Dental issues

[GreatAquaMoose]

I went to my nhs dentist recently and I’m having issues with one of my teeth, three to the right, a molar, she said my options are

1 - leave it until pain starts, however the decay has doubled in size since the x ray last year
2 - take the tooth out
3 - go privately for most likely root cancel treatment, which iv been told will be about £1655 for a molar and £1400 for the crown so just over 3k or £3400 if it can’t be saved and needs a implant

There saying they don’t have the materials or equipment to do it, should they not at least be referring me to somewhere else on the nhs if that is the case?

They said because the decay has went quite deep under the gum the nhs won’t cover it

I’m also thinking I may have avoided these issues if they gave me better care to begin with, I have had bleeding in my gums and when they done a scale and polish the other day, she must have only taken 3-4 minutes, when I look online it says it should be a 30 minute appointment for that alone. It’s always been that way upto now too
Finally She said we also need to keep an eye on the tooth to the left as that could end up facing the same issues as I am now.

She said I’ll refer you privately and I’ll see you in 6 months. I said should I not come back sooner to check the other issues don’t get worse, so she changed in to 3 months. I feel she should be telling me that though
I think I’ll need to go private soon as I don’t feel I’m getting very good care here

I called her back today and she said I have already explained this and it sounds like your losing trust in us mybe it would be better to take you of the list her then I asked for the practice manager and she said we don’t have one

does anyone have any advice in if I will need to pay this £3k min or is there another way around it
possibly could be another £3k on the way to if the other tooth gets worse

Also would you change to private

Ring 111 and tell them you you're in pain and need an NHS appointment, they will book you an NHS appointment elsewhere who should have the ability to sort root canal, etc. on the NHS fixed charge.

It's absurd that lots of practices are both NHS and private now, and seem to be steering people towards their private (read: profit making) treatment.

Stick with NHS for as long as possible is my advise! and 111 have the ability to book you in elsewhere.

See my dentist is saying because there is delay right under the game they would advise only removing the tooth through the nhs and it would be to costly for the nhs to even attempt it and my only option is private if I want to try and save it

The current system for dentistry makes it very difficult to trust whether practitioners are advising in your best interest or from a business perspective. I had a similar situation, paid for all the work and ended up losing the tooth anyway.

The NHS will take the cheapest option possible for you to be 'clinically' healthy again. This means they will extract the tooth.

Ultimately the best option here is a root canal and crown, if you have the tooth extracted and don't replace it, you will only get problems further down the line. Adjacent teeth will drift, be more prone to damage due to changes in your occlusion.

If you have decay beneath the gums it suggest your oral hygiene is poor. Invest in a quality tooth paste like sensodyne pronamel. Use interdental brushes and floss daily before brushing. And when you brush don't rinse for 30 mins.

You will be very lucky to get endodontic treatment on a molar on the NHS. These teeth are best treated by an Endodontist and not a general dentist as they have access to better equipment and are more skilled at the process and the £1600 you've been quoted sounds about right, maybe a touch on the expensive side.

If your gums bleed you have minimum gingivitis, but possibly periodontal disease which is where the bacterial infection beneath the gums destroys the supporting bone and tissues around your teeth, if you want to keep your teeth you need to get that looked at professionally. See a dental therapist if you can afford it, it will save you a fortune in the long run.

In my area there are no specialists on the NHS that we can refer too….

She sounds harsh and seems to have left you a little confused.

Maybe get a 2nd opinion, if possible?

thanks, that was quite helpful

so the 1600 is the root canal and then upto 1400 if it needs a crown. Is that around the going rate

A clean on the NHS takes as long as it takes. Saying it should be 30 minutes is ridiculous - the practice couldn’t survive

I have a private dentist where I pay a monthly charge. This entitles me to two checkups and hygienist appointments per year. It also means I get a discount on any dental work that needs to be done.

I do believe the care I get is good, and that they are more committed to saving my teeth. They're good at explaining the options to me, if there's a choice of treatments.

The NHS route would mean they'd go for the cheapest option because of the limits on what they can claim for.

I think I've got much better at cleaning and taking care of my teeth as a result of the hygienist appointments.

I wish I'd taken better care of my teeth when younger - but better late than never!

You could probably get it a bit cheaper if you shop around. But there's generally good weight in 'buy cheap, buy twice'

You could ask for the crown to be made from stainless steel instead of zirconium if cosmetic effect isn't important

Those costs sound extortionate. I've been to the dentist today (private) and have been quoted £650 for a root canal and £785 for a crown. This is for a molar. My total quote was just over £2k and that includes a temporary crown and another large filling in the tooth next to the damaged one.

