£12k for dental treatment?!

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Just seen a private dentist at my NHS practice as they have no NHS dentists working so this was my only option.

My teeth are terrible. I have severe bruxism and most of my teeth are so ground down and broken that the dentine is exposed and the enamel gone. They are also very very short.

This dentist basically said I have three options

1. Do nothing and just keep wearing my night guards. Teeth will crumble and break, and I'll have to have them removed and have a bridge or similar when that happens.
2. Crown the front 14 teeth (8 top, 6 bottom) and wait 3-6 months for my rear molars to push up to the same height (crowns will gain me 5-7mm difference she thinks) - £12,000
3. Crown all my teeth (I have several missing molars) - £21,000

That's it. Those are my options. I'm not suitable for any other treatment. The NHS have long refused to do the crowns.

I'm fucked, aren't I? £12k is an absolutely impossible sum of money to find.

What about having them all removed and wearing dentures? I know that might not be what you want but it is an option. How old are you?

Christ, that's extreme is it not? I'm 41.... Teeth have always been very bad, it's genetic but also the bruxism.

That's a lot of money. Did none of your previous dentists ever try any preventative treatment before? This doesn't just happen overnight, had you previously seen NHS dentists before and what did they say?

Have you spoken to the dentist surgery about payment options and asked what alternatives there might be?

I certainly wouldn’t decide anything without getting a second opinion. Most dentists will offer payment plans so that’s also worth investigating.

I would get a second opinion. They may be correct but if you are spending that much money you need to be sure that they are your only options.
If you can afford it I would go for option 3. I wouldn't want to pay so much for option 2 when it is only half a job. I would look into a payment plan as well.

Sorry, yes, didn't mean to alarm you but it is an option. But agree that you need more opinions. I hate the way we often don't trust private dentists and hygienists now because we instinctively feel they're trying to rip us off.

Nope, the NHS have always refused preventative therapy. They claimed crowns were cosmetic and not clinically necessary. I've seen NHS dentists regularly all my life.

No alternatives, payment can be done in dribs and drabs but for that amount, I'd be paying £200/month for 5yrs and I just can't afford that.

I would probably go for the dentures. You will never issues forever even with crowns

How long will the crowns last because, at 41, you may need to replace them at some point.

Doesn't your face shape change though? I'm 41, I'm not exactly an oil painting but I don't want my face to fall in either. Also dentures have their own issues - apart from the ongoing costs of maintenance, there's sores in the mouth, all but glueing them into your jaw etc, no?

False teeth? Would nhs do that?

Would you consider flying abroad for treatment?

As a pp said, go to another practice to see what they would do to your teeth and how much they would charge for the treatment.

Or go abroad? Although that can be v risky.

I'm not sure - I worry about the dodgy work you see being touted. A quick Google shows I could do the whole mouth for about £2-4k including travel and accommodation, but it seems far too good to be true. I don't have enough tooth left for them to grind them down to pegs, so any work needs to be "therapeutic" rather than intrusive.

I am a bit older than you and paying £700 pm for 6 months. I have decided it is instead of a new car/ summer holiday. I would honestly try to find the money. Could you take on some additional hours ?

I'm not an expert, but is there no recourse in this instance? The NHS' refusal to treat a non-cosmetic condition has resulted in a now very deteriorated set of teeth requiring extensive treatment. That doesn't sound right to me. I'd be pushing for them to fix their negligence.

Look into Botox to stop grinding in the night

Totally get why you wouldn't want dentures.

I'd go to another couple of places and get some more information from them. In your situation I'd probably start looking for some reputable places abroad, I know Turkey Teeth give that a bad reputation but there are practices with skilled dentists who won't make you look like you have a fluorescent smile. Plus the horror stories tend to be around filing down and capping healthy teeth, yours are in need of capping so whilst it will improve things cosmetically as well you aren't just filing healthy enamel away for a straight smile.

I had my teeth sorted in Greece by a dentist that my family use.

The cost of the flight, accommodation and dentistry was a fraction of what the cost would have been in the UK.

Happy to pm you the details.

We're on a budget as it is, as are most people. I work full time in a Civil Service department - no overtime to be had.

Minimum wage bar work 12hrs a week (for example) would net me a whole £81.12 after BR tax and NI. I'd need to do that for three years without a week off to pay for this. No way.

Actually yes, I've agreed to try this with this dentist - £350. I'll probably need it every 4-6mths as well.

Could you go to a dentistry school/college and see what teeatment they would recommend, costs are sure to be lower as well.

Have you got a dental hospital near you? That's the route I have gone down, free course of treatment.

I also have 'challenged' teeth and after lockdowns they are a complete state. Like quite a lot of people as we couldn't have regular treatment.

Has the dentist explained how the bruxism will affect newly fitted crowns? I have severe bruxism and was told crowns will fall off relatively quickly from the pressure and I would need dentures as a result. I wonder if full dentures would be best and a pain management/ muscle relaxant approach to help with the long term clenching issue?

Best wishes to you OP, bruxism is awful

Well your choice 12 hours a week sounds a lot but it is only 3 evening, babysitting may be easier than bar work. £200 a month sounds doable is there no where you can cut back ? (Haircuts ? Nails, gym membership? )