Ripped off by nhs dentist?

[moodycore]

So I've got a baby who is 4 months old. I have nhs exemption and currently registered under the nhs with a nhs practice.

When I was pregnant, my dentist had to keep giving me fillings on my back tooth.

After dd was born I became in agony, antibiotics etc. the dentist said she will redo the filling, if it doesn't help, then the cavity is too deep and will need an extraction.
Fast forward 4 weeks ago. I'm the the worse pain of my life. Swollen cheeks, jaw pain the lot.
After being robbed off for 2.5 weeks with antibiotics I finally begged the dentist to see me as an emergency she said she would have no lunch break and see me if I'm so desperate

She saw me and said she will clean my tooth out again and try to numb the nerve and put a temporary filling on and basically i need root canal but it will be private and cost £800. I said I cannot afford it and then would rather have an extraction and then get a bridge.
She laughed and said she will not remove the tooth as it can be saved and she doesn't feel comfortable doing the root canal so I need a referral to an endodontist that will do root canal over 2/3 appointments then I can come back and she will do the crown on the nhs

I took out a payday loan because I simply could not deal with the pain and the private clinic she referred me to literally rang me the same day and said I could come 2 days later.

I had my root canal today and honestly I'm in more pain if that's even possible. Just one appointment over 2.5 hours and I have some shield over the tooth until my dentist fits a crown (it's going to take a couple of weeks)

I just feel so ripped off. My friend said considering my treatment started under the nhs and I'm on exemption that I should have been referred to a nhs endodontist and not had to pay so much.

Aibu? Is this normal? Any dentist on here to explain why this happens?

All I'm taking away from this is that you're getting a free crown at least! Which is a fuckton better than having to pay for that too not that I'm at ALL bitter about having to spend 1000's on crowns and root canal for being a nighttime tooth grinder!

@DropYourSword

All I'm taking away from this is that you're getting a free crown at least! Which is a fuckton better than having to pay for that too not that I'm at ALL bitter about having to spend 1000's on crowns and root canal for being a nighttime tooth grinder!

That's what my husband said, he said if they can save it, why not. But idk I just feel so slighted. It's been very hard financially the past few months and everyone around me is telling me I have been taken advantage of

Call the Oral Health Foundation (charitable arm of British Dental Association), they have a consumer advice line: explain this to them, they will advise on it all (including what to do about pain etc). Can't recommend them highly enough:

www.dentalhealth.org

I went for a filling once and then as he numbed it he said i needed a root canal in another i said no way.. Remove the tooth!
He did there and then.
I was on maternity at the time. Thankful I wasn't in pain prior

It's odd, and cheeky that the dentist wouldn't remove the tooth, and insisted a root canal should be done privately. That is basic NSH treatment FFS, you're not asking for a solid gold crown!

However, YABU to expect to be pain free on the same day as you had he thing done. You will be feeling pain/aching for a few days yet.

Dentist needs reporting though for forcing you to pay £800 for a root canal when you're registered as NHS. Contact the address a pp posted

OR...

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/how-do-i-complain-about-my-dental-treatment/

Your dentist could/should have referred you to an NHS endodontist.

Presumably you didn't pay the dentist the 800? You paid the endodontist?

Any time a tooth is at the point of root canal it is also perfectly valid to extract. Especially if the dentist is saying its too difficult to root fill, I can understand not being able to have specialist endo treatment on the NHS as that's not really available, the NHS alternative is extraction. Your dentist should have offered you an extraction on the NHS.

In terms of a bridge that's not always offered on the NHS, but you should definitely have been offered an extraction

I've just had a root canal privately and it's cost almost £2k. Do you think it is part on the NHS? It seems a lot less then private.

I also got referred to a private dentist to do a root canal, maybe we have the same NHS dentist. I cancelled the appointment once I got the fee sheet posted to me as he hadn't mentioned that it was private at all. I went back to my dentist and told him to take the tooth out. He then didn't offer me a bridge and I didn't know to ask for one. In my experience nhs dentists are shit.

NHS endodontists don't exist unfortunately.

I've had x2 root canals and refilled on nhs. Only part that was Private was the filling (wanted white) was no where near £800. I moved nhs as previous went private and it was £800...this was about 5 years ago so probably a lot more now

Following this as I have been quoted for this as well and I'm NHS too

I had a filling that wouldn’t settle even after a root canal and was told that my choice was:
to have it extracted on the nhs
or
go to a private dentist with specialised equipment to do another root canal.

Apparently some peoples roots are curved and the nhs doesn’t do curves only straight roots.

So if you’re someone with curved roots you’ve had it on the nhs unless you have £500 to go private (this was about six years ago, so prob more now).

I was also told there are no guarantees that the treatment will work. And that I may still have to get the tooth out. So I didn’t bother. Tooth was extracted. Think it cost under £20 to have it pulled. Bargain.

