Dental cost misery

prozacthegigglefairy

Hi All,

Need some advice as I am feelin very miserable.
I have always looked after my teeth, brush twice a day, floss, don't drink fizzy drinks or eat sweets..although I am a smoker.
Was with a dentist and rarely saw him but a few years ago I got a huge pus filled lump on my bottom gum, under my two front teeth. It went after a few days but left a hole.
After a few weeks I went to see the dentist who said it was nothing to worry about and sent me on my way.
Turns out he was wrong.
I went to see an emergency dentist for wisdom tooth pain one Saturday night, and he advised me my wisdom tooth was impacted and had an infection.
I had already decided to change my dentist after he massacred my gums doing a filling (clamp was too tight).
I went to see the new dentist who was extremely concerned about the hole in my gum, took x rays and referred me to the hospital.
At the hospital I was x rayed again and informed I have a severe infection in my gums, actually in the bones and they even showed me the xray...nice black mass along my bottom jaw.
By this point I was no longer entitled to free dental care.
My two front bottom teeth are already dead, and my gums are receeding rapidly.
They won't operate to remove the wisdom tooth until I have the infection sorted; which means root canal and possible crowns for two front teeth which are loose.
My dentist is NHS but I still need to pay £198 per crown! This I believe covers the cost of the root canal also but I can not afford this!
I have been told to sue my original dentist for failing to examine my gums properly thus escalating what was a mild gum disease to this.
I am heartbroken that at 28 I am facing losing my teeth.
I feel it is pointless suing as the dentist will just blame my smoking, although my new dentist did say that he could tell the teeth themselves were looked after well, otherwise the disease would have escalated far sooner.
I just don't know what to; I am not able to get dental insurance as the periodontitis has now been diagnosed and I am so upset.

I can't get a loan or finance for the work due to poor credit.

Any advice please!

Thanks

Giggles

BitterAndTwisted

I know it's no comfort to you but the cost of the root-canal and crowns at £198 a tooth is a lot less than it would cost privately. There are lots of us out here who can't find an NHS dentist to take us on and have to consult a private one. My crown cost over £300 and I didn't need root-canal work. Has your new dentist mentioned anything about bridge-work on those front teeth instead of crowns?

Now is the time to start making a list of anything and everything you can sell at car-boots or Ebay to raise the funds if it's not possible to borrow the money from family or friends.

I don't suppose this is the time to tell you that more teeth are lost to smokers from gum-disease than decay, so it could make no difference at all how well you look after your teeth if you continue smoking. If you smoke a pack a day, one month's worth of cancer-sticks is nearly equivalent to the cost of one crown. Shocking, isn't it?

I'd make an appointment with your GP and see if they can refer you to a dental hospital. I know someone who was referred and had a huge amount of work done but he wasn't a smoker, so it's possible that that made a big difference.

whatatwit

The £198 charge should cover the work that is necessary for the course of treatment.
So, I would have thought that both root canals and crowns would be covered.

If your dentist is trying to charge you £198 per tooth and you are being treated under NHS, then contact your local Primary Care Trust and raise the matter with them.

I am taking it that you are in England.

BitterAndTwisted

£198 for both root-canals and crowns? That's a bargain, that is. Only 33 packs of cigs. I know what I'd do

prozacthegigglefairy

Hi

Thanks for the replies,
I believe the cost is £198 per tooth and I need 2 at the front and possibly the ones to the sides of them also.
Which is around £800 worth of treatment.
Bitter and Twisted I can see what you are saying about the smoking and I am planning on quitting but I smoke tobacco and only 10 a day so the cost monetary wise is very little.
I also would like to defend myself here in saying that if it wasn't for the shoddy dentist not realising sooner, I would have known I needed treatment, known the smoking would have escalated that and stopped smoking and got the treatment a hell of alot sooner.
Instead for 3 years i have been led down a merry path of believing all was well.

I will look into the dental hospital and see whether that is an option open to me.

Whatatwit I am living in England and my dentist is NHS.

Thanks again

dollydoodah

prozacthegigglefairy wrote: »

Hi

Thanks for the replies,
I believe the cost is £198 per tooth and I need 2 at the front and possibly the ones to the sides of them also.
Which is around £800 worth of treatment.

Whatatwit I am living in England and my dentist is NHS.

Thanks again

No, if you are having trreatment on the NHS the £198 banding covers EVERYTHING, regardless of how many crowns / fillings / root canals you need.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1781.aspx?CategoryID=74&SubCategoryID=74

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Documents/Dentists/2009/DS_A4_poster_accessible2009.pdf