To think my dentist done something very shady? HELP

[MentalDental9]

I'm having some work done on my teeth by an NHS dentist. It's all supposed to be fillings and root canal ignore needed.

On my first appointment the dentist drew up a dental plan. Lots of fillings (not sure why but I think it's genetics 😳)

Anyway all is good and I'm happy to go ahead.
2nd appointment she filled 2 teeth. One was very bad a potentially needed root canal. At the end it was all good and didn't need root canal and I was happy that the worst one was done.

3rd appointment. My dentist was over an hour late. I was okay with that- it happens she filled another 2 teeth BUT! She filled one that wasn't on my treatment plan. She didn't say anything about it. I went home and looked at my teeth and my treatment plan. On the plan it's says upper right 6 and 7 needed fillings but she filled upper right 4! and 6. She didn't touch 7.

Appointment 4: I went back and didn't say anything. I felt very awkward questioning the dentist so just let her go ahead with the rest of my fillings. She said she'll don't the lower right ones. Halfway through my appointment she told me that one of the cavities is very deep and that I need a root canal. I said okay and she told me that it'll be done on my next appointment. Before I left she made me sign a new treatment plan where as they needed cause of the root canal. When I went home I compared the 2 treatment plans and I realised she added the tooth (upper right 4) that wasn't on my initial plan but she filled it on my last appointment. I feel like something is not right. I feel like they made a mistake.

• why did she feel my upper right 4 if it wasn't on the treatment plan
• if she forgot it off the treatment plan she surly should have mentioned it
• how come that my very bad tooth didn't need a root canal but the one with the small cavity does? When she filled the very bad tooth it was very sore for day and during the filling as well yet she said she'll fill it and she how it is for a week. Why didn't she do that with my other tooth that she says needs a root canal ? Is it because she wanted to cover herself with the new treatment plan?

I never have dental work done without having a second opinion these days (unless I know it needs doing). I wish I could find a trustworthy dentist but I have been burned too many times and I won't let what happened to me as a child happen to my kids either!

I'd be very surprised if an NHS dentist was doing more work than is necessary as she wouldn't be paid for it. Unless you are having lab work (crowns, bridges, dentures) she can only claim a Band 2, 3 UDA payment ( roughly £75) whether she does one filling or thirty two!
It is possible for a tooth to quietly die without causing any pain or infection but this normally tends to be if the tooth has been heavily filled for some time.

Halfway through my appointment she told me that one of the cavities is very deep and that I need a root canal.

It isn't uncommon to start a filling and find that the decay is either very close the pulp chamber or that the tooth has an exposure and a root canal treatment is needed. Did she take x rays?

Private or NHS? NHS dentists get paid the same whether they do one or 10 fillings.

Root canal is another band but you could get a second opinion?

Maddening, root canal is still Band 2, same as fillings.

Ah cool - I thought maybe a diff band - either way an NHS dentist is not rewarded for extra work like the ops

Nope, definitely not, which is why it would be odd to do extra work 🤔

Op...only your dentist knows no one on mn can help. Arrange to resee her and ask why about tooth 4 or make appt with another dentist

Bloody hell how are a bunch of random people on the internet going to know why you needed fillings?! Ask the dentist FFS.

For me personally I wouldn't want an NHS dentist ever again.

Various NHS dentists have done horrible jobs on my teeth - including poorly-set crowns, done far too thin, that had visible cement lines and stains, and a "temporary" filling that apparently never needed to be permanent.

The moment I saw a private dentist, yes he suggested fillings that weren't necessary (and I didn't go back to have them done, tbh) - but he redid my shit crowns and they look great, and filled a massively cavitied and rotten tooth underneath the "temporary" filling - saving the tooth, and me a lot of money.

All in all - £1300.

It costs out the fuckin wazoo, but I'll go private for the rest of my life, until NHS dentistry improves enormously. It's not like private doctors, who are NHS doctors working overtime. Private dentists honestly seem to do a better job.

