her daughter's teeth.

"There was a piece of wire literally digging into the side of her cheek, which was cutting into her cheek and was very painful," she said.

"We did have to visit the dentist only a couple of weeks ago for him to trim that back but he made it very clear he's not an orthodontist, he can't do anything about the braces themselves.

Her daughter also noticed the braces were coming loose so they were not having any effect, Sarah added.

She said she was considering making a formal complaint if her daughter did not get an appointment soon.

"Ideally we'd just like them to be honest - if they can't fulfill the treatment then they need to release the funding so that people can go elsewhere," she added.

"We're just kind of stuck in limbo at the moment."

Her daughter's treatment was funded by the NHS, which said orthodontic treatment was free for people under the age of 18.

Amisha said she had a record of all the times she called the practice to make an appointment for her daughter and was shocked to learn it was taking on new NHS patients for braces.

"I called them and said, 'but you're taking on new patients for new braces to be fitted' and they admitted they were doing some Friday appointments," she said.

"It doesn't make sense that they're taking on new patients when they're not fulfilling the treatment of their current patients."

A spokesperson for Torcross Dental said a new orthodontist had now started with them and all their patients have received an appointment with them.

"Due to wider challenges in securing orthodontists, it took several weeks to appoint a replacement specialist," they added.

The British Dental Association (BDA) admitted there was a shortage of NHS orthodontists but stressed that practices should have a plan in place so patients did not suffer as a consequence.

A spokesperson for the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board said: "We will continue to work with the provider to monitor the situation and support access to orthodontic services for local patients."

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