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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Cost of dental treatment is painful ...

62 replies

Daisydoodlepoo · 14/10/2025 16:24

Having moved house and unable to get signed up with an NHS dentist, I registered with a private practice just over 12 months ago as I was experiencing pain with back tooth which had had root canal treatment about 10 years ago. The cost of the treatment including extraction was £1800. Today I have been for a routine check up and x ray identified issues with 2 front teeth which apparently are likely to result in both failing 2/3 years down the line. The cause is linked to undue pressure on the teeth as a result of overbite. My dentist said we need a plan to address these issues including work to build up the back teeth to reduce the impact of the overbite, potential loss of teeth etc. I understand that the treatment cost would be around 10k which is significant in addition to the £1800 spent relatively recently. My first reaction was that I said I simply could not justify that amount of spend at present to which she asked me directly if I was in financial difficulty and I should be honest if that is the case. Also if I did not go down this route, what would be my plan when teeth failed as was likely. I just felt really uncomfortable with these questions as thankfully I am not in financial difficulty, but on the other hand, being suddenly presented with unplanned expenditure of 10k was a shock and asking anyone directly if they are struggling financially seems insensitive and unreasonable given the amount involved is not insignificant. Maybe I am being too sensitive? but the whole experience made me feel a bit emotional and incredibly frustrated like everyone else is with the state of NHS dentistry. 😟

OP posts:

Trishyb10 · 15/10/2025 18:37

Stick with the english dentist. I went to turkey, spent 8000, disasterous, got back andno dentist would deal with me, 3 months on after almost havng a nervous breakdown a uk dentist quoted 15,000. It took a year of appointments… then was i ok? …. No, the following year, 2 grand for root canal, now year 3 and having old implants from turkey which were re crowned by english dentist back out… acheing and pain for 3 years and still ongoing, i cannot explain the amount of pain,acheing, anguishm heartache, missed holidlayd and depression….and..now i am skint, DO NO GO ABROAD x

Hankunamatata · 15/10/2025 08:46

Since watching nhs dentistry fall apart I've taken out policy for cash back for dental work and started saving.

I know im lucky I cam afford to do that

Iv also become super strict with teens. Paying for them to see hygienist every 3 months to try and head off potential problems in the long run

Original poster

Daisydoodlepoo · 15/10/2025 08:43

HolidayPlanningAgain · 14/10/2025 23:35

As other PP’s have said, shop around.
i have just had a massive amount of work done, hereditary issues with my gums combined with previous experience with horrendous dentists meant I didn’t go for many years.
4.5k later and many hours crying in the chair through fear, I have an amazing smile, no pain and a bucket load of confidence restored!

My treatment should’ve been 7 appointments, ended up at 10 but I was charged no more than originally quoted, my dentist was amazing, she never pushed me further than I could cope with, I had 90 min appointments that turned into 3hrs with a additional appointments needed to finish off.

Thank you for your post that does sound a lot of work for the cost which makes me feel more optimistic about getting my treatment done for a more reasonable price. I think what upset me most yesterday was that I was left feeling I had no choice but as so many have said there is no reason not to shop around and travelling further afield also an option.

OP posts:

3678194b · 14/10/2025 23:43

As others have said, I'd definitely get opinions elsewhere. It's not as if they have a central database and know where you've been seen previously.

I had a wisdom tooth out privately and it cost £350, I don't know exactly what your extraction involved but it does seem very pricey, as does the recommended treatment.

Gettingbysomehow · 14/10/2025 23:38

I live in Somerset. I drive 4 to 5 hours to my old affordable dentist in Sussex because I can't afford the inflated costs in Somerset. It's ridiculous.

HolidayPlanningAgain · 14/10/2025 23:35

youve987456 · 14/10/2025 23:34

If it was me I would just wait for them to fail and get implants. It would probably be cheaper for 2 teeth. I am saying this as someone who has spent 6.5k at the dentist in the last couple of years.

buffybots · 14/10/2025 22:58

I had a wisdom tooth extraction by an oral surgeon (my dentist wouldn’t do it)
it was £150 consult including X-rays and then £190 extraction and that was on the pricey side!

DiscoBob · 14/10/2025 22:53

You can't have had a root canal and an extraction on the same tooth? As a root canal is purely to try and stop the need for an extraction.

And either way a root canal plus and extraction (on different teeth) shouldn't cost £1800. You need to see a different dentist. They sound like a total rip off.

rangeraft · 14/10/2025 22:38

yes, get one or two second opinions. it does not hurt to shop around with dentistry quotes and most don't realise that they can do this!