I am a dental hygienist, providing treatment both on the NHS and privately.
There is absolutely no problem with NHS dentists - they are simply dentists who work for the NHS. Private dentists are dentists who work privately. They all have the same basic training and have to do the same continuing professional development. I have seen some excellent dentistry provided by health service dentists, and some shockingly bad treatment by private dentists. You cannot simply claim private dentists are superior - this is absolutely not the case. Any dentist who chooses to do so can provide private dentistry
There is a problem with NHS dentistry however - it is chronically underfunded. People expect a top class service and the funding does not allow for anything other than purely functional, basic dentistry. The overheads are eye wateringly expensive and the recompense from the government is low. When I work on NHS patients, the practice I work in actually provides this service at a loss (and my rate of pay there is much less than in the wholly private practices I work in).
Many people refuse to take any personal responsibility for their dental health and blame the dentist. As a nation we eat too many sweets/ refined carbohydrate foods and clean our teeth inadequately (myself included, in the past).
I agree that those who can afford it should use private dentistry because the pressure on the NHS to provide anything other than basic dental care is completely unsustainable. There is no point in blaming the dental professionals for a system which is broken.

well said MrsJoker

I go private and my husband NHS, and the fact is that his dentist does the bare minimum with 'non-essential' work like scaling & polishing, presumably as it's not covered. My own hygienist is £90 every 6 months and she's brutal (in a good way) and I think it's worth the money.

I think its pretty well known that some dentists will fill unecessary teeth or do unneccesary treatment if they think they can claim the money from the government. If you need a surprising amount of work done ever, get a second opinion

The dentist gets paid exactly the same whether they fill one tooth or ten. Why would they do more work/spend more time/use more materials doing more fillings?
It possibly may have been the case when they were paid per item but that system is long gone. I think the prevailing wisdom many years ago may have been to fill any early cavities while today we know that early decay can heal with careful diet, optimal oral hygiene and use of fluoride.

Agree withmrsjackson

My DH is a dentist. He has one practice where he provides mainly NHS treatment with the option of private and two where it is only private treatment. Dentists are mostly self-employed and subcontract their time to the NHS so it is very usual for them to provide private as well as NHS treatment

Ethically, he is required to work to exactly the same standards. The difference with the private work is that more extensive treatment options are available using different materials. Both he and I know some.brilliant NHS dentists and some.not so good private ones. To say a private dentist is "better" or somehow more qualified to provide general dental advice is nonsense. Many work in mixed practices providinf both NHS and private treatment and the vast majority of private dentists eill do some NHS work still as children are exempt from charges and generally still treated within the NHS so a lot of private dentists have a small NHS contract to cover those patients.

You sound like you have very complex needs and the best way to get to the bottom of what has happened is to make an appointment to speak to the dentist who is

1. Qualified

1. Taken a full medical history

1. Examined you

1. Drawn up a treatment plan

Not ask unqualified randoms on the internet - some of whom have very subjective views about dentists

If you are not satisfied with what the dentist says, ask for another dentist in the practice to review your treatement. Unless she is a sole principal, there will be someone. If you are still not happy, find another dentist. But make an informed decision about what to do rather than rushing off to see a "private" dentist.

The current NHS banding means that the more treatment that needs done within a band, the less profit a dentist will make

but how did she know that? Xrays? Not all cavities are visible to the naked eye, there are surfaces of your teeth that you can't see.

Also, cavities that look small can be quite deep/extensive once you start removing the top enamel.

And also if she is doing something that's not in my treatment plan surely she should discuss it first. Absolutely!

A tooth doesn't need root canal unless there is an infection that can't be treated any other way @MissConductUS
Not true. If, once drilling of the tooth has commenced, the dentist discovers that the decay is at, or very close to the nerve the tooth will need to be root treated. If it isn't, then it is likely to cause severe pain each time the person eats/drinks

Also, cavities that look small can be quite deep/extensive once you start removing the top enamel Should actually say

Also, cavities that look small can be quite deep/extensive once you start removing the tooth structure as decay spreads quicker through dentine (under enamel) than it does enamel.

how can she do a filling if there wasnt a need for one. i mean .. there has to be something to fill. if you cant ask face to face ... phone or email but for the love of god open your mouth (no pun intended) and ask!!! they are your teeth.