Dentist won't fit bridge on NHS?

ernie-money · 3 August 2015 at 3:02PM

My OH has been to the dentist to have a tooth filled, but was told it can't be saved, but needs to be extracted, and he then needs to have a bridge fitted. This is one of his molars, but he also has one of his front teeth that has been "dead" for years and will soon need the same treatment, and he was quoted a total of about £2400 for the work. As he is an NHS patient, I checked what the NHS charge should be & the website said £222.50 (x 2 presumably), so I rang the dentist and asked why it would cost so much. I was told that there must have been a reason why it couldn't be done on the NHS, ie that it was cosmetic or something else. Is there any way we can contest this, because surely a missing tooth can't be deemed to be just cosmetic..? £2400 is an awful lot of money, and I wouldn't even mind having to put a bit extra towards it if he could have it done, but that much - there is no way we can save up that much, that's more than twice what we spend on our annual holiday...
Was just hoping to get some advice if possible please...

Edit: sorry, just wanted to add that I'm not complaining about NHS dentists or anything, maybe there's been some sort of misunderstanding, but just wanted to see if we could get some feedback or info before speaking to the dentist again. Thanks

Dizzy_Ditzy · 3 August 2015 at 6:52PM

I got my bridge done at the local dental hospital, free. It was done by a "student" but she was very experienced and at a registrar level rather than bog standard student. Everything was overseen by a consultant dentist.

My understanding is that bridges aren't covered by the nhs tariffs, although I'm sure one of the resident dentists on here will be along to clarify

welshdent · 3 August 2015 at 10:00PM

Technically speaking bridges are available on the NHS however if it is not needed for functional reasons then it doesnt have to be provided and CAN be viewed as cosmetic. i.e. if it s a molar tooth and there are teeth either side and as such the individual is still able to eat (research shows that you only need pre molars to chew - shortened dental arch) - if the only concern is the gap would be unsightly then the dentist can argue that it is cosmetic. Front teeth would be in my opinion a little different but I can not see your other half to be able to comment. What the dentist cant say is that it is "not available"on the NHS. Because yes they are but its not black and white.

Dentist won't fit bridge on NHS?

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