Incredulous about what the dentist said to me.

[GranolaLover]

Bit of background first. I had to go to the dentist about a month ago as an emergency as I had had raging toothache for 4 days. It was the first time I'd been to the dentist in 10 years as basically couldn't afford it as I'm not working,on disability benefits. Have only found out from the receptionist at this visit that I am probably entitled to free,or reduced cost treatment as I'm on a low income. Anyway,I had the tooth removed as the dentist said it was 'past saving'. Fine,no problem with that,just wanted to get of the pain. But I asked him what could be done about my front,lower teeth. I lost one of the front middle ones about 2 years ago,and since then the one next to has moved slightly inwards,hence I have a gap at the front,with a wonky tooth next to it. Thankfully,it is not too visible. I have quite bad tartare build-up on the backs of my front teeth,which no amount of brushing or flossing can get rid of. It is probably what caused the tooth to fall out. I was surprised when the dentist said 'nothing could be done' about my teeth,as I had neglected them! I was and . I thought in these days of fantastic dentistry that something could be done to improve the look of them. I rather got the impression his attitude was 'Well what do you expect if you don't go to the dentist regularly?'. Anyone else experienced anything like this,or had a similar tooth problem to mine,but had it sorted?

I was surprised when the dentist said 'nothing could be done' about my teeth, as I had neglected them

Sadly, this may be true, I don't know

You can switch dentists easily - it’s not like changing GP. I have had a nightmare with my teeth lately after over ten years of just six-monthly checkups, and my NHS dentist has been amazing about doing everything she can to help. I’ve had gazillions of appointments, and am now under the care of a private specialist for a couple of teeth which need root canal treatment (I am grinding my teeth through stress which is knackering them) that is too complex for her because of the teeth’s anatomy. The specialist is costing a bomb, but the rest of it has been done, kindly and patiently, on the NHS - I am a really anxious patient and my dentist has been truly fantastic. Please do try and see someone else, OP, there are great NHS dentists out there.

Tbh if a dentist said something like that to me I would be mortified at how I myself had let my teeth get in that state in the first place, not moaning about their bedside manner. I take a lot of care with looking after my teeth and I understand that brushing correctly and check-ups etc is my responsibility, I can't leave things and then expect the dentist to magically sort them out for me (especially not for free - and I am also entitled to free dental care due to being on a low-income).

Like all aspects of health care the general public are under the impression that everything is fixable regardless. Unfortunately it’s not always the case. Your dentist was being honest with you. Any other response would be unethical and irresponsible. We face the constant threat of litigation from patients whose expectations of modern dentistry has been massively inflated by the press, Dr Google and “my friend”. We are now trained to under play expectation in order to over deliver on results.

There almost certainly is something that can be done. However it equally certainly isn't part of NHS dentistry.

My private dentist would cheerfully part you from £000s for cosmetic dentistry but he's also honest to tell you when you are wasting your money - I'm a tooth grinder so would grind any veneers off.

My NHS Dentist charges £11 for a scale and polish with the hygienist so might be worth shopping around.

I went over see an orthodontist last year as one of my front teeth has moved to its old position after having a brace as a teen. He proceeded to make me look in a mirror at my “crooked”teeth (one tooth had moved others are still straight) needless to say I didn’t go back and am currently looking for a different orthodontist

I made the mistake of thinking nothing could be done for my gum disease.
So now I am losing my teeth.
My dentists have been lovely to me.
If one had been as rude as some quoted on here I would never have gone back.
I know my teeth are ruined. I am not stupid.
There are very strong reasons why I didn't/couldn't go to the dentist until recently and being lazy is not one of them.

Your oral health can be greatly improved by a few sessions with a hygienist.

I think some dentists work on negging as a kind of business technique to tout for private work.

"You have a visible chip in your front tooth. Does it bother you that people can see it?"

"It's a shame your teeth haven't developed quite as attractively as they could have done, ah well"

It's only a strong person that could not come away without feeling more insecure!

He should have done a scale and polish if clinically necessary. My nhs dentist does as per the guidelines on band 1 treatments.

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/nhs-dental-band-charges.aspx?CategoryID=74

It isnt easy to switch dentists these days,in fact there ae very few NHS dentists, as you probably know there have been queues trying to get into NHS dentists all over the country,or very long waiting lists
Even people pulling their own teeth when they couldnt get into a dentist,
Most will take an emergency, but some just say to ring 111

My cow of an an NHS dentist refused to remove a tooth and insisted I had root canal treatment (I’ve no idea why I didn’t go elsewhere). Over ten years later I’ve still got problems with the bloody thing but not quite bad enough now to warrant having it out. If it flares up again it’s coming out!

Did the dentist know why you hadn’t been for so long? DM was terrified of the dentist to the point she’d cry if I told her I’d been. Her teeth weren’t great but if someone had spoken to her like that she’d have never found the courage to go back.