MyAmusedPearlSquid · 14/10/2025 22:30

I had a emergency appointment due to severe toothache turned out to be infected so I ended up with a injection to kill the pain instantly appointment cost turned out to be 2 teeth extract and I needed a 3 tooth denture due to them being In the front I couldn't afford implants or crowns cost me £1900 cheapest private dentist I could find

Libellousness · 14/10/2025 20:16

Definitely consider going abroad - my DD needed emergency dental treatment during her year abroad in Poland after she slipped and fell down a concrete flight of stairs, knocking out her two top front teeth and breaking three other teeth. She had excellent treatment there from a private dentist, including two implants and three crowns - I think it came to less than £2.5k in total. I don’t even want to think what it would have cost in the UK. She’s actually ended up going back to Poland for a couple of check ups - we live near Luton airport and can get very cheap midweek WizzAir or Ryanair flights to most Polish cities (£30-40).

bumblebee1000 · 14/10/2025 19:34

whirlyhead · 14/10/2025 17:54

I live in Spain and I’m not convinced dentists here are much cheaper than England! My partner is having 3 implants for a cost of €6k (not including extractions as they were already done). A root canal here is about €500 - not sure how that compares to the UK.

I spend a lot of time in Barcelona, small suburb...lots of dentists there , seems to be one on every corner and prices do vary. a clean can be 50 euros or 90 euros so i visit several before going ahead. implants are cheaper than uk, one would be about £2500 to £3000 here.

MargaretThursday · 14/10/2025 19:33

Sounds a lot.
I've just come back from the dentist, a private dentist.
I've had 3 appointments with him, to sort and fit a crown (white) and cleaning. It's cost me about £500, and I could have gone for a cheaper crown.

Fuzzypinetree · 14/10/2025 19:12

I'm having a root canal done later this month in Germany and already got a bit annoyed at the 500 Euros I've been quoted. My public health insurance won't cover it because of the procedure they are using and my private dental plan won't cover it because the tooth had been identified as a problem about three years ago, before my cover started. DS has a private dental plan as well, as do most of the kids I know. It won't help with the current issue, but might that be a way to avoid such high costs in the future?

Newname71 · 14/10/2025 19:09

Fuck me! That’s extortionate! I work in a mixed (nhs and private) practice. A private extraction is £120. Shop around, have a look at some other private practices price lists online. We’re the cheapest in our area. 2 of our dentists have over 40 years experience and probably could charge a fortune but they don’t.

Original poster

Daisydoodlepoo · 14/10/2025 19:02

Marmite1992 · 14/10/2025 18:21

I'm a dentist and I find her questioning you if you're in financial difficulty really odd. Go see another dentist and get another opinion

Thank you I wondered if was being over sensitive, but I thought that was an odd question put so directly. I have already spent about £2500 at this practice over 12 months with treatment, check ups and hygiene and I am not in financial difficulty but like most people would need to consider how to prioritise this significant amount. I wasn't comfortable and glad to get out of the door tbh.

OP posts:

Original poster

Daisydoodlepoo · 14/10/2025 18:45

Thanks very much for all your messages. I will definitely get some further quotes and will make it work. One day you can feel comfortable, the next you are told you may lose your teeth unless you spend 10k ..., or your house needs a new roof/has subsidence. That is life, but it is so sad that basic healthcare has broken down so badly in the UK.

OP posts:

FeralWoman · 14/10/2025 18:26

Definitely get a second opinion, and a third too if you want. It’s worth it to get an honest opinion without the sales pitch, a decent price that you can afford, and a dentist that you’re comfortable with.

@Daisydoodlepoo I’m surprised that the dentist couldn’t do you a quote straight away, or give you something in writing to outline what procedures she’s suggesting. If you can’t afford it then you can’t afford it. That was the case recently for my DH and some dental work. When it was suggested that he might need three implants to replace three teeth we had to say no. $6000 per implant. We just can’t afford that. It was potentially going to be $3500/tooth to try to save them but after an endodontist appointment to get a specialist opinion he said that the teeth were beyond saving. The $6k/tooth implants were then mentioned. Instead we paid about $500/tooth to have them extracted by a dental surgeon because they were too tricky for our dentist. Next step will be checking out partial dentures to replace the teeth. Much cheaper.

Marmite1992 · 14/10/2025 18:21

I'm a dentist and I find her questioning you if you're in financial difficulty really odd. Go see another dentist and get another opinion

Hedjwitch · 14/10/2025 18:01

I've been given 3 different options for some dental work involving 2 extractions,temporary denture and then either another denture,or a fixed bridge or implants. Prices range from 3 to 8K. At the moment its going on an interest free credit card but its just more and more debt. As it involves my front teeth,I can't just leave a gap or I would.

whirlyhead · 14/10/2025 17:54

BubblyBath178 · 14/10/2025 17:53

We had to pay privately for some work for DH as our NHS dentist wasn’t able to carry it out. We got a couple of quotes before choosing who to use. Maybe try that?

bumblebee1000 · 14/10/2025 17:49

Get more opinions, you can go to any private dentist and pay the £50 check up fee and see what happens, we also go to spain, excellent treatment and lots cheaper.

MissNowt · 14/10/2025 17:46

SumUp · 14/10/2025 17:14

A friend is just about to go to Portugal to get dental work done for about one third of the price she was quoted by her UK private dentist. I’m watching with interest. Has anyone else gone abroad for regular treatment (not veneers)?

I live in Spain & virtually all dentists here are private. That said it’s so much cheaper than in the U.K. Friends who come to stay with us regularly book in for check ups/treatment & are always delighted with the results & the price.

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