Any dental people around please?

[HowWhenWhy]

Hi,

Is anyone able to give me some help please?

Due to a number of reasons, I have lost a lot of my double teeth, meaning that I only have 9 double teeth left and only 1 pair that matches - so one above a bottom one, that I can chew on. (Can you tell how attractive I must look with my mouth open?! )

Anyway, on one side of my mouth, I have 3 double teeth on the bottom and, if I had a bridge put in, I could have 3 matching ones on the top.

My dentist has quoted around £1300 for the bridge, which is just too much for me to afford. This is on the NHS - not a private dentist cost.

According to NHS information, the most someone has to pay for NHS bridges, is around £250, but - the criteria for this is if there is a 'clinical need'.

Does anyone know how or who determines if my case would be a 'clinical need' please?

I am not exploring this for cosmetic reasons, it is purely to give me a larger area in which to chew food properly.

TIA

I have no idea but that sounds like it's nit cosmetic to me! Does your dentist do nhs work? Any others taking on nhs patients in your area?

Thanks for your reply @ileclerc

My dentist is an NHS one and I am registered as such. If I could find out whether it is down to my dentist to make the decision, as to whether this is a clinical need, I could try going back to ask, but I have a feeling that they will say it isn't, as I will obviously have to pay them more?

I cannot seem to find any other dentists in my area who are taking on new NHS patients at the moment either. If it is someone else/a certain department who makes the decision, I maybe could stay with my current one?

Hopeful bump?

I was at dentist this morning. Am having a bridge made for the bottom right side as I broke all 3 bottom teeth and had them out.
It's band 3 treatment at £250. Your dentist quote sounds wrong.
Can you see a different dentist and ask them?

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/dental-health/how-much-will-i-pay-for-nhs-dental-treatment/

Have they offered any other options-like a denture to fill the gap?
You're right, approx £250 is the maximum nhs fee there is so they're offering treatment privately but that might be because it's too difficult to do for the Nhs fee.

Thanks so much for your replies.

The dentist said he can do it no problem, but it seems he is charging a private price, even though he is NHS.

From what I can find online, as you say, it is band 3, so I don't know if it is my dentist who decides if it is clinical need, or is it another dental body? I don't even know how to find out the answer to this?

If I go back to my dentist and ask, I am not sure they will just say there is no clinical need and I cannot find any other dentist in my area who are taking on new NHS patients that I could go to for their opinion re clinical need.

So frustrating 

Your dentist decides. There's very rarely a need to replace molars, especially with bridge work so I'd be surprised if anyone would do it on the NHS.

Thanks @Mrsmorton - I think I am just a bit confused because the dentist even said that as I only have 2 teeth that match top and bottom to chew on, that a bridge would be appropriate.

On the opposite side of my mouth, I have no back teeth on the bottom at all, although I do have them on the top.

Sorry, when I say 2 matching, I mean 1 at the top and 1 at the bottom