Parents face £2k bill or three-year wait for kids' dental braces

Young Buddies are waiting up to three years for braces unless their parents are able to fork out over £2,000 for private treatment.

- EDEL KENEALY

The situation was highlighted by Johanna Baxter MP after she was contacted by a constituent who was outraged when his dentist told him his teenage children would likely wait three years for orthodontic treatment.

However, he said they could be fitted with braces within 14 days if he was willing to hand over £150 per child for an initial consultation and a further £2,000 per child for the braces.

Ms Baxter described the case study as “deeply concerning” and said it laid bare the reality of a “two-tier dentistry system in Scotland”.

Both she and her Labour colleague Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, have written to the Scottish Government health secretary Neil Gray demanding action on the issue.