Tooth broken <12 months

Mark_Hewitt

My Mum had a crown put on one of her teeth at the end of June 2008. Last week she bit down on it and it split completely in half! This was 11 months and 20 days since she had it done.

She paid the NHS standard rate of nearly £200 to get it done originally, she's been back to the dentists and got a temporary fix but the dentist has indicated that it'll likely have to be done again from scratch, incurring another £200 fee.

Now wouldn't you expect a tooth to last more than 12 months? Can she somehow get out of paying £200 again, as a pensioner it is not money she can spare.

bcl999

Mark_Hewitt wrote: »

Now wouldn't you expect a tooth to last more than 12 months?

Yes and no. When I had all my upper front teeth crowned/capped, the dentist said I shouldn't even bite into something like crusty bread and anything like apples etc were completely out.

Your Mum has been unfortunate. Do you have a Community Health Council in your area where she could get advice on how to proceed? I know they also used to represent patients in disputes but I dson't know if they even exist nowadays..

debtfreein4years

i had a cown done yesterday and on the back of the bit of paper confirming my treatment it says that if it fails under 12 months then its at the dentist cost to fix.

i woudl go back and say im not paying as a crown should be expected to last longer than a year.

Mark_Hewitt

debtfreein4years wrote: »

i had a cown done yesterday and on the back of the bit of paper confirming my treatment it says that if it fails under 12 months then its at the dentist cost to fix.

i woudl go back and say im not paying as a crown should be expected to last longer than a year.

When she was getting the temporary done she said that she thought she shouldn't have to pay again for it and the detists reply was "I don't think the NHS will stump up for that". Well, surely it's nothing to do with the NHS, it's the dentists responsibility?!

I don't know how long crowns are supposed to last, but I would imagine 5 years or more?

bookworm1363

That would depend (I'm saying that a lot today, lol). Depends on your mum's bite, on what material were used, on which tooth it was, on what caused the crown to break, etc... If your mum were overfond of crunching on Brighton Rock, for example, it would be a different expectation than if she exclusively eats sieved apples and mash.

cattie

When I have Nhs treatment done at my dentist, she tells me that if there is a problem within 6 months then I am still covered under the terms of my treatment. So if I had a filling & it fell out I don't have to pay for it to be refilled & I take it that any crowns I've had done will be replaced should they fall out within 6 months.

I personally wouldn't expect a dentist to replace a cracked or broken tooth as crowns are not as strong as natural teeth & care needs to be taken when eating things with a bit of crunch.