NHS Essex is paying for up to 500 more orthodontic patients by the end of March 2027, with no Brentwood share announced. Updated November 2026.
Children and young people in Brentwood waiting for NHS orthodontic treatment could be seen sooner, after NHS Essex put an extra £850,000 into the service. NHS Essex says the money will help practices across the county treat up to 500 more patients by the end of March 2027.
The announcement covers the whole of Essex. It names no practices and does not say how many of the 500 places will go to the Brentwood area. It also gives no current waiting times. If all 500 courses of treatment go ahead, the funding works out at about £1,700 each, by our calculation.
Orthodontic services help children and young people whose teeth or jaws do not line up properly, and treatment may include braces or retainers. NHS Essex says demand has risen in recent years, and that this has increased the time people wait.
Beverley Flowers, Executive Director of Neighbourhood Health at NHS Essex, said: “This positive investment into orthodontic services in Essex will help more young people to access orthodontic services sooner. It will also strengthen support for our orthodontic practices as they work to provide important services for patients.
“This is the next step we are taking to meet the needs of local residents and help reduce the length of time people spend waiting for services. We know more needs to be done, and we will continue working with our providers and partners as we start to set out plans for future orthodontic care.”
NHS Essex expects to announce those plans for future orthodontic services in 2027.
What it means for you
- A dental assessment comes first. NHS Essex says one is needed to check whether NHS orthodontic treatment is suitable.
- Already waiting? The announcement does not say how the extra places will be allocated or whether families need to do anything, so your orthodontic practice is the place to ask.
- Urgent dental problems are separate. Some practices across Essex are offering appointments for urgent and routine care outside core hours, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays. You book these by calling NHS 111, and priority goes to people with the greatest need.
- Looking for a dentist? NHS Essex’s dental services page explains how to find an NHS practice near your home or workplace. It says you do not need to be registered with a dentist to get urgent care through NHS 111, and that GP practices cannot provide dental treatment.
Dental visits for care homes
NHS Essex also plans to extend its Care Homes Dental Scheme, which runs in mid and south Essex, to the whole county. The scheme sends dental professionals into care homes for routine check-ups and treatment, so that vulnerable residents need to make fewer trips to clinics.
NHS Essex says residents can struggle to get to a dental practice because of conditions such as frailty and dementia. It has not given a start date for the wider scheme or listed the homes involved.
Have your say