NHS Dentist- advice/rant!

butler_helen

Apologies if this is the wrong place but I can't find anywhere to put it.

I had the start of a root canal on Thursday afternoon, on Friday I had a dull toothache (same tooth) and now I have major toothache/jawache/earache and haven't eaten since breakfast- it hurts too much

I live in Reading but I have always kept my dentist in cheltenham because I couldn't find an NHS dentist in Reading. And I still can't. I would be accepted by loads of dentists but I can't afford them- I need to be on the NHS, although I'm not on benefits either, I just can't afford a root canal privately and dont want the tooth removed just because the NHS wont accept me.

Is there an alternative? Could I go to A&E once the pain is too much? I would return to my 'real' dentist but I want to be seen tonight, I cannot explain how much pain I am...I feel like such a child!

Also...how do I get on an NHS dentist list? or even get on the waiting list? I have dental insurance but I can't afford to pay out in order to reclaim.

ali-t

if yoiu post this on the health and beauty board you will get a better response. there are a number of dentists on there.

Smashing

A P Lewis on the Oxford Road is accepting NHS patients. Not the nicest place in the world, but if you're desperate...

sxxgal

look on your local primary care trust for info of local dentist,in the mean time if the pain becomes to much your local hospital will see to you.

here`s a link for your local PCT.

http://www.berkshirewest-pct.nhs.uk/
hope the pain eases soon for you.:)

whatatwit

Phone your dentist, they might have an emergency number for you to ring.

butler_helen

I tried the nhs direct dental line from the link sxxgal but they say I can't be seen until tomorrow and they gave me a dentist who would see me as an emergency nhs patient but might not take me on permentantly. They did however give me names of dentists who 'may or maynot be open for new patients, in my area' -each one requires several buses or a car. ugh. Why is life never simple.

I've not heard great things about AP Lewis... are you recommending them? Or just seen them as an option?

Smashing

butler_helen wrote: »

I've not heard great things about AP Lewis... are you recommending them? Or just seen them as an option?

I wouldn't recommend them, no - but if you're skint and can't afford private treatment it's an option. Lets face it, you don't have to go back once it's sorted.

butler_helen

Smashing wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend them, no - but if you're skint and can't afford private treatment it's an option. Lets face it, you don't have to go back once it's sorted.

true true...I will try them tomorrow...im begining not to care about whether i lose the tooth!

moiramber

I had a nightmare time getting a root canal done on a tooth once, I had to have it done twice on same tooth!! And then a year later i got pain in it again, I eventually got the tooth out which took ten mins and was the best thing I ever did! No more pain!! I had two years of pain and a million dentist appointments for the stupid thing and now am scared !!!!!! less of the dentist and haven't been in 8 years!!!! If i ever had the problem again i'd get it out straight away!!!!

Toothsmith

Such is the 'service' from the NHS dental facility in this country.

In the pre-2006 days when NHS dentists were paid for providing out of hours emergency care, each practice had to have it's own arrangements for providing care for it's registered patients out-of-hours. And there was hell to pay from the health authorities if a patient complained of not being able to get in touch - even for relatively trivial things.

Then, the powers that be decided that paying dentists 40p per month per patient to provide this care was not 'value-for-money' and abolished the concept of registration.

It was then up to local PCTs and NHS direct to provide emergency out-of-hours coverage.

Needless to say, what qualifies as an 'emergency' now that it's provided from central funding has been downgraded to 'is the problem likely to kill you in the next 15 mins?' and so hardly anyone ever accesses a real dentist out of hours nowadays on the NHS.

Private dentists, on the other hand, tend to still provide a decent OOH service (or should do).

You pays your money - you takes your choice.

The time is here now when decent dental care needs to be looked upon as an essential - not a luxury.

The state barely provides it now - and with Uncle Gordon's recent borrowing, funding for the NHS generally will be cut - how do you think NHS dentistry will fare when put up against something like cancer care?

moggitymog

hope you are feeling better, had the same problem myself a few months age and was in agony, the best pain relief for me was ibuprofen, then 3 hrs later would have paracetamol, then after 3 hrs back to the ibuprofen etc. finally had the tooth out after unsucessful root treatment, mine also started up again after first part of treatment