To think dental care is expensive and wonder what will happen with Universal Credit?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

My NHS check up today cost £21, with a filling booked that will be another £50 (for amalgam) or £150 (if I go for white filling) plus a session with the hygienist for £50. Dentist also strongly advises I buy a water pik flosser thing that costs around £60 as my gums are dodgy.

I'll grumble and cough it all up because I have awful anxiety about dental stuff so will do whatever I can to stave off any more fillings - but what about people who literally cannot find the money?

Dental care is bloody expensive and adds up, and it's fucking misery when teeth go wrong somehow and start hurting - but when so many folks are depending on food banks, the dentist is hardly going to be a priority for them. Meaning discomfort and pain and possibly dangerous infections down the line.

Wtf are people supposed to do?

I have inherited gum disease. It's pretty well controlled (by me) but the costs mount up:
hygienist every 3 months at the moment, but will eventually become monthly - £35 a time. Check ups are still 6 monthly now, but they will move to 3 monthly. I buy teepee brushes now, again a waterpik eventually.

Even my toothpaste is £3 a tube!

I have just had to decide between a root and crown or having a tooth out. A tooth broke at the start of the year but now because of the receding gums I have had 2 separate infections. The appt is at the end of the month and I'm going to lose the tooth - I can't afford £300 compared to £60.

It sucks.

I’m on certain benefits, I live in a large city with lots of dentists but none of them will take on NHS patients as they are full.
I’ve managed to get my children into one but the only way for me to get treatment would be to attend an ‘emergency’ dentist at the hospital, where they will most likely just pull any bad teeth

On nhs it’s usually only white fillings for front teeth.

Agree with word waterpiks or water flosser have made a huge difference to my soft gums. Def worth a look for one on Black Friday

OP
Fillings on the NHS are band 2, about £50, not sure exactly in england. Some dentists will use white some will use amalgam, both are perfectly good materials it's just an aesthetic thing. £150 would be a private filling, that's not on the NHS so I guess your dentist doesn't offer white fillings on the nhs.

If you need a scale and polish the dentist should do it on the NHS unless you want to pay privately for the hygienist, they shouldn't make you pay privately. That should also be included in the filling cost.

The waterpik might be useful to you, especially if your gums are bad and you struggle to floss. I like water glosses personally.