Blaming your dentist for the condition on the basis of the scale and polish is just daft. Your teeth have got into this condition for one reason - your own daily dental hygiene over years. I'd be amazed if your dentist hasn't discussed this with you, probably more tactfully than me, over the years. There is some evidence that oral health and heart disease are linked.

You are extraordinarily lucky to have an NHS dentist in the first place - it is very difficult to find one. Unless you want to completely change to private, you might want to start building bridges with yours.

Your dentist also seems to be suggesting that the problem is extensive which may be why the price is more expensive than some others have experienced.

Yeah the other option was a implant but I was quoted £3300 for that, not sure if that’s a better option incase the treatment never worked

I can see your point but I also don’t think 3 minutes is enough for a proper scale and polish and may not help towards issues in the future

ill Mybe need to shop around more

was this done by your dentist though. I’m getting told I need a Endodontist which I believe is more

I had a root canal done privately by a specialist endodontist and it cost me £1K. That was for a tricky back molar.

£1600 seems excessive.

Best chance of saving the tooth is to have it done by a specialist.

Depends on which molar as to how much it costs.

The geometry of your roots will play a pivotal role as well, if they are curved they will make it more difficult. £7-800 sounds about right for a general dentist doing a root canal on a root with two canals. For a back molar with 4 or more canals I'd expect to pay at least £1200-1600 depending on complexity.

f it's just a molar and not visible when you smile I would honestly just get it pulled out. The restoration won't last forever

I can only comment on a few things in your post OP. I have an NHS dentist too.
I needed root canal 10yrs ago. My dentist doesn't have the equipment , nor the training to perform root canal surgery. It would be like expecting your GP to also be a cardiologist, neurosurgeon and obstetrician! I can't recall the process, but found a place nearby that did root canal and had a crown on top.

3mths ago- my crown start to crumble and fell off. My dentist gave me the option of:
-having the same, ceramic type crown put on which is what I'd had 10yrs ago. It would be about £319 on the NHS, but likely to fail sooner than the other options
-A zirconia crown for about £700
-A 3rd material which was about £800
What material are they suggesting will cost £1400 for the crown alone? A diamond?

Do you smoke? Have you always had regular dental visits? Any genetic history of gum disease? DH started getting bleeding gums, so his dentist started doing deep cleans, every 3mths. He does vape, but eats well and they think its strongly genetic due to his father and grandfather having the same issue. He uses interdental sticks, a water pick and mouth wash. DH waited 2yrs, but is now being seen at the dental hospital for more intensive treatment to prevent tooth loss in the future.

Did your dentist not give you any idea why you you have the decay? I'd ask whether a referral to a dental hospital would help.

That can actually cause further issues down the line leaving nothing there. Not to mention the difference in chewing etc

My (Private) dentist took a rear molar out rather than do a Root Canal, it was a good decision and I felt almost instatnt relief

I go to NHS dentist and was referred to an NHS specialist for an extraction which I think cost £70. I was told to expect quite a long wait but in fact was contacted almost immediately with a date. I assumed that this was because the infection had spread into the bone already.
I was offered the option of a referral for a private extraction at the outset, but only if the pain was unbearable. I certainly wasn’t pushed into going down that route. It might be worth checking back with your NHS Dentist about this.

I’m really glad I didn’t go for root canal treatment. My dentist attempt this for a previous tooth. It was by far the worst pain I’ve ever been through at the dentist and it didn’t work anyway. But if it’s the third molar along, it sounds like you would need an implant. In the long run, although it would take longer than root canal work before everything is in place, it would be far less hassle for you.

No, it isn’t just the loss of that molar. Too much strain would go onto the molars on either side leaving them vulnerable to breakages.

Iv just checked and they have referred me to the Scottish Centre for Excellence in Dentistry in Glasgow which is one of the top 50 in the world I just seen.
I guess this explains why it’s costing a fortune

i think it is a diamond is that better quality or something

Am I mybe better looking at cheaper places and asking to be refered to something else I see 🤷‍♂️

I can’t go to a dental hospital they said as under the nhs guidelines they will just say to get it out.

I’m starting to think this too. I think they said it’s about £3300-3400 the implant but could that mybe be more cost effective than root canal in the long run