To not have a clue what I’m supposed to do re dentist?

[OuchyTooth]

Like many people, I no longer have an NHS dentist. Every few weeks I look on the NHS website and contact the ones which are allegedly accepting new NHS patients, but invariably when you phone them, they’re not.

So I haven’t seen a dentist for maybe a couple of years now. I have a tooth which had a root canal and a crown a few years ago, and it’s starting to niggle a bit. Not actually what I’d call painful at the moment, but I’m being careful to chew my food on the other side of my mouth so I don’t aggravate it.

What do I do when it comes to it, and it reaches crisis point? I am disabled and not in work at the moment, so have no spare money, literally zilch, so I can’t afford a private dentist. I’m entitled to free dental care on the NHS. Just want to have a plan in place as I can tell it’s going to be any day that I need to get it sorted.

Or if anyone knows of anywhere in Somerset/Bristol/Dorset/Bath/Wiltshire that really is accepting new patients please let me know!

I see things like this and see people defending this shitshow of a country. Waving flags like there’s anything to be proud of. I think the immigrants would do well to leave not for our sake, but theirs.

So in all, her option is to have her tooth ripped out because she’s unlucky enough to not have lots of money

What a barbaric dive this is

She knows that, Op is asking for advice as she can't find an NHS dentist.
NHS dental treatment being free (which is why OP needs an NHS dentist) is not helpful if there isn't an NHS dentist available

I saw an emergency dentist last week, I haven't been able to be registered with a dentist since I left my childhood home at 18.

They did an exam, x ray and white filling, and said if it had been deeper they'd have done the root canal or extraction there and then for me too. It cost me £30 (not eligible for free treatment, it would have been free if I was). I'm going to save up and get registered with them but it's good to know it's available.

I just gave up my place at Easton dental practice (bristol), literally this morning, so maybe try there?

If you call 111 they will refer you to an emergency dentist. It might be an hour or more away from your house, but it will be free. They can pull teeth but won't do anything fancy. If you're very lucky the emergency dentist might agree to take you as a permanent patient. This happened to someone I know who's physically disabled. Mention your disabilities when you call 111.

Not necessarily, 111 referred me and was constantly told there's no appointments. I think OPs best bet will be to get dental insurance or put some money aside to go private when tooth is really bad. As well as calling up dentists to try and get a place as well.

Bristol dental hospital won’t take an emergency directly - you need to call 111, they will find the appropriate place to go. It is diabolical the state of dentistry in this country. I left my NHS dentist several years ago because they were crap, they missed a literal hole in my husband’s tooth!

@MontySaucy that's a shame you had that experience. It's certainly worth a try as it does depend on the area. Especially if someone is physically disabled. They sometimes have spaces purely set aside for that.
I can't see her affording dental insurance on benefits. Though obviously if that's possible then of course it's a good idea.

I'm afraid you do if you cannot find an NHS dentist.

I rang all the emergency dentists and they all prioritised patients registered with them first and then within a few minutes all of the appointments were gone. Even private dentists have waiting lists for the waiting lists here, it's crazy. 111 tried making an appointment but result was the same. Really struggling financially because of it but omg I'm glad I don't have toothache anymore!

That's not exactly true. Crowns themselves CAN have a lifespan of 10 years. But in real life in most cases they can last decades more. Even root canal teeth with crowns can last for years and years. So while a 10 year life span may be what is advised, it's often a lot longer.
I've got one tooth with a root canal and crown I've had for 25 years so far.
The 10 years is normally worse case scenario.

@MontySaucy gawd. That's awful. You poor thing. Glad you're not in pain.

The only way I ended up getting my teeth sorted was my dear mum offering to pay for private, reasoning it's out of my inheritance. Bless her heart. I'm eternally grateful as my teeth were ruined during several tonic clonic seizures.
It's really unfair and terrible as I'm entitled to free treatment on the NHS (as are many others, but even if you can pay) it simply barely exists. Then loads of people are flooding the emergency ones because they've not been able to find a dentist for so long.

Why don't the government realise it's not right for tax paying decent folks to walk around with half their teeth missing in their thirties?!

So a bit of hope. I rang around more dentists this morning, and managed to find one not far away to take my youngest on, on the NHS, as she’s still a child. And found another who are about 45 mins away who have put me on the waitlist, but said to phone at 9am every Monday morning as any empty slots they have that week, they give to people on the waitlist, but that’s when they’re released so if I phone hopefully I can get in that week. And once I’ve been once, then I’m registered. So that’s optimistic. I’ll see if it actually pans out like that though.

