What do you say when you can’t afford the dental prices?

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I’ve always been NHS. No NHS dentists here any more. I’ve finally signed up to a private practice and will pay a monthly charge to cover costs of check up / hygienist etc. I’ve got a check up coming up. Not been seen by a dentist for about 18 months / 2 years.

I know I need some work doing. I’ve got a bit of tooth broken off around an old big filling (I can just imagine root canal / crown etc £££) and I’m also told that it’s likely NHS dentists have ignored things and private dentists will find everything and tell you (not a problem in itself). What I don’t know is when they present you with a list of work and the cost, and you can’t afford it….what happens?

Do they get annoyed because you’ve wasted their time and if you can’t pay, you may as well not have bothered coming in to see what the problems are?
Does it get awkward because they assume everyone has money or why else are you there - dentistry costs?
Do they prioritise just what really needs doing and say other stuff isn’t desperate?
do they try and push you to get finance / payment plan to cover it (and then if gets more awkward when you know you can’t get finance)?
Do they try and do the cheapest thing they can just to help you get something sorted that needs doing?

Im scared stiff of the dentist as it is but I haven’t been able to sleep for the last few nights worrying about what they will find, how much it will cost and how I will have to say out loud that I can’t afford any more than X amount. It’s just not a situation I know how to navigate very easily. Fundamentally I don’t believe in rationing health care to only those that have money so this whole thing is sitting uneasily. I almost don’t want to know what I need doing because I know I can’t pay for it and I’ll feel even more shit than I already do.

Get a loan or they offer finance. Go to dental school at uni

But if you can’t just get a loan or finance - what is the conversation in the appointment? How is it figured out. I can afford a little bit, but not masses.

no dentist school near here.

Ask them what's the cheapest option. Say 'I have x amount to spend, what would you say is the most urgent work that needs doing?'. Dentists deal with people on low budgets everyday, now more than ever, so don't feel ashamed that you can't afford all the work that needs doing. Sorry you're in this position and have a look for a dental school near you that needs patients. I got 2 bridges, fillings, extractions, and cleanings at my local dental school and my teeth have been transformed.

They will patch you up and do what they can but you need to be honest with them and matter of fact. I need a root canal but I can’t afford it. I pay £26 at the emergency dentist every time it kicks off again and they suck it out to clean it and put a temp filling on. Lasts me a few months. It’s almost at the very back so I think eventually I’ll ask for an extraction.

Just tell them I can’t afford that, what’s the most essential type thing, I had this conversation with a dentist about a month ago, there was zero judgement from him, I was just like how much will that all cost? I can’t afford that type thing, and he gave me various options for treatment, including a payment plan or not doing x or y so I could choose what I want and there was no pressure

I was in that situation. You pay for your appointment regardless so you aren’t wasting their time, the dental work was too expensive so I had to opt for the cheapest option which was extraction, I couldn’t afford the root canal etc that it needed. They wanted me to see the hygienist for a polish etc too but I just had to say I’d book an appointment another time and then just didn’t.

Its a crap situation and people really don’t understand unless they’ve lived it. It’s easy for people to say get a loan etc - but they don’t think that maybe some people can’t afford the monthly repayments on a loan. It’s an ‘I’m alright Jack’ kind of world these days.

Could you find an NHS dentist in the next town, even you had to travel further, it might be cheaper in the long run.

If not, ask for a payment plan at the private dentist.

I recently got a filling changed from amalgam to white. Dentist gave me quote for 3 options. Extortionate, extortionate and reasonable.

Mine suggested implants a while ago. The cost was north of 6K, so I now have a small false plate at considerably less.

And as for the exact words to say - the dentist led the conversation, he said I could do X, Y or Z, I said how much does each option cost, then I said I would go for the extraction (because it was the cheapest option).

Thanks everyone, that’s really reassuring that no judgement and discussion seems common. Do you feel pressured to make a decision there and then or would it be normal to think about it and book another appointment?

Our area of the country has no real NHS service left and no waiting lists to even get on as most dentists have closed their NHS service down. We are hours away from NHS services so not practical really.

https://www.simplyhealth.co.uk/dental-plan#chooseyourplan

Are you sure the monthly fee only covers check-ups? We have Denplan and it covers all treatments as well except for implants.

Obviously each one will be different but zero time pressure, he was like just ring up reception when you decide/want to book in, if they pressure you just say I need some time to decide type thing

A loan or payment plan may not be of much use I'd you get the single persons UC that I think is about£400 a month. Doubt you would qualify to get one and unlikely to be about to repay it if by some miracle you did

The word to use is "dentally fit", ask what is the minimum treatment you need to make you dentally fit.

I recently had an implant rejected and my dentist gave me a number of costed options from just removing the implant to a number of replacement options
Luckily I could afford the replacement option but there was no judgement in terms of options chosen. Think of it like a quote from a tradesman or car mechanic, you get to choose what is offered and you have the right to ask about alternative treatments and scenarios .

My neighbour works PT in a dental practice and says it’s now perfectly usual for patients to discuss costs and priorities for the work. So you are in good company.

Even people who have more money are being careful about what they spend it on and asking about what is cost effective.

It’s annoying that some people didn’t bother to read your OP properly!

I thought you meant go to dental school at uni to train to be a dentist.

I then tried to imagine quite how you could then do your own dental work 😂

Yes, it’s just a membership scheme to spread the cost of check up / hygienist across the year. It doesn’t look like they do denplan on the website but even if they did, I’d have to have all the work needed first before I’d be able to get insurance anyway.

Thank you, that’s really reassuring actually.

Ask them what's most urgent and needs doing first. Then take it from there. It's like discussing your colour at the hairdressers, they provide a list of options and you decide.

Thanks OP for starting this thread as I'm in exactly the same position.

OP I’ve recently been to a private dentist after many, many years of neglect (and fear!). At the initial consultation I was asked what I wanted to achieve and I said that I just wanted clean teeth that weren’t falling apart. I had the money to pay for sedation and I’m sure she could have recommended all sorts of cosmetic stuff, but she did exactly what I asked for. I don’t have (and didn’t want) a gleaming white mouth full of perfectly straight teeth with no gaps, but I have clean teeth and the broken ones have been filled to prevent further decay. She even saved a tooth that she had initially said would have to come out. It has changed my life after years of worry and shame. I can open my mouth to smile again. Just be honest. Hope all goes well.

You pay for your checkup and discuss your options for the work that needs doing. Ask what needs doing the most and get that done first. Then save up for the rest, or if you ask them you might be able to pay in instalments in advance for any work.

I have been with my dentist for years and they are NHS, but they will let me pay for work in instalments.