Dental veneer - how much should I be charged?

[JaamityvilleHorror]

Hi

Last week was presented with a bill for £300 for a veneer (crown - are they are the same thing?). I have private dental cover through DH's work but they only cover me for £125 for a veneer. I had no idea it would be this expensive and can't really afford to pay it.

Are there any dentists out there who can tell me whether this is a ridiculous sum to pay for a veneer or is it the going rate and it's the dental insurance company who is offering unreasonable reinbursement?

TIA

I don't think a veneer and a crown are the same thing. I don't think that is a bad price either for a crown or a veneer.

300 is not bad for a private veneer. on the NHS it would be 194. the dental insurance company is not paying much probably because veneers are mainly done for cosmetic purposes.

No, a crown & veneer are not the same thing.

With a crown, a large amount of tooth is taken away & the crown fits over the whole of the remaining tooth.

A veneer is like a false nail, it slips over the front surface of the tooth, after minimal preperation.

300 is good for a veneer. The dental companies do not usually pay much for veneers, as they are classed more as cosmetic treatment. So it's not really an unreasonable reinbursement.

Dental insurance companies, as a whole, do not really offer great reinbursment when you get into private treatment.

My dentist called it a veneer but took away nearly all of the real tooth (I had broken part of it off and exposed some of the nerve) and left a stump to which he fitted a new "tooth". I would have called it a crown.

It wasn't done for comestic purposes. Never had to claim for anything other than a check up before and naively thought that the reinbursement would be somewhere in line with the cost.

Do you think it would be possible for me to go back to the dentist and ask them to separate out the cost into a price for the anaesthetic and the work on the tooth? There's a different section for Anaesthetics on my claim form.

ask your dentist if they can separate the treatment, like check up and x-rays. but if you have already submitted the claim, it might be difficult to change the treatment plan. the treatment you had sounds more like a crown, then 300 is definitely not expensive.

Thanks inkymouse.

I've not submitted the claim yet. Will go back and ask for a broken down receipt.

Will take better care of teeth and make sure I don't need any work done for a long time!

severedhandcastles - just following on from your post. I didn't know you could claim for NHS treatment with a dental plan. Do'h. The reinbursement figures make much more sense.