Seriously, you don't go to the dentist for ten years and then expect them to return your teeth to their previous condition because "dentists are marvellous these days"?!
From your description I can't imagine what you thought the dentist could actually do?

Charolais

A single dental implant in the UK costs around £2-3k (the higher price would be in an expensive location like Harley Street London - not necessarily better quality, there is an element of paying for the fancy location and celebrity clientele)

Many Brits go abroad to places like Hungary where it can be much cheaper and they actually have an excellent reputation for dentistry. I would check reviews and recommendations online if you are wanting to consider this route - sorry I can't make any recommendations - I am sort of in the dentistry industry but am not a dentist and don't know anyone who's had an implant as far as I know.

I don't think you'd get a full and proper scale and polish for the £11 stayed above. My hygienist takes half and hour to an hour for every scale and polish despite me going regularly. My dentist does offer the NHS rate of £11 but it only covers a very small amount of time and if you haven't been in a long time you will most certainly need longer than that. You said there is tar buildup so your already past a quick scale.

Hi OP

I'm disabled and struggle to clean my own teeth effectively. I'd avoided going to the dentist for years because some dentists were rude to me, and the ones who weren't rude were very very patronising and tried to teach me to clean my teeth properly, which is... unhelpful. I understand the theory, I just can't do it.

The combination of not cleaning very effectively and not going to the dentist meant I had terrible tartar build up.

My gums started bleeding badly and I was worried something terrible was going to happen, so I bit the bullet and booked in with a local NHS dentist.

She was LOVELY and very non-judgemental. She deep-cleaned my teeth and polished them, and they immediately looked better and felt better and my gums improved.

She now does this every 3 months as we both know I will always get a lot of tartar build up due to the limitations I have on cleaning effectively.

I work, so am not up to speed on what you are entitled to as a benefit claimant, but I know several disabled people who survive on benefits and do get regular dental treatment without cost, so it is worth contacting a friendly NHS dentist and asking.

Good luck.

I think the dentist was dismissive, perhaps he meant that nothing could be done by him on the limited treatments available to you free or at reduced cost.

Everyone stop having a go at the OP! There are many reasons why some people have more dental problems than others, and where it is related to neglect there are also many reasons for that neglect. Think a bit about that before commenting.

My experience of NHS dentistry has been very good. My dentist always does a scale and polish as part of my check up as there aren't any hygienists at the practice. It is included in the cost of the checkup.

He always discusses treatment options and if he recommends that a tooth be removed I know it is the absolute last resort. At my last treatment (last week) he drew me a lovely diagram showing my filling, the part he had built up with a white filling (which he did for free as I had had treatment on the neighbouring tooth within 6 weeks) and the sliver of natural tooth left after a large pice had broken off. I now have a new crown and while he was waiting for my mouth to numb up he also did another scale and polish as the was a small bit of tartare at the back of my lower front teeth.

A previous dentist at the same practice, although excellent, was rather money-grabbing and would offer all sorts of (private) treatment options - had to pay for his brand new mercedes somehow I suppose. Nice bloke though and extremely funny and didn't get offended at my refusal of cosmetic dentistry.

my dsis works in a dentist some are there just for referrals for their mates in private work and get a cut

they pretend they cant do anything and then tell u to go to a private dentist

I totally agree with user149... above, that going regularly to a dentist in the 1970's was more damaging than not going and I too have had comments from dentists, but made it very clear that I had appalling early dentists and that my teeth are a victim of that and the chase for a quick £!. Re. cleaning and scale, you 'should' get this at checkup and I have repeatedly asked, but no, my NHS dentist won't do it, so I have to pay £70 and unfortunately I can't get this price down in my local area, as they all seem to have price fixed. I smashed my front teeth as a child and needed to get a fixed bridge, for something that the NHS once did but will no longer but the only option on the NHS was to damage connecting teeth, to fix a bridge that could cause more issues, so I had to go private. NHS dentistry needs a kick up the backside, but so too do those who neglect their teeth imo.

Free dental treatment only covers the basics.

Crowns etc are not covered.

I go privately and pay monthly for insurance. It’s not as expensive as I thought and the treatment is totally different. I was really upset by the treatment on the NHS, so decided to go privately for dental work.

I’m not frightened of my teeth anymore. I don’t like visiting the dentist, but I’m not as terrified as I was previously.

I don't know why everyone being mean. My dentist wasn't when I went for the first time in 20 years due to extreme dental phobia and shook in the chair. She just got on with scaling and polishing, and what do you know, my teeth were in excellent condition apart from a tiny bit of scale, no fillings no issues. She didn't tell me off or try to shame me, she just treated me nicely as the patient she's paid to treat and as her training would dictate.

Yours sounds horrible, change dentists, it's really easy.

Something to add about benefits, is to check what your entitlement actually is and ensure the forms are accurately completed. A friend of mine, who is disabled, has just been issued with a penalty charge, for an error by the dentist on the forms. She was told the treatment was free and it turns out it wasn't!