Years ago there was a dental training hospital in Exeter, attached to the university, where you could get very cheap treatment from dental students. Not sure if that still exists or if there is similar closer to you. This link explains how it works now...

peninsuladental.org.uk/services/how-our-services-work/

I might be wrong here but I was under the impression that once there had been a root canal there would be no pain as no nerve? I know it's not the point of the thread..

There are lots of reasons why a root treated tooth can have pain-

1. Residual infection previously lying dormant that has now flared up. Sometimes root treatment can be very complex with small accessory canals hidden and not visible even with loupes. The process is very specialist, time consuming and complications can occur even with the best of intentions

1. A crack under the crown can occur. OP you mentioned pain came in after biting something? A root treated tooth no longer has a blood or nerve supply and can be really brittle. Plus the cavity will be really excessive. Usually a filling doesn't cut it and it requires full cuspal coverage. It's weaker and more prone to breaking

1. Iatrogenic damage. The files we use to prep the canals are tiny, minuscule... unfortunately even in the hands of a really experienced, competent dentist, the files can break inside the canals and cause issues. Other things can occur such as perforations, or the canal can be so obliterated ( scleroses) that even the smallest file can't access it. Hence why a canal can go unfilled or be short.

1. Secondary caries, this can occur especially in cases where the teeth aren't cared for well. Poor diet, poor brushing can lead you to further decay, ultimately resulting in a sick tooth.

1. Periodontal infections. Similar above, teeth not being cared for properly. Smokers as well. Can cause issues to the tissues surrounding a tooth. Could be the best root filling in the world but if the tooth is heavily compromised then you'll have issues.

I know NHS dentistry hasn't got a great reputation ( especially in England. I work in Scotland), but a few things to bear in mind. The same dentists that you see privately ( unless a specialist) are generally also the ones that you saw on NHS. They treat both. The difference is they can afford to use better materials and take more time on a private basis. The NHS is underfunded.

Secondly, and unfortunately this very important point can sometimes be overlooked in these threads that criticise dentists, and that is that people really need to take in some of the responsibility for their oral health as well, instead of always finding fault with the dentist.
Good diet, good oral hygiene and tooth brushing, fluoride toothpaste, avoiding sugar, avoiding acidic food and drinks. Prevention is better and cheaper than a cure.

Op I'm glad you've managed to get on a waiting list. Keep checking with them regularly. Due to data protection we don't generally keep names on a waiting list for long, be nice and polite to the receptionists as they can make or break it for you!

Finally if you do get an appointment please don't fail it. We have a mainly NhS practice. Last month 95 patients failed to attend their appointments. That's hours and hours of wasted time that could have been better spent with appreciative and motivated patients instead.

Each health board generally have an out of hours emergency service at weekends and evenings for both registered and unregistered patients. If you have a genuine emergency, call 111 and ask to be put through to the dental dept. They will triage you and guide you in the right direction.

I got DP emergency dental treatment through 111. Once that was finished, they could refer him to something called the Stabilization Scheme, which essentially meant they fixed the current issues with his teeth at a localish dentist (20 miles away), but no ongoing care after that. Ended up with dentures, so took quite a while and lots of visits. Usual NHS prices, so would be free for you. (It's MN, so it's not the point, but I did it all due to his disabilities, before anyone gets the arse.)

Bit tricky getting there, as we don't have a car, but absolutely no way we could afford private. This was near Bristol and recently, so may work for you too. I had to actively ask (crying in desperation...) before I was told about the Stabilization Scheme thing.

Thank you all for the suggestions, I have an exciting update in that I now have an NHS dentist! The place I phoned last week that told me to phone back on Monday at 9am has given me an appointment for tomorrow 😁. It’s about a 45 min drive away but feeling very lucky, I’d have gone a lot further than that if I had to.

This might sound silly but does anybody know what qualifies as an emergency in order to go through 111? I recently found out I need a filling at an estimated cost of around £200+. However, I might need root canal, which with the filling will be £500 which I would have to pay upfront. I don't have that money to pay upfront. Not sure if I would class this as an emergency as I am not in severe pain other than when biting on something hard. If left however, I'm told it could spread down the root and become painful and potentially dangerous which I want to avoid. I'm entitled to free NHS dental care but like many others can't find an NHS dentist. Very sad state of affairs. My old NHS dentist was wonderful before going private. They now seem less concerned about looking after my teeth and more interested in selling me whitening, botox and fillers!

@Areolaborealis if you have bleeding, trauma, significant swelling or pain that you know won't last until the next working day. That's an emergency.

An emergency dentist through NHS will dress the tooth, remove the nerve or remove the tooth. They won't do the whole procedure.

I would find a way of attending when not in pain as this will minimise the possibility of future consequences and extra expenses

I don't think you have to live in a catchment area for a dentist so if you're willing to travel you could go anywhere if that's cheaper than private