This article is from page 10 of the 2006-10-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A MILTOWN MALBAY mother has told The Clare People about her frustration at having two daughters within the orthodontic system.
Her first daughter, now 16 years old, was assessed and found to need orthodontic treatment in May 2004.
Two and a half years on, the teenager still has not had a follow-up call to make an appointment for treatment.
In the interim, the west Clare woman’s second daughter has become part of the slowmoving system.
This week, at the age of thirteen and a half, she has been assessed for orthodontic treatment.
This young girl has also been found to need treatment immediately, but her mother knows from experience there is a long wait ahead for both of her children. So annoyed by the system is she, that she is now preparing to lobby her local TD.
This family is not alone. As many as 30 per cent of the teenage population in Clare need orthodontic services.
Once a dentist suspects treatment is needed, a child is sent to an orthodontist for assessment. This occurs from the age of 12 onwards. During an assessment, the patient is categorised as Category A (very serious) B (quite serious) and C (requires urgent work, but is not as serious as A and B).Children with a category B problem have a traumatising wait of up to five years just to begin treatment once assessed.