To have the NHS white filling and not the private white filling?

[SuzzieWithEthics]

If I can afford it would it be negligent to get the free NHS white fillings?

Apparently NHS and private white fillings are two different materials and the private one is far better quality.

Is that true? Means the difference of free or over £500

I normally have NHS dentist care. Yesterday I needed a filling and signed paperwork to have a root canal costing £150- my dentist said the procedure would be a private one. When I arrived she changed her mind and said it didn't need root canal and would just be a normal whit filling and instead would cost £120. I'm wondering now if she has done this privately and should I have asked for a white filling on the NHS ?? I was so traumatised at the time I couldn't think straight. I'm really not impressed with our families dental practice at the moment after the way they treated my son some months ago.

@bonzo oh so dentists can make more money depending on what they decide? It sounds a bit like the wild west even if you are NHS (maybe it's woorse).

So it's important to find an ethical NHS dentist?

I wonder if my bupa is a big con. They charge £45 for a small silver filling privately and over double this for a biger one. But people here are having white fillings for £50!

The cheapest white filling at mine is £90.

They didn't even take an x-ray before deciding I needed all these fillings and my last x-ray was 18 months ago so was expecting one before they put together my treatment plan. Maybe that's because I'm NHS? I would have felt ripped off if I spent £20 just to have a quick look at the surface of my teeth then decide loads need to be drilled. Doesn't fill me with confidence.

I had a private white filling for £70, think nhs was £45 and dentist said they might have to remove more tooth to get the filling in and white would last longer. Don't know if that's true but the difference was so small I decided to go with it. A quarter of my tooth had decayed and now you couldn't even tell. Never heard them mention nhs white ones.

I have ethical nhs dentists. But they have different dentists who do the nhs work, the more experienced dentists do the private work. I'm nhs but very pleased with my dentist, she talks through all options. The practice is very popular.

My dentist now I see has a 2.7 rating on Google. I think they must be pretty bad

I guess any good dentist is not taking.on NHS people?

Mine is NHS. I’ve mentioned before that I LOVE my dentist. He’s amazing. His practice is taking on NHS patients. Just look around

£50 for a white filling is presumably band 2 NHS?

Those prices sound fairly normal for private dentistry. X-rays are normally recommended every 2 years unless you are high risk, so 18 months is fine.

It's not unethical to use amalgam on the nhs over composite in posterior teeth, it does the job and is a very good filling material. However you can do composite fillings on the nhs, I do them all the time. It's more expensive material but I prefer it, and I generally think patients prefer it too, however there are occasions when amalgam is better than composite. You have to basically offer functional dentistry on the nhs, but not aesthetic work so you don't have to offer composite if amalgam will do the job and amalgam can work better than composite it certain situations.

I sometimes use different composite private and nhs but this is purely an aesthetics thing and both are just as good functionally.

I would assume a £500 white filling is porcelain inlay? As opposed to composite the normal white filling material. If it is a large filling porcelain inlays can be really good, but as above you can do them on the nhs it's just a band 3 over a band 2.

Suzzie our local good dentists do periodically open up their books to take on more nhs patients. They do however run a strict practice of if you don't come when you're to.d you next need to be seen, two chances then you're off the books. This opens up gaps for new patients.

I had two teeth reconstructed on nhs..they were £250 each.
One has a metal crown..at back
The other nearer the front has a white resin type bond
I’m just thankful she’s saved three old teeth

Thebthird one was an nhs inlay
Can’t remember what I’m paid..probably about £250 lol
I think private and a different material was £700

My dentist used to be NHS, and I had to have so many white fillings redone. We stuck with him when he went private, and I don't think I've had to have a white one replaced since.

White fillings are made from the same material which would be the same basis but possibly higher quality for the private one. More time would be spent contouring and making the tooth look exactly like a tooth with the pits and shade matching. Also your paying for the time and dentists qualifications and the area your practice is in. Not just a case of thinking both treatments are exactly the same and your just being charged more.

Apparently the private white filling the main difference is it polishes up nicer.

Mercury might make a good filling material but is it good for general health is my issue?

My dentist would like that I just ate soup and went to bed every night leaving my toothpaste on my teeth. But then you get others that say Floride isn't good for your body? It's difficult.

Let’s talk about price and durability. Porcelain fillings can cost three to four times more than a composite filling. A composite filling can last anywhere between five to seven years and the porcelain has a life expectancy of ten to fifteen plus years. The most important thing to remember is that you will probably replace your composite filling two to three times more instead of having the one same porcelain filling. Over time, the composite fillings will cost you just as much if not more than a porcelain filling and you will end up in the dental chair a little more often than what you’d like.( some info I found on net but do your own research)

Wow my Bupa dentist NHS didn't give me time of day and wanted to remove 7 teeth! 4 were actually fillings and 3 root canals. I have sever reflux issues and threw up daily multiple times a day throughout 4 pregnancies in 6 years.
Had to go private and pay a fortune. So no it's not free. And I was going to pay the nhs fees. I also went to any ther dentist who did both NHS and private. And he said yes remove all on NHS or we save them if you go private. So i found a better priced dentist to go private. Still had to take out credit cards to sort it though

Im a dentist .... get the NHS white filling.
And I too would get (and do have) an amalgam filling in a back tooth over white!

Hello everyone. Just wanted a bit of advice regarding my son. He is 17 and still eligible for NHS free dental care. The practice we go to operates a private and NHS clinic . DS has got to have two filings and as they are at the front of his mouth, the dentist suggested white filings ( he can have silver for free). I agreed that white would be better but he then piped up that they would be £225 each!! £450 seems a staggering amount to pay! Anyone know if NHS offer white filings at a reasonable price as this seems extortionate. TIA

You can find an NHS dentist??!!