Shame that only the rich have mice teeth and the rest of us with curved roots can turn into toothless wonders for all the nhs cares!

@RedPanda17 they definitely do. Usually based in Dental Hospitals. I worked with a highly specialised consultant endontist previously.

I had a root canal and a crown on the NHS after an emergency appt no problem. Cost me £250 something for everything (about 4 appts total for all work). I would push back against this.

Oh just to point out I have had root canal on nhs from the same dentist just this particular tooth he thought needed a specialist and sent me private. Probably one of his chums who would give him a cut of the bill

Just to be clear you get no cut of the bill from referring to a private endodontist. Even if they are your friend. If a dentist has done a root canal before then maybe, just maybe they are right and that tooth was difficult and needed a specialist

Not all teeth are suitable for bridges, and not all bridges are available on the NHS. You could justify never providing a bridge on the NHS.

I have also requested an extraction rather than complicated treatment and the dentist was fine with it. Whipped it out in a flash!!

Very few areas in the UK have specialist endodontists, only the big teaching hospitals. They don't accept a lot of cases, and the waiting lists are long

I've had route canal on the NHS. Just because she couldn't do the route canal, I'd be surprised if no one could have. Unless it's some sort of particularly difficult tooth.

Route canals take up to 3 weeks to stop hurting in my experience (though they may tell you it'll be less). But the worst of the pain should pass in four days or so.

NHS specialist endodontists are few and far between and to get a successful referral is very slim. There is criteria you have to fill eg it should be a front tooth, not too broken down etc. if it’s a molar there’s no chance.
Most endodontists are private and you’ve probably been referred to one as the likelihood of a NHS is almost nil. What your dentist should have done is the first stage of root canal treatment to get you out of pain and then referred you on. Sorry you’re having a hard time with it OP.

This is exactly why dentists shouldn't be BOTH private and nhs!

It's been a bloody disaster for patients since they stopped having proper nhs dentists!

Frankly it sound like she did a shit job to begin with! Then tried to delay you until your exemption ran out - leaving you infected and in pain! And then did a bodge job anyway!

Hoping someone on mn can tell you who you can complain to and how

she doesn't feel comfortable doing the root canal

I mean seriously! This is a key part of her bloody job surely!

@StaplesCorner thanks for posting that link for op, though I can't help but think the original dentist needs to :

Apologise
Ensure op gets the CORRECT treatment now FOR FREE
Get herself more bloody training!

@MurmuratingStarling if I were op that's the road I'd be going down! Outrageous behaviour by the dentist! Are they even qualified? Experienced? I would be wondering/checking!

Dentists take the absolute piss these days a lot of them! And health boards (or whoever is responsible for this) are failing patients by largely refusing to take nhs patients onto their lists!

It's been an absolute farce since this first came in, I'm old enough to remember when nhs dentists were genuinely free and easily available!

Apparently some peoples roots are curved and the nhs doesn’t do curves only straight roots.

That sounds like a pathetic excuse to me

Definitely complain op

Would you be able to claim some of these costs back on the NHS Low Income Scheme?

www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme

Graphista your comment about dentists being able to do all treatment is the equivalent of expecting your GP to take out your appendix.

Root canal treatment can be really complex. Specialist endodontists complete an additional 3 years of training and have fancy microscopes and equipment. Dentistry has sub-specialities just like Medicine. If I'm going to self fund a three year MSC in specialist training and then spend thousands of pounds on my kit I wouldn't then be carrying out a complex root canal that takes me 2 1/2 hours to complete and be paid in total about £75 that has to also pay the nurse, receptionist, equipment costs, utilities, CQC, GDC fees, indemnity for that time too. The maths don't work.

NHS Dentistry hasn't been free from charges in the last 70 years. In most areas of England the Local Area teams have not commissioned specialist services such as endodontics. In those that have the criteria to meet them are really strict.

I'm in the South West we have a Dental Hospital nearby, they won't take referrals and there is no second tier referral service for difficult teeth so those with blocked canals, curved roots, resorption its a specilaist privately or extraction.

OP I hope you are in less pain now, I would hope your dentist was acting in your best interests, it is always better to save a tooth that can be treated. NHS guidelines would say a bridge has to be clinically necessary, in the back of your mouth this is rarely the case.

Mummyoply unfortunately you can't reclaim private charges.

I'm in the middle of doing this. I was told by NHS dentist that she would try but probably only a 50% chance of success as it's an awkward one. She said the private dentist had better equipment and would be a 95%+chance of success and then to go back to NHS for the crown after.
The NHS charges £280 for a route canal with 50% chance. I saw the private guy yesterday who had quoted £650 for 95% + chance. The costs and risks were laid out quite clearly and was given the option of extraction as well. I'm lucky that I can do it without a loan but what struck me was the explanation that a lot of the problem was the more basic equipment the NHS Dentist has