I wanna get my teeth fixed!

Toothsmith

pollocmc wrote:

Its easy to say get a dentist and pay up but if you have to go private and are not well paid and cant afford it does that mean you are not entitled to the treatment that others can get. Not having a go at you Toothsmith, its the shambles the govenrment seem intent on making of NHS dental care which at this rate wont exist at all soon that is annoying me!

The OP said he had 'Strong but very badly discoloured teeth'

Therefore he is looking for cosmetic dentistry.

Cosmetic dentistry isn't covered by the NHS anyway.

There isn't enough tax revenue to pay for the essentials - You know, Wars, Computer systems that don't work, Big houses for Ministers. Never mind the little luxuries like education and healthcare. So I don't think cosmetic dentistry is ever going to get on the map.

tawnyowls

Ratty wrote:

Given that you can get a posh cheap/free haircut from student hairdressers on training nights, does anyone know if it's possible to offer oneself (as a victim) up to student dentists for similar training? I've got a lot of very strong but very badly discoloured teeth (cheers, childhood antibiotics!), and I know I'd be looking at a couple of thousand pounds as a conservative estimate to get them fixed even with an NHS dentist.

What exactly are you planning to get done? It sounds at that price as if you're thinking about veneers. If it's the discolouration you have the problem with, have you considered bleaching (professional, done with a UV light)? That can make an amazing difference, only costs about £300-400, and should last for a long time, especially as you're usually given a top-up kit as well (supposed to last a year, but I'm not half-way through mine after 2 years). I was told by the dentist that the procedure wouldn't be able to whiten my fillings, but it did! I would definitely give that a go before trying anything with veneers, especially as the procedure to fit them is irreversible; your teeth have to be filed down so much that you're stuck with veneers for the rest of your life, and they only have a lifespan of about 10 years, so it's a very expensive option.

Toothsmith

It may cost a bit more to bleach teeth if it's tetracycline staining (I think that's what the OP was refering to when he said about childhood antibiotics). This can be a real bu**er to shift. With time and perseverence it can work though. Find and be guided by a dentist experienced in such matters.

Nile

Hello Ratty

I think this thread may be better suited on the 'Health' board, where it could help others with a similar question to ask.........so I'll move it across.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile