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AIBU?

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Original poster

Incredulous about what the dentist said to me.

196 replies

GranolaLover · 11/01/2018 19:01

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 Shock and Blush. 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?

OP posts:
Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 08:56

Sorry you had a bad experience. Now you know you can get help with NHS treatments, you should start going every six months to a different dentist. My experience is that although hygienist appointments will have to be paid for, the dentist will probably do a quick scale and polish of your front teeth as part of a checkup. Maybe it will be enough to save the wonky tooth though. They wouldn't do this if it was an emergency visit though.

I don't think the NHS pays them much for scale and polishes so they tend to do it quite quickly and not necessarily that thoroughly. Therefore, I would perhaps also save (or ask someone as a present) for a one-off hygeinist appointment too as they take much longer and hopefully will really thoroughly clean your teeth which will make them much easier to keep clean in the future.
As for "cosmetic dentistry", I agree you can't get much on the NHS. You would have to pay privately for an implant and it will cost £1,000s. I do know people who have had it done abroad for much less although they are usually from that country.

Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 09:10

I also think that many posters are being unnecessarily harsh to OP. Many people don't see a dentist regularly for a variety of reasons but it is often due to previous bad experiences leading to a phobia or strong dislike of dentists. Lecturing them about is counterproductive as it will probably put them off dentists even more.

bummymummy77 · 12/01/2018 09:17

I saw various dentists in London. When I moved to the States the dentists I've seen were all shocked at the state of my teeth and the poor treatment I've received. Other countries the cliched joke of British people having appalling teeth for a reason.

bummymummy77 · 12/01/2018 09:19

And some people are more disposed to tooth and gum problems. I'm one of them. I wish I'd paid to have a proper cleaning every 6 months and I could have avoided a lot of pain and expense. I think the NHS are a little short sighted in not paying for better and regular cleans for everyone.

Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 09:20

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 £!.

Totally agree. I had several fillings with one dentist in the 70s and then moved house to a different dentist and miraculously never required a filling again. Fortunately, they were in my milk teeth. DH was not so lucky. The only thing that saved his teeth, in the end, was that he stopped going to the dentist for a couple of decades!

Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 09:23

I think the NHS are a little short sighted in not paying for better and regular cleans for everyone.

I think they do pay for regular cleans but as with all things NHS they don't pay what dentists would consider to be enough money. Therefore they just do a quick job or tell people they need to pay to see the hygienist privately.

Iwantamarshmallow · 12/01/2018 09:27

My dentist refused to pull my tooth. She also refused to do anything about a tooth I have that has been knocked back. I've never seen the hygenist on the nhs I'm not even sure nhs dentist have them. I saw a private dentist who told me nhs dentist don't like to get involved. I'm inclined to agree that you would need to go private to get anything more than basic dental care.

bummymummy77 · 12/01/2018 09:36

What I thought was a clean in Britain I realised moving to the States was not at all!

The first proper clean I had in the States was two hours! (Broken up in to two sessions.

It hurt so fucking much they had to give me novacaine. And the blood! She broke a tool. Blush I asked her if my teeth were particularly bad and she said 'they are but I have an English husband and I know what to expect now.'

They call it debriding here.

On the up side, my teeth and gums are now lovely and healthy and look amazing. I always used to smile with my mouth shut and now I don't.

And the awful sensitivity and pain I'd suffered from most of my life is gone!

GoldilocksAndTheThreePears · 12/01/2018 09:47

I wasn't aware you could get help with dental fees if on benefits... not something that's advertised.

I've been trying to get to see a dentist for almost a year now, I moved and just can't find an NHS one with spaces. I struggle to brush my teeth so I'm sure they are crap but I have to hope I can get a checkup soon. I'm on waiting lists at about 15 practices, all I can afford a taxi I can get to. Been 2 years since my last appointment.

user1491678180 · 12/01/2018 09:49

Will people just bore off with the nasty comments about the OP 'expecting the NHS to fund her dental treatment?'

Why the fuck SHOULDN'T they? That's what it's for FFS! And she will be paying her share towards it anyway, probably the same amount as the naysayers on here bashing and bitching, and clutching their pearls so hard, that the pearls have fucking exploded!

What's more, the OP hasn't BEEN to the dentist for TEN YEARS, so she hasn't exactly been robbing the NHS of dental funding has she?! Or did you people bitching at her miss that bit?!

@GranolaLover ignore the nastiness and bashing and berating on here. You have as much right as ANYONE to NHS dental treatment to correct and improve your teeth, even if you have not been for 10 years. In fact, probably MORE right as you haven't been for 10 years!!!

If your dentist is refusing, please keep trying more dentists. I have the best dentist in the world right now (after many years of having dentists drill and fill when there was nothing wrong, purely for profit!) She is a 29 y.o lady who qualified quite recently (2 years back,) and she is brilliant. She is so gentle and I really feel NOTHING, not even when the needle goes in! She puts a numbing gel on - (like bonjela) and so it doesn't hurt - weird! Good though.

Honestly, dental treatment is so much less painful now, and not the unpleasant experience it used to be.

I wish you well OP. Please do try more dentists and ignore the people on here bashing you. Ring round more dentists today. DO IT!!! Smile

Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 10:03

Honestly, dental treatment is so much less painful now, and not the unpleasant experience it used to be.

