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Original poster

Dental issues

35 replies

GreatAquaMoose · 01/10/2024 15:49

I went to my nhs dentist recently and I’m having issues with one of my teeth, three to the right, a molar, she said my options are

1 - leave it until pain starts, however the decay has doubled in size since the x ray last year
2 - take the tooth out
3 - go privately for most likely root cancel treatment, which iv been told will be about £1655 for a molar and £1400 for the crown so just over 3k or £3400 if it can’t be saved and needs a implant

There saying they don’t have the materials or equipment to do it, should they not at least be referring me to somewhere else on the nhs if that is the case?

They said because the decay has went quite deep under the gum the nhs won’t cover it

I’m also thinking I may have avoided these issues if they gave me better care to begin with, I have had bleeding in my gums and when they done a scale and polish the other day, she must have only taken 3-4 minutes, when I look online it says it should be a 30 minute appointment for that alone. It’s always been that way upto now too
Finally She said we also need to keep an eye on the tooth to the left as that could end up facing the same issues as I am now.

She said I’ll refer you privately and I’ll see you in 6 months. I said should I not come back sooner to check the other issues don’t get worse, so she changed in to 3 months. I feel she should be telling me that though
I think I’ll need to go private soon as I don’t feel I’m getting very good care here

I called her back today and she said I have already explained this and it sounds like your losing trust in us mybe it would be better to take you of the list her then I asked for the practice manager and she said we don’t have one

does anyone have any advice in if I will need to pay this £3k min or is there another way around it
possibly could be another £3k on the way to if the other tooth gets worse

Also would you change to private

OP posts:
Itsgettingbettetman · 01/10/2024 16:35

GreatAquaMoose · 01/10/2024 16:24

thanks, that was quite helpful

so the 1600 is the root canal and then upto 1400 if it needs a crown. Is that around the going rate

Edited
Show quote history

You could probably get it a bit cheaper if you shop around. But there's generally good weight in 'buy cheap, buy twice'

You could ask for the crown to be made from stainless steel instead of zirconium if cosmetic effect isn't important

HildegardeofBingen · 01/10/2024 16:27

I have a private dentist where I pay a monthly charge. This entitles me to two checkups and hygienist appointments per year. It also means I get a discount on any dental work that needs to be done.

I do believe the care I get is good, and that they are more committed to saving my teeth. They're good at explaining the options to me, if there's a choice of treatments.

The NHS route would mean they'd go for the cheapest option because of the limits on what they can claim for.

I think I've got much better at cleaning and taking care of my teeth as a result of the hygienist appointments.

I wish I'd taken better care of my teeth when younger - but better late than never!

RobinHumphries · 01/10/2024 16:25

A clean on the NHS takes as long as it takes. Saying it should be 30 minutes is ridiculous - the practice couldn’t survive

Original poster
GreatAquaMoose · 01/10/2024 16:24

Itsgettingbettetman · 01/10/2024 16:16

The NHS will take the cheapest option possible for you to be 'clinically' healthy again. This means they will extract the tooth.

Ultimately the best option here is a root canal and crown, if you have the tooth extracted and don't replace it, you will only get problems further down the line. Adjacent teeth will drift, be more prone to damage due to changes in your occlusion.

If you have decay beneath the gums it suggest your oral hygiene is poor. Invest in a quality tooth paste like sensodyne pronamel. Use interdental brushes and floss daily before brushing. And when you brush don't rinse for 30 mins.

You will be very lucky to get endodontic treatment on a molar on the NHS. These teeth are best treated by an Endodontist and not a general dentist as they have access to better equipment and are more skilled at the process and the £1600 you've been quoted sounds about right, maybe a touch on the expensive side.

If your gums bleed you have minimum gingivitis, but possibly periodontal disease which is where the bacterial infection beneath the gums destroys the supporting bone and tissues around your teeth, if you want to keep your teeth you need to get that looked at professionally. See a dental therapist if you can afford it, it will save you a fortune in the long run.

Edited

thanks, that was quite helpful

so the 1600 is the root canal and then upto 1400 if it needs a crown. Is that around the going rate

OP posts:
Itiswhysofew · 01/10/2024 16:24

She sounds harsh and seems to have left you a little confused.

Maybe get a 2nd opinion, if possible?

RobinHumphries · 01/10/2024 16:20

In my area there are no specialists on the NHS that we can refer too….

Itsgettingbettetman · 01/10/2024 16:16

The NHS will take the cheapest option possible for you to be 'clinically' healthy again. This means they will extract the tooth.

Ultimately the best option here is a root canal and crown, if you have the tooth extracted and don't replace it, you will only get problems further down the line. Adjacent teeth will drift, be more prone to damage due to changes in your occlusion.

If you have decay beneath the gums it suggest your oral hygiene is poor. Invest in a quality tooth paste like sensodyne pronamel. Use interdental brushes and floss daily before brushing. And when you brush don't rinse for 30 mins.

You will be very lucky to get endodontic treatment on a molar on the NHS. These teeth are best treated by an Endodontist and not a general dentist as they have access to better equipment and are more skilled at the process and the £1600 you've been quoted sounds about right, maybe a touch on the expensive side.

If your gums bleed you have minimum gingivitis, but possibly periodontal disease which is where the bacterial infection beneath the gums destroys the supporting bone and tissues around your teeth, if you want to keep your teeth you need to get that looked at professionally. See a dental therapist if you can afford it, it will save you a fortune in the long run.

5128gap · 01/10/2024 16:06

The current system for dentistry makes it very difficult to trust whether practitioners are advising in your best interest or from a business perspective. I had a similar situation, paid for all the work and ended up losing the tooth anyway.

Original poster
GreatAquaMoose · 01/10/2024 16:05

pete100 · 01/10/2024 16:01

Ring 111 and tell them you you're in pain and need an NHS appointment, they will book you an NHS appointment elsewhere who should have the ability to sort root canal, etc. on the NHS fixed charge.

It's absurd that lots of practices are both NHS and private now, and seem to be steering people towards their private (read: profit making) treatment.

Stick with NHS for as long as possible is my advise! and 111 have the ability to book you in elsewhere.

See my dentist is saying because there is delay right under the game they would advise only removing the tooth through the nhs and it would be to costly for the nhs to even attempt it and my only option is private if I want to try and save it

OP posts:
pete100 · 01/10/2024 16:01

Ring 111 and tell them you you're in pain and need an NHS appointment, they will book you an NHS appointment elsewhere who should have the ability to sort root canal, etc. on the NHS fixed charge.

It's absurd that lots of practices are both NHS and private now, and seem to be steering people towards their private (read: profit making) treatment.

Stick with NHS for as long as possible is my advise! and 111 have the ability to book you in elsewhere.

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