my d's teeth and the "full and frank" discussion I'm going to be having with our dentist later today.

I have been trying to get my d. referred to an orthodontist for several years (she's now 16). At first the dentist said the overcrowding wasn't too bad, and we should wait and see if it sorted itself out. Eventually she said she would refer my d., but after 2 (yes TWO) years, still no appointment. Then she siad that we had been sent an appointment which we failed to keep. I don't know if that was true - but I certainly know that we never received a letter giving us the appointment. I suspect that she never did the referral.

Eventually I asked for a private referral, which she did and finally my d. had the casts and x-rays done and was seen yesterday by the consultant orthodontist. I had to work (no work, no pay...) so persuaded my ex to take d.

The orthodontist's comment was that it was aa pity the dentist hdn't been to Specsavers. From her referral he had expected to have to do some minor cosmetic work. What my d. actually has is very severe overcrowding, to the point that it is a potential health hazard. She needs 4 molars removing, braces on her upper and lower teeth and will probably have to wear a retainer util she is well into her early 20s. He offered to do the work in four parts, but my d. opted to have it done all at once, so that at least she gets the braces bit over and done with.

He's written back to the dentist to ask her to do the extractions, and says that they should be done on the NHS because it is a health issue, but I'm going to see her today to ask her to see if we can get them done at the hospital (so my d. can have a light general anaesthetic) or to refer us to another more competent dentist, even if that means I have to pay. I have heard of someone else where she did an extraction and broke the tooth, so they had a lot of problems afterwards and I have absolutely no faith in her now.

So, I have to sort out d's teeth, sort out changing dentists, sort out the financial implications of moving from NHS dentistry to private dentistry. A least now I've written it all down and had a cup of tea, I might go back to sleep - but any advice and/or ideas would be much appreciated!