A DAD has added his voice to the concerns of parents in south Cumbria about a lack of orthodontists.

Daniel Stewart said he was worried he and his son would face a potential three-hour round trip to see a specialist dentist.

It follows the closure of the nearest orthodontic practice in Dalton, which stopped offering treatment in March.

He said his 13-year-old Isaac was ‘badly in need’ of braces and would have to travel to either Carlisle or Blackpool to find treatment.

Mr Stewart said that would involve around 10 appointments for his son, meaning he would have to take time off work and his school to attend.

The dad said: “I think this a big concern for a lot of parents in the area.

“My son really needs braces and we would have to travel a long distance.

“And it’s not just one procedure, it’s a lot of appointments that will be really difficult to attend.”

The Abbey Orthodontic Specialist Practice is the only one in the area.

A number of parents have previously spoken out about the shortage in orthodontists .

A spokesman for NHS North West said: “The Abbey Orthodontic Specialist Practice closed at the end of March 2019.

“Our priority is to ensure continuity of service for patients who are in active treatment.

“All of these patients have been assessed and allocated a treatment option based on their clinical need either at Furness General Hospital, the Special Care Dental Service at Barrow or with the Specialist Orthodontic Provider at Kendal.”

“We do understand some people may have to travel further but it is important that patients in an open course of treatment are able to complete it and by putting these arrangements in place we have been able to ensure that their treatment is not delayed.

“NHS North West is currently in the process of re-procuring Specialist Orthodontic Services for the whole of Lancashire and South Cumbria and this will include securing a new provider for Furness from April 1 2020.”