Charged privately for white filing by dentist?

[delboy1984]

I've recently moved to a new area and found an NHS dentist which is about a 20 minute drive from my area.

I had an initial check up which was free due to me being on Universal Credit and a low income and the dentist said I needed a filling in one of my back teeth. He told me I had two options - silver or white. He went through the options and I'm sure he said it'll be £73.50 if I went with a white one. Even though it's classed as a "back tooth" I still wanted white as I thought you'd probably still could see it. Assuming it was £73.50 I can just about afford it.

So two months later I was in to have it done. He did it and said it'll be £150 as I'd signed my treatment plan (which stated this price) and that back fillings can't be done white on the NHS and it'll have to be done as private. I stated the confusion but he stood firm and said it was done privately.

Can anyone shed any light on this please?
Under the NHS how much should I have been charged for a white filing on a back tooth? Is it purely because it wasn't a front tooth and it's automatically switched to a private cost?

Thanks

Prices vary for private dentists, and I'd consider myself lucky to have a NHS dentist at all if I were you!

Unless there’s something wrong with them or decay underneath, leave them alone! It’ll cost you money and you risk stirring up a hornets nest. Nerves object to being poked at, start dying off and before you know it you’re having abscesses, root canal treatment and crowns. The dentist gets a nice payday though 😁

@StormingNorman I wanted to try and keep it. It wasn't a huge filling and I have had a tooth removed same side but upper
My dentist says if you can keep a tooth then do so, the silver is more dangerous to them than to me

Thankfully nothing wrong with them or around/under them (just had x-rays) so I'm leaving well alone!
I will have the one he said i need doing while it's still small and I think I'll go white for it.

@StormingNorman wouldn't removing wisdom teeth cuts a whole lot more than a filling?

Preserving teeth is really important.

I do consider myself lucky. I have to drive 30 minutes there and back but I'm willing to do that when I need treatment.

I wanted to make sure the costs were correct as I'm sure the conversation I had two months before with the dentist was different. It'll be good to know for future reference.