Girl in care has not had braces taken off due to unpaid bill

A teenager in the care of the Child and Family Agency has not had her braces removed because of a dispute over paying the orthodontist, the Dublin District Family Court heard yesterday.

The girl should have had her braces taken off three months ago, but the orthodontist refused to carry out the procedure because the bill had not been paid, Judge Colin Daly was told.

As part of a court review of the care of the girl and her siblings, a solicitor for the agency said the orthodontic work had been arranged for the teenager by her foster mother, but that placement had subsequently broken down and the girl no longer lived with her.

The girl had been moved to a residential unit and the foster mother had not settled the bill, the solicitor said.

He said the agency had now received approval from management to pay the bill and was anxious to resolve matters, but he did not know how quickly the braces could be removed.

The solicitor for the girl’s court-appointed guardian said he was concerned the teenager’s braces had not been taken off. She had been wearing them for three months without needing them, he said.

The court was also told the girl wanted to go home to her mother, but the agency and her guardian believed it was not in her best interests.

Judge Daly asked whether the orthodontist had confirmed the girl did not need any further treatment and was told the practitioner had confirmed that.

He completed the review of the case, but ordered it should be brought back before the court if the teenager’s braces were not removed by the end of the month. “It is an unnecessary trespass on her person that should be remedied,” he said.