Dentist: Root Canal to cost £800. Is this expensive ? Seems like alot.

[Oblomov]

Dh in pain. Couldn't get NHS appointment till end Aug. Paid £50 to be seen at our local dentists - yeah so they did have an appointment available after all - , but only if he went private. And paid £50.
Has been told he needs root canal treatment, or extraction. Big tooth at back and he has already lost the one next to it.
£800 they quoted him. God. Is this normal ?

Sounds a lot to me think mine was about £500 with a very expensive (and fantastic) dentist. Get a second opinion.

DING-DONG!!!

Have it extracted. DO NOT pay £800 for work that might still go wrong. An extraction would be the end of it. (Even though I had one a week ago today and now have "dry socket".)

sympathies - I had dry socket after ahving wisdom tooth removed. But not every wants a gap!

Thanks. And Kew, I agree, it is not really vanity, I don't think. He just said he wouldn't really mind extraction, but he had already lost the one next to it. Then he would be left with a very big 'double' gap, wouldn't he ?

I have a private dental plan which costs £12 a month. My root canal cost me £400. I think £800 sounds like a lot. I have had a tooth out at the back (failed root canal) and i didn't want to lose another tooth right next to it so paid for the treatment.

I have had to have root canal work in prep for a new crown ...all in it will cost me £650 and I thought that was extortionate

In my opinion (and based on my mums experience) its always worth hanging onto a tooth if you can. You never know what the future holds for your teeth but I'd venture to guess no-one grew any new ones after 30...

Herbie, we are registered with Dentist, on NHS. They won't do it on the NHS. They said it was only available privately.

Kew, " I sprouted a few extra teeth, at the age of 40".
Now that really would be handy

Root canal treatment is avaliable on te nhs, but itis a long and labourious proces so plenty of dentistsare reluctant to do it for a mere £46.

Right, so how do I find one that does it on the NHS for £46

It is almost impossible to find an NHS dentist that will do a root canal. £800 is at the top end of the price range for private. For that money, it should be a specialist endodontist that is doing the treatment. Can you ask around, as some dentists (even specialists) will do root canals for about £400 to £500. It's still a lot of money, but it's an awful lot better than £800!
(all info from dentist friend of ours, BTW)

I have a fab nhs dentist and was lucky (unluckly?) enough to need root canal work after an abscess when dd was 8 mths so it was free - no problem with it being done on the nhs - perhaps dentists can pick and choose the treatments they offer? (I think mine only does nhs not private). I had antibiotics for the abscess then 2 appts a few days apart each lasting about 20/30 mins so I can see that £46 isn't exactly going to cover the cost.

Just spoken to the dentists. They say that £46 is only avaialble on certain root canal treatments. say on a front tooth. But because it is right at the back, it is much more difficult and not available NHS.
Phoning NHS direct now, as advised to see if any other dentists will do it, cheaper.

I was quoted £700 'starting price'! by the endo-dentist type that my own dentist recommended (and told me it was the only person available). I simply didn't have the work done - couldn't afford it, and couldn't believe it should be that expensive. Eventually had it done for £400 by an excellent specialist recommended through a colleague at work. If you have to go private (and you do, for this, as far as I know), do shop around. I hate the private system - I find it impossible to trust health professionals when I know they have such a huge financial interest in getting your business.

Dentist are actually supposed to pick and choose the tretment they offer however they do. I would think long and hard about leaving this dentist and looking else where as nhs dentists are like gold dust and you are unlikely to find one taking on new patients

As MTM says this is definetly at the high end and what I would expect from a specialist endodontist, not just private (assuming this is just the cost of the root canal treatment and doesn't include the cost of a crown on the tooth as well).

Tha is simply not true. Root canal treatment is avaliable on the nhs on every tooth in the mouth.

In theory it's available for a back tooth on the NHS - but I know that a lot (most?) of dentists will not do the treatment and will offer an extraction instead - because it's such a complicated treatment and they don't get enough money for doing it.

I've been told i need a specialist root canal for my back tooth. Either that or extraction. Quoted £600. I can't justify paying £600 for a tooth. Haven't got it for one which would mean sliding into more debt.

How is it in a healthcare system where all other areas are striving for more services and improved techniques, the NHS dentistry service seems to be regressing?

I'm upset about it as I have no fillings, my teeth are otherwise in good condition and I've only had niggling pain from it on occasion. I thought I'd need a filling. And the dentist treated me like something she'd scraped off her shoe, 'sit down' and proceeded to ask me a load of questions to my back while she faced the other way at the computer.

Because the reforms 2 years ago that where supposed to "sort out a failing nhs dental system" where a joke, we knew they wouldn't work before it started, so much so that loads of dentsits refused to sign up to it.

As an example of how bad it is, it on more than one occassion it ended up costing me to treat a patient.

At the end of the day dentists are people with bills and mortages to pay, and they need to make a living. That £46 for perhaps 3 30 mins appointments isn't a lot when you bear in mind they have to pay all their staff, buy/maintain equipment, rent and other bils on the property, insurance, waste disposal, buy materials etc etc etc

The difference with dentists over doctors is they are basical running their own business not working ina hospital .

Because the reforms 2 years ago that where supposed to "sort out a failing nhs dental system" where a joke, we knew they wouldn't work before it started, so much so that loads of dentsits refused to sign up to it.

As an example of how bad it is, it on more than one occassion it ended up costing me to treat a patient.

At the end of the day dentists are people with bills and mortages to pay, and they need to make a living. That £46 for perhaps 3 30 mins appointments isn't a lot when you bear in mind they have to pay all their staff, buy/maintain equipment, rent and other bils on the property, insurance, waste disposal, buy materials etc etc etc

The difference with dentists over doctors is they are basical running their own business not working ina hospital .