What do you do if you can't afford private dentist care?

[Avelandra]

Just that really. I recently broke a tooth. It's not causing me any pain, but I need to get it sorted sooner rather than later so it doesn't get any worse. I also have a couple of other bits that need doing, like getting a bridge that I never got round to having a few years ago. My old practice has closed down so I am unable to go there.

I have contacted 18 local dentists, all of which have said they aren't taking on NHS patients but I am welcome to join them privately. If I go for private, I imagine it's going to cost me over £1k in total which I just can't afford. I tried the Dental Access line but wasn't eligible for help from them as I didn't fit the criteria

We have the same issue, moved house and can't access an NHS Dentist for us or DC (10 & 18). I have had work done on interest free credit and now signed up to Denplan. DH just hadn't been at all.

We can afford it I suppose, in that I haven't fallen behind on the credit plan but have gone without other things to cover it and to cover the bill for the DC I took on some work on the side of my full time job at eves and weekends which probably would be frowned upon by my employer.

It is totally shit and I am sorry that there doesn't appear to be a solution for those that can't find the money by cutting back or working more.

How many NHS dentists have you tried? I have a half day holiday coming up and am going to ring everyone on a 10 mile radius to try and get us or at least the DC in somewhere, not hopeful though.

Best of luck with it

This make me sad. My mom had rotted teeth all her life as far as I remember she was always embarrassed to smile. When she finally had her teeth fixed , her confidence became much better but it didn’t last long. Because she died of cancer 5 years later. Sorry, I just wish it was done for her years ago and even in the US they expect you to pay a lot for it. She was able to find a charity who would offer it for less

Sorry to hear about your Mam Blue
An upside of the virus is the masks, I can grin away for now

We are in the same position. Our dentist has basically closed down for the duration of the pandemic. My daughter was due to be referred for orthodontic work but had her check up cancelled by the dentist the week before first lockdown due to COVID concerns ( the dentist is clinically vulnerable )

We phoned and emailed in the summer to ask him to do the referral but he said he can't unless he sees her but he is not doing check ups. He saw her at the previous check up and confirmed she qualified for the treatment so I don't know why he won't refer her.

We've now made an appointment for private treatment which will cost between £2k and £3,5k depending on the type of braces we opt for.

Husband had terrible tooth pain - he was in agony and still the dentist refused to see him.

We called the NHS helpline and they sent him to another local dentist but they were only allowed to do the minimal amount of work to temporarily provide him with emergency relief. He was then supposed to ask our own dentist to finish the treatment but again he refused ( but said he would do the treatment privately at huge cost!)

We are now trying unsuccessfully so far to find an NHS dentist for the whole family.

The government really need to do something about this.

I haven't got any advice but you have my sympathy op. It sucks. It's a national disgrace.

@SpiderinaWingMirror

'You are buggered. It's ridiculous and unfair.
Wait and pray it doesn't get any worse'

^^ this is an absolutely terrible piece of advice!! Waiting to get dental work is NEVER a good idea.

How does she get it then @Nameandgamechange123 ?

He was then supposed to ask our own dentist to finish the treatment but again he refused ( but said he would do the treatment privately at huge cost!)
surely this is some form of profiteering?
Dentistry in the UK is backward and a disgrace

Dh has been waiting since May last year for a broken front tooth repair and fillings under denplan. Only now starting treatment and may be too late to save tooth, so a delay is not specific to nhs dentists.

This site claims to find your nearest NHS dentist currently accepting new patients:

dentalchoices.org/find-nhs-dentist/

I use this insurance which starts at ten pounds a month, used for emergency treatment in lockdown and they gave me a payment holiday of several months

Problem is it won't cover pre-existing conditions I think. Good when ongoing though.

www.simplyhealth.co.uk/health-plans/plan-details/dental-plan?att=2381&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTIa-8p9h4pLss-eg45FqExWFlbMxBZEl1DhZvhsWQPIHrb9Z3vNmEIaAv-JEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Could you use a relative's address and try in another area?

It's a nightmare, covid seems to have caused a total shutdown in NHS dentistry here. I was only able to be seen as a private patient as NHS lists were not due to open for months and my front tooth was broken. I can't find an NHS dentist that will register my youngest. It's a scandal that the situation doesn't get more press and political attention. I'm sorry

Drs are as bad. Finally got through to mine today after several times trying to be told there are no appointments to book. Our NHS dentist has reopened though and DC were called in for check ups over half term. But they can only see one person an hour with the cleaning, so capacity has massively reduced.

Honestly, it’s something you should budget for.

Yes, because if you budget correctly there is plenty of money to pay for everything, and if there isn't enough money then you obviously aren't doing it right. .

It is very challenging, DH needs a lot of work but won’t pay for it. He won’t have the work done either but that’s another story.
I’m with Denplan and pay around £15pm for a private dentist. I’d have some small additional costs for treatment but I find it much cheaper. I think it’s much more costly if you join when you already need work though.
NHS provision does need to be better. Everyone should be able to have a dentist.

The government needs to invest more in NHS dentistry

Write to your MP, it's the only way things will change

Thank you so much to whoever posted the link that searches for your nearest NHS dentist! I have just managed to register DH and the DC at the only NHS dentist in our city currently taking patients... The nearest others were an hour down the motorway. I have made so many fruitless calls trying to find somewhere in the last few months

Most welcome. Glad it was of use.

[quote TellingBone]This site claims to find your nearest NHS dentist currently accepting new patients:

dentalchoices.org/find-nhs-dentist/[/quote]
Out of curiosity had a look (we are all with a private dentist practice with Denplan for adults and the kids free) and despite living in a city, the nearest NHS dentist accepting patients is 15 miles away in a different market town. It is quite shocking.

OP, go to a private dentist to get your immediate issue with your cracked tooth sorted. Then you can get accurate costs for the bridge etc and anything else you might need. You don't need to have it all done at once. But you do need to get the immediate issue sorted before it is an emergency and has knock-on problems.

[quote TellingBone]This site claims to find your nearest NHS dentist currently accepting new patients:

dentalchoices.org/find-nhs-dentist/[/quote]
The nearest dentist to me is 75 miles away.

Its been private dentists only here for years and years. I used to have denplan but when you actually need treatment it's pretty shit.

75 miles is shocking. But as in OP's case, it may well be worth making those trips if expensive treatment is needed.

Interesting, I’ve looked at the link and there’s 2 NHS in our nearest market towns (under 10 miles) taking patients and several more within 15 miles. We are rural so there’s never going to be anything nearer but I’m amazed there are so many.
It really is another postcode lottery isn’t it!

I’m rural East Mids for reference, nearest towns are Oakham and Melton Mowbray. Mind you, I can fairly easily see a GP too so I don’t think we’ve got supply issues.

My friend does not have a dentist and cannot afford private care so has had some treatments done at the dental department at the hospital. If you're in pain then this may be worth looking into, at least to tide you over until you are able to get signed up with an NHS dentist.

The "honestly, this is something you should budget for" person is a classic example of those who have been raised 'with' not having a clue what it's like to be those who have been raised 'without'.
Nobody I know when I was growing up had private dental treatment, it was unheard of. I had teeth removed at the emergency NHS dental clinic ( at the hospital) when I was a young adult because there were no nhs dentists where I lived. Those teeth could easily have been saved if I could have afforded treatment. Unless you have experienced poverty you should keep your inane opinions to yourself.