Child fillings £320?

[wejammin]

Hello, just after some feedback because I'm doubting myself/not sure what to do.

DC3 is 5. I've been taking him to the dentist regularly since he was 1. His usual dentist has moved away so we went to a new one last week.

I knew he would need some work on his top front 4 teeth. The last dentist was using a flouride paste on them to try and stop the cavities but that doesn't seem to have worked. From the front they look ok but at the back there are 4 little brown circles.

New dentist says he will need all 4 filled. He has referred us to the in-house paediatric dentist so they can do gas and air sedation for him.

I've spoken to the patient liaison lady who has quoted £320 per tooth, plus consultation fee plus anaesthetic. Total cost £1621.

In comparison DC1 had a molar filled there for £80. She said it's so much more due to his age/complexity/being front teeth.

I've tried to get comparative quotes but understandably other practices won't quote without seeing him and I don't want to drag a 5 year old around loads of dentists.

There's no NHS dentist spaces near me.

So is this just the going private rate and he's getting fillings for Christmas, or am I being taken for a ride?

I'm in NW England for context.

Silver diamine fluoride is an excellent option to stop the decay getting any worse.

Would second PP, look really really closely at diet, there are hidden sugars everywhere

Yes I will keep a very close eye on his diet. For £1600 I can buy him a lot of vegetables!

My DS6 had to have fillings and actually a removal once they started treatment. One tooth developed an abscess in the gum by the time it was treated so keep an eye on them- we could see it on his gum.

Luckily we have an NHS dentist - he was referred to the community dentist and did have it out in hospital under general anaesthetic. I was very glad he got it done and teeth were fine at last check up.

Personally I think I'd just have them pulled.

It would be cheaper for you to find an nhs dentist, even one 50 miles away, even paying to stay in a cheap premier inn over night if need be would still work out cheaper!

Call every dentist!

Please don’t do this. I’m sure you’ve more sense. But just in case. Don’t do this.

I paid £172 today privately for a white filling with a local anaesthetic and I thought that was extortionate

If you’ve seen one filling, you’ve seen one filling. Each case and each patient is different.

The lack of NHS dentistry for children is truly disgusting. No helpful advice I’m afraid but I am sorry you’re faced with this.

I would put a small wager on this being a D tooth, not an incisor.

There are 3 standard options with cavities in primary teeth

1. do nothing- they are going to fall out but you need to look at diet and oral hygiene to see why they are decaying and look at preventing the same happening in his permanent teeth. Addressing it now will hopefully stabilise baby teeth and prevent problems in permanent teeth.
2. restore the teeth at a cost
3. extract the teeth
4. find a new dentist

£320 per tooth is daylight robbery, and I’m a dentist.
Have they addressed the cause? If not decline and go elsewhere. Before any work is undertaken, if he is not in pain, you should be offered preventive treatment. There is no point in filling them if they are going to just decay again.
Is it actually decay or is it hyperplasia ( badly formed enamel that has discoloured)?
If the £320 includes sedation then it’s probably a fair price.

I think it would be much cheaper to see the hygienist regularly for preventative treatment.
Obviously these are some suggestions. Without seeing your DS it’s impossible to really comment. I’m really just going on how I would deal with a child at 5.

Are you crazy? They are going to fall out in about 10 minutes!

Never mind the cost, there is no reason to put a 5 year old through that procedure. The dentist should not be recommending this.

I would also be very wary about using Gas & Air, it can make you feel sick but it also really depletes your B12 levels & it is an absolute nightmare to get them back up if you don’t absorb well through food/stomach

I would ask for several second opinions from other dentists in the area, and look at moving dentist temporarily to an nhs one out of area if possible. I'd happily pay for a night away away somewhere to visit the dentist elsewhere 😬

That is absolutely extortionate, and criminal. If I could get reassurance that it wouldn't affect adult teeth I'd be tempted to leave them alone and really focus on keeping the teeth as healthy and clean as possible till they fall out.

All private patients are entitled to a referral to an NHS specialist. Being a private patient is irrelevant.

I would also question the gass and air, this is what they used to remove my baby teeth years ago. I didn't think they could use it anymore 😕. I thought all anesthetic for children had to be done in hospital now?

Me too! I can still taste the gas. I'm massively claustrophobic and I blame that experience.

Don't do it op!

@MigGirl you're conflating 2 different things-inhalation sedation with titrated nitrous oxide/oxygen and general anaesthesia. Totally different things. Inhalation sedation is conscious sedation and is extremely safe. General anaesthesia is of course only provided in a hospital setting.

Not many 5 year olds can manage IHS, its usually only 7 and up who we might consider for it. It's all considered on a case by case basis.

I had no idea that anyone needed to pay for child dental treatment..I thought it was free (unless you wanted added extras like white fillings or Invisalign).

My DC are 13 and 9 and neither have had any fillings, only check ups but we've never paid for anything (Scotland).

I would really struggle to find £1600 for dental treatment!

Lots to think about, especially thanks to @Angrymum22 that's really useful information.

I'm feeling very sad about it. I've caused harm to my beautiful boy and I can't fix it (or can't afford to).

£320 is crazy! We go to a private pediatric dentist and they charge £100 for fillings. My dentist doesn't do fillings for everything though, as she says often the decay is minor and she ends up having to drill a bigger hole for the filling and it's not worth it (they like to maintain the tooth structure as much as possible).

My daughter had 2 round holes at the back of her top front teeth from breastfeeding. I noticed them when she was around 3 years old and promptly rushed her to the dentist in a panic, but the dentist did not do fillings for them as 1) fillings on front teeth fall out easily, 2) the darkness from silver diamine fluoride could be seen through the teeth and discolour her smile, and 3) they were going to fall out anyway. Instead we kept a close eye on it and went back for cleaning and fluoride treatment every 4 months. DD's front teeth eventually fell out when she was 6.

I'd definitely seek a second opinion.

Have you tied the small rout of the way dentists? The larger city dentists are usually full.

Even if you have to travel the cost of treatment out weighs the petrol.

We travel for ours, it’s only once every 6 months so worth it.

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

Search on here or phone 111 an emergency dentist might be able to do it and wouldn't charge

Thanks I will see if there's any NHS spaces anywhere at all!

Although from some of the comments here about being traumatised by the dentist now I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

It's so hard doing a risk/benefit analysis when it's not your area of expertise!

If they’re not causing him any pain I’d just leave them, if the whole tooth is rotten that may have an effect on adult teeth but if it is just a spot as you mentioned it should be fine.
Most children lost their front teeth in year Rec, 1/2 anyway so he’s not far off and it’s not worth the possible trauma if they’re not bothering him at the moment