Private dentist - this is cheeky, right? Or am I missing something?

[to0thurty]

I've had a new upper wisdom tooth peek out over the last 6 months or so. Went to my private dentist here in England for a regular check-up and clean, he also took x-rays after which he strongly recommended that I get it removed and quoted me £700 for the procedure.

I mentioned this to my parents and they were shocked - generally things in our home country are more expensive than in the England (including healthcare), but a few years ago my dad had undergone exactly the same procedure for less than half the price.

When I went home last month, I went to see my dad's dentist. He confirmed the whole procedure would indeed be under £300, but said he couldn't tell whether the tooth actually needed to be removed without seeing x-rays. We made a plan to ask my English dentist for the x-rays (to avoid additional cost and radiation), send them to my dad's dentist, and go from there.

After English dentist's office dragging their feet as much as possible before finally sending me the x-rays (and having the cheek to ask why I needed them), I forwarded them on to my dad's dentist. He got back immediately saying the wisdom tooth wasn't even on the x-ray. I went to have a look myself and... he's right, you can only see a tiiiiny smidge of the wisdom tooth on the image. I don't think there are any images missing as they've sent me everything going back to when I first started seeing this dentist years ago.

So, the way I see it, the English dentist has recommended a £700 procedure that he doesn't even know for certain is necessary...!? Even if we forget the cost for a moment, surely no medical professional should be recommending surgery, however small, without having checked it's actually needed? Dad's dentist is too professional to comment, just says "well, the way we would do it here is xyz, I don't know the procedures in the UK."

That said, I'm obviously not a dentist, and am willing to accept I might be missing something. Does anyone on here know if this is as cheeky as it seems at first glance, or if the English dentist's approach is justified and I got the wrong end of the stick?

I'm having a wisdom tooth out on Thursday.

It's costing me a lot more than that.

Mine is close to the nerve and in a complicated position.

In the past I've had to be referred to a dental hospital to have a wisdom tooth out and it was too complex for my dentist to do it.

Now obviously I'm not a dentist.

But I don't think this is the kind of thing where's there is a standard price

@Octavia64 is yours a lower wisdom tooth? Apparently lower ones are often tricky, but upper ones quite a standard procedure (and standard price).

At this point though it's not really the price I'm worried about - that's just what got me digging in the first place - it's the fact that he wanted to proceed without even being able to see the tooth on the x-ray!?

Also just to confirm, dads dentist said under £300 assuming it was indeed a standard procedure and i wouldn't have to be referred to a specialist. English dentist said himself it was a standard procedure and he would be doing it.

Yes mine is a lower one.

Hoping it goes well!

My experience is dentists in the UK are so much more expensive than in my own country which is an EU country. Not sure if it’s the same for you.

I'm not a dentist!
Is it causing you pain? Can you feel the tooth peeking through the gum? Is it still moving out?
Did the x-rays your dentist sent, include both Left and right sides? Is it possible the side with the wisdom tooth wasn't sent and you were looking at the wrong side?

Dental X-rays are very low in radiation. I would have just had the X-ray done there and then at your dads dentist whilst there, rather than all the faff of getting them from the UK dentist! This link is American, but gives you an idea of the radiation level. When are you next in the other country?

lincolnpediatricdentistry.com/dental-x-rays-how-much-radiation-am-i-really-getting/

My UK private dentist charges £190 for a checkup and hygienist visit, I've had 2 crowns costing over £1k each, one implant that cost £3k and a straightforward incisor extraction that cost a couple of hundred 5 years ago, so probably £700 for wisdom tooth extraction is reasonable.
Private dentists can charge what they like. If you don't want to pay their price then have it done by your dad's dentist or try to find an NHS dentist in the UK( good luck with that).

Wow my lower wisdom removal cost £180 and was at a private clinic as it was close to nerves!

To be honest I Worship my NHS dentist. Broke a tooth the other week and he fixed it and charged me £22.48!

I find dentistry in the UK so strange. I am lucky enough to have an NHS dentist, needed both lower wisdom teeth removed- impacted, deep in jaw and very complex. Ref to dental hospital and removed under GA. Total cost....£0 (well £26 or whatever the NHS 1st level treatment cost is when saw the dentist). Why is that completely free when if you need a crown its £300+ as a third level thing?! Obviously I was happy but it makes no sense!

Dad's dentist is too professional to comment, just says "well, the way we would do it here is xyz, I don't know the procedures in the UK."

Dentistry and medicine are as much an art as a science. There isn’t always a clear black and white answer on the best treatment.

Dentist here. Scotland based. That cost is way off.
Private oral surgeon likely £300 for something straightforward. Might be more if sedation required or a potential complication such as a sinus repair.

In general practice I'd probably charge @£100 if straightforward. Would love to see a radiograph of the tooth in question.

Absolutely shocking that the radiograph doesn't even show the tooth.

What does peek out over mean?
As in its erupted out of the gum?
Teeth erupt until you're aged 26 unless your hormones were struggling and you had trouble sleeping/sleep apnea.
Is there any decay or sensitivity?

I'm a dentist in the UK and I work in private practice. Generally we wouldn't take out a wisdom tooth unless it was associated with some pathology, such as decay on the adjacent tooth or recurring infection in the surrounding gum tissue. You're correct in thinking that upper wisdom teeth are usually much more straightforward than losers. Your dentist is well within their rights to charge what ever they please but £700 would be very hight for even a surgical extraction, under local anaesthetic. Typically we would charge somewhere between £180 (simple) to £360 (complex/surgical).