To complain about nhs dentist and wisdom teeth

[glossypeach]

I have had my wisdom teeth coming in for the past year. They are shifting my teeth and causing pain here and there. They’re also digging right into my gums as they’re impacted and food gets in and they sometimes create sores. Now, I have a chronic illness which means I’m in pain daily. I think if anyone else had these wisdom teeth they would be in agony, where I’m used to pain I just try to get on with it. The dentist referred me to the hospital in April to be assessed to have them removed. I’m still waiting for the initial appointment. I have since contacted both the dentists and hospital and told to just ‘wait’ - despite it being eight months. I had an appointment again with my dentist, and I stated how much my teeth are shifting and becoming crooked, among the pain etc. Again, I was told to wait and if I can’t then I need to pay privately. I said I haven’t got the funds to go private and she basically said during the time I’m still waiting my teeth are going to become more crooked as the wisdom teeth come in more. I’m just very frustrated as in the long run, I’m going to be back at the dentist with problems caused by the waiting when it could have been resolved if they took them out from get go and not telling me to ‘wait’ whilst more problems are caused.

I was on the waiting list for a year to have surgery to remove an impacted wisdom tooth on the NHS, so hopefully you won't have too much longer to wait if its been 8 months. The waiting list time is pretty appalling but if other people were referred before you and you can't afford to go private it looks like you'll just have to wait it out and hope to get the call soon.

Similar situation than you, including medication. I have now lost 2 molars because dentist didn't want to do it due to my illness and medication. For me it's safer to do it in the hospital.

Can you ask your dentist to do it? Not sure why she has referred you to the hospital, does she question her capabilities? Or it is safer for you to have it done in the hospital?

I hope it gets sorted soon for you

But they don't control the waiting list.

So how is it their fault?

Write to your MP.

Why are you blaming the dentist because YOUR wisdom teeth are hurting you? Did the dentist put them there? Lots of people have impacted wisdom teeth and clean them properly and don’t have any problems at all. Most normal dentists will not remove impacted wisdom teeth because there is a risk of damage to the nerve that supplies your lip and cheek which can cause permanent loss or change of feeling to your face and incase the tooth/roots break and cannot be removed in which case you would need to be referred to the hospital anyway with a broken tooth and then you would really be moaning wouldn’t you.
You say you are having pain ‘here and there’ so why do you think you should jump the queue above people who are in serious pain/infection or suffering from other conditions that are also referred to the hospital - head and neck cancers, inherited abnormalities etc etc.
There is no evidence to support your idea that wisdom teeth cause your other teeth to move position - people’s teeth move forwards as you age anyway, whether they have wisdom teeth or not and what problems do you think this is going to cause you? As long as you brush and floss twice a day and reduce sugar consumption there should be no issue with crowding, except cosmetic which obviously the NHS shouldn’t treat anyway.
I am sick of patients blaming dentists who are trying their best to provide you with treatment in a failing NHS system. Because of all the complaining and lack of appreciation, dentists across the country are going private and then you’ll just have to pay won’t you.

Nothing you can do I’m afraid. I’m on month 14 of waiting for an op to have 2 out under GA and that’s on top of a 6 month wait initially for an appt - I have to keep taking antibiotics when they get really infected and just keep waiting it’s miserable I know 😩

The only thing you could do would be ask your dentist to expedite the referral or phone and speak to the hospital secretary for that department (dental or maxfac)

the NHS is fucked. Trust me I work in it !

Wait list is a year minimum in my area. Dentist said he'd referred me, kept saying that. After a year the dentist realised the referral hadn't gone though so minimum 2 year wait for me!

Unfortunately this is the state of health care at the moment. Not enough staff. Not enough funding. More patients than ever. My son has a condition that causes him to sleep poorly. Suspected adhd toi but they won't assess until his sleep problems have been sorted. Been on a waiting list for 13 months waiting for an appointment. There's nothing they can do.

It's a waiting list. Complain to the trust about the wait list. My sons been waiting 3 years on a list for urgent surgery - that's nhs now

My son age 13 has been waiting 18 months to see a community dentist. His teeth have massively deteriorated during this time.

Nothing you or they can do. It’s just the state of nhs dentistry unfortunately.

Can you go private if you pay monthly my dentist offers payment plans.

This! It's awful, I agree waiting lists are ridiculous but they can't magic an appointment up.

Two to three year waiting list here for wisdom tooth removal.
Lower wisdom teeth can be very close to the nerve that supplies sensation to the jaw so NHS will not accept a referral unless there have been several severe episodes of infection normally needing antibiotics twice in a 12 month period.
The oral surgeons who remove wisdom teeth also provide surgery for head and neck cancer , oral medicine consultations etc.
Oral cancer referrals are supposed to be seen on a two week pathway , in my area it's 6 to 8 weeks at least . So I'm afraid wisdom tooth problems get pushed down the pile.
The best you can do is keep the area as clean as possible as its food getting trapped under the gum that causes the problems. A single tufted brush will do a better job at cleaning under the gum https://growingsmiles.co.uk/shop/tepe-compact-tuft-single-tufted-toothbrush/

It's not the dentists or hospitals fault . There's too much work to be done and not enough resources. If you want to complain write to your mp about the Cinderella state of NHS funding for dentistry and oral surgery.

@glossypeach I get that you are in pain but your dentist is not legally allowed to operate on you to remove your wisdom teeth.
I've had 3 out so far dentist was able to take 1 (it was malformed but not impacted) my other 2 had to be done under general as they had to dislocate my jaw to get 1 and remove a chunk of jaw bone to get the other (2 separate operations). Neither of them could really be done safely outside of a hospital. I was 18 months in pain with 1 and 2 years for the other, it wasn't pleasant.
The basic fact is that you don't know how difficult it will be to remove your wisdom teeth until you see the consultant and if your dentist has referred you to the hospital then there is nothing else that they can do for you. It's shit but that's the state of the NHS now

I have a cracked filling. My NHS dentist won't see me until it's infected.

It's impossible to get an appointment at all here.

It's rubbish that the criteria is that you have to have pain and infection caused in order to go up the list.

I was given an appointment in July for next March, for work which needs doing.
Do I blame my dentist? No, because he is an amazing and kind dentist, but he works for the NHS and so can only offer me what they allow him to offer! There are long waiting lists.
If you really are in extreme pain then ask for an emergency appointment, but depending on what needs done you might just have to wait, unless you can afford private.

One of mine fell out overnight I woke up in agony and it was just hanging out so my dentist was able to pull it (i literally couldn't close my mouth) no clue how that happened it was fine the week before when I was asking him if I could have it removed he said it would be classed as cosmetic and I would need to pay private