I agree and I also think that most dentists nowadays will appreciate the fact that people who don't normally see the dentist need encouragement not lectures. Therefore although the dentist you visted doesn't sound helpful or understanding OP, I think you will have a different experience with another one. If not you can always switch again. They are not like GPs. Find one you like but whatever you do start going regularly now.

3littlerabbits · 12/01/2018 10:33

Some of the posts on here are shocking. All those demon dentists ruining people’s teeth for cash. If you eat the standard diet, don’t go for check ups, dont get your teeth cleaned or problems dealt with early, leave it for years til your teeth are in bits, then it’s going to take time and money to sort out.

3littlerabbits · 12/01/2018 10:36

I agree that dentists shouldn’t be giving ‘lectures’. Maybe they should do the teeth and keep quiet. I guess them people will complain the dentist didn’t tell them they needed to brush their teeth or have checkups and now they are having to have all this treatment done by the cash hungry dentist.

3littlerabbits · 12/01/2018 10:36

I am one of those people who doesn’t have frequent enough checkups btw- but that’s my fault, not the dentists.

etap · 12/01/2018 10:38

Truth hurts. How dare a professional call someone out on it?

Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 10:43

I agree that dentists shouldn’t be giving ‘lectures’. Maybe they should do the teeth and keep quiet. I guess them people will complain the dentist didn’t tell them they needed to brush their teeth or have checkups and now they are having to have all this treatment done by the cash hungry dentist.

Of course they should give advice on how to keep teeth clean etc. There are ways of doing that tactfully though as many dentists do. Lecturing people or telling people off is not the way to do it.
I say that as someone who always goes to the dentist regularly spends a fortune on hygienists etc and has really good teeth and gums (according to all dentist and hygienists that I have seen). If visiting a dentist or hygienist is a pleasant experience or at least no unpleasant inevitably people will go more often

MaudlinMews · 12/01/2018 10:50

Another child of the 1960s here who can confirm that back in the 1970s, dentists were paid per pull and per filling. I had about seven fillings in my milk teeth and two pulled. By the time I was 18 I had 10 fillings and one crown. Awful. You were literally assaulted for fees. It's a scandal.

I now have a lovely private dentist and haven't had any new fillings in years and all my old ones are white or the teeth have been crowned. I've had two implants though costing £6,000 each. Shock

bummymummy77

What I thought was a clean in Britain I realised moving to the States was not at all!

The first proper clean I had in the States was two hours! (Broken up in to two sessions

Shock Shock

Please tell us more about this two hour mega clean! What on earth did they do for that long? Surely a scale only takes 20 minutes no matter how bad and a polish only takes 5 minutes.

bummymummy77 · 12/01/2018 10:53

They pull of every bit of plaque.

It was coming off in large chunks. (I kept asking to look GrinBlush).

If your teeth get bad they actually have to get that needle tool and go under the gum to get it off.

So.much.blood.

And afterwards my teeth felt SO weird. And we're sensitive for days!

That was he only time though. Now I go every 6 months and she still does the scrapy needle thing but she can do it all in a 45 minute session with no pain relief!

Then she does the polish.

bummymummy77 · 12/01/2018 10:55

It's funny because although the healthcare/money situation here sucks, dentists are a lot cheaper for what you'd get in Britain. I had two root canal, a filing and two crowns done for about £1100 which I think would be a ton more in the UK if you paid privately.

And they were nice posh crowns.

bummymummy77 · 12/01/2018 10:55

That price included gas and air too. BlushGrinGlitterball

Dungeondragon15 · 12/01/2018 10:59

Please tell us more about this two hour mega clean! What on earth did they do for that long? Surely a scale only takes 20 minutes no matter how bad and a polish only takes 5 minutes.

They can do a lot more than that though depending on equipment and how much you are paying. I have a treatment that costs extra (about £25) and is very effective. I pay for it because I want to keep my wisdom teeth very clean but it also removes any stains from teeth and makes them very smooth.

3littlerabbits · 12/01/2018 11:00

Yeah fair point, Dungeon, telling off isn’t great.

I want the 2 hour clean now!

OP I hope you get your teeth sorted ok.

user1491678180 · 12/01/2018 11:21

Yep ring the dentists later OP.

user1491678180 · 12/01/2018 11:21

Yep ring the dentists later OP.

user1491678180 · 12/01/2018 11:22

@3littlerabbits

Some of the posts on here are shocking. All those demon dentists ruining people’s teeth for cash. If you eat the standard diet, don’t go for check ups, don't get your teeth cleaned or problems dealt with early, leave it for years til your teeth are in bits, then it’s going to take time and money to sort out.

Yes it DID HAPPEN, dentists DID fill and drill teeth and extract them when there was fuck-all wrong (pre mid 1980's,) and it has happened to many people, as some of the posts on here can confirm.

As @maudlinmews said

Another child of the 1960s here who can confirm that back in the 1970s, dentists were paid per pull and per filling. I had about seven fillings in my milk teeth and two pulled. By the time I was 18 I had 10 fillings and one crown. Awful. You were literally assaulted for fees. It's a scandal.

Just coz it never happened to you, doesn't mean it didn't happen! And it was fuck-all to do with how people looked after their teeth! Hmm

So, 3littlerabbits, just quit blathering on about stuff you know NOTHING ABOUT.Hmm You haven't got a fucking clue!

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