Dental Treatment Abroad

moneylover

Its so good to have a dentist on here prepared to take the time to answer questions. I had no idea that veneers might last such a short time. My problem is that my front teeth are very prominent - I had orthodontics in my teens but everything has moved forward again. Is sixty too old for orthodontics if the bone is healthy (I have no crowns, bridges, dead nerves etc just a few fillings)??
My mum had teeth that were really buck teeth - no orthodontics in her time! When she was about forty the dentist offered to take them out and she had a little plate after that! She absolutely loved it! I guess no dentist would do that today. But would a dentist do a bridge maybe? Veneers wouldnt be any use - one tooth sits on top of another! But I suppose a bridge is equally destructive.
When I have watched 'ten year younger' programmes I have always thought that the work people have had done on their teeth has made the most difference. But it did worry me when one woman had about 12 veneers because she was not well off and I did wonder what she would do if she couldnt afford replacement veneers in the years ahead.

Toothsmith

moneylover wrote: »

Its so good to have a dentist on here prepared to take the time to answer questions. I had no idea that veneers might last such a short time. My problem is that my front teeth are very prominent - I had orthodontics in my teens but everything has moved forward again. Is sixty too old for orthodontics if the bone is healthy (I have no crowns, bridges, dead nerves etc just a few fillings)??
My mum had teeth that were really buck teeth - no orthodontics in her time! When she was about forty the dentist offered to take them out and she had a little plate after that! She absolutely loved it! I guess no dentist would do that today. But would a dentist do a bridge maybe? Veneers wouldnt be any use - one tooth sits on top of another! But I suppose a bridge is equally destructive.
When I have watched 'ten year younger' programmes I have always thought that the work people have had done on their teeth has made the most difference. But it did worry me when one woman had about 12 veneers because she was not well off and I did wonder what she would do if she couldnt afford replacement veneers in the years ahead.

Sixty probably isn't too old for orthodontics, so long as everything else is OK.

As to any more destructive stuff, it's a different kettle of fish doing things like that to a 60yr old as to a 20 yr old.

If you can excuse my indelicacy, stuff done to an older person isn't going to need replacing as many times as it is for a younger one. Meaning that slightly more extreme things could be considered.

Having said that, it's easily possible these days that you could well still be around for another 40+ years, and pretty active for an awful lot of that time. (My Grandad hit 90 this year, and last Summer recorded his second ever hole in one at his local golf club, where he still plays regularly)

So it's still important not to compromise your dental wellbeing.

Just having the front two teeth out is not a good treatment plan though for a bridge, as the incisors next to them are also thin fiddly teeth like the lower ones. They are not usually good bridge supports.

I would have a good chat with your dentist the next time you're in, and ask him what he thinks the options are, and if he could suggest anything, or refer you anywhere.

mjmal51

I suppose we have hijacked this thread from the original theme of having dental work done abroad. However, I had considered that in the past and after reading threads on this forum in the past on this topic I have decided that I will use a private practice in the UK rather than run the risk of language problems and distance should things not go completely right by going abroad to save money. Although UK prices are higher the peace of mind gives better value for money in my opinion.

moneylover

Toothsmith, yes, I could be more extreme at sixty in what was done but when I imagine having to have it done again perhaps at eighty it isnt so appealing. And veneers once done no going back of course! I might investigate orthodontics. I think I will look for other older people on the arch-wired message board....

In the meantime two last boring questions which nevertheless might interest other people.
1 Should you clean your teeth before or after breakfast? Or maybe clean before and floss after?
2 Is dental gum helpful after other meals/snacks when teeth cleaning isnt an option ie at work and if so is there any particularly good one?

Its a pity we can only give you one thanks per post!

Toothsmith

Brush your teeth after breakfast, ideally not sooner than 1/2 hour afterwards.

Any sugar free chewing gum has benefits if cleaning isn't an option. 'Dental' ones have no particular advantage over normal ones.

scotsbob

I can speak very highly of www.dentistabroad.co.uk.

If you are really worried, they also have a clinic in London if you require advice and/or quotes.

Unlike UK dentists they list their fees online and these are about one third of UK dentists.

No dentist here will tell me their fees until they have charged me for an examination and x-ray. If you want to compare prices you have to pay each dentist these fees.
Rip off Britain again.

My crowns cost £180 each and the consultation and panoramic x-rays were free.

bintheredunthat

Excellent info from Toothsmith.I'm now 54 (a young 54 at that ):j and I want my top back teeth, both sides, 'sorted'. They are a mass of metal filling and at my last check I asked my dentist if he would cap/crown them.I would go privately if necessary. He suggested crowns or take the old fillings out and replace them with white. He didn't seem confident that either would last that long (lets face it I hardly need a 40 year guarantee!) but thought 5-6 years. These teeth are slowly wearing as they are where I do most of my chewing I had fillings there last year and are due some tomorrow:eek: . My question is, should I bother ? It's only vanity (and a mortgage to pay for it) after all or should I just carry on and not meddle ?
I also was going to go abroad, to Hungary, but have just read a couple of scare stories so am losing my nerve (ends?).

Any advice welcome - before tomorrow !

PS I had a crown put on a front top tooth when I was 17 as I hadn't looked after it and a large section had gone black and broken. I still have the crown and have never had a problem with it - it was an NHS treatment before government messed about with them.

misscomickat

I have found on some websites that I can get my teeth whitened in Poland for around £100 (compared to around £500 here).

It's definitely something I am going to consider when I get there.

ddudgeon

If you're going to the U.S. for a money-saving shopping trip, make an appointment for UV laser whitening. It's about $300 USD and takes 2 hours.

MFTC

:jHi,
I felt the same anxiety about British dentists as so many on the forum. In my experience they are scandalously overpriced. Although most are well educated and competent they are driven by an almost insane profit motivation. They operate on patients like an assembly line - we've all been there where you have an injection, wait, then be treated a little, then wait again - meanwhile a queue of others shuffles along. They do this because the make their money on piecework. I have spent thousands of pounds on my teeth over the years - I am now 47. Most fillings fall out, most caps fail because of their “necessarily” quick shoddy work which is horribly overpriced! I have learned to mistrust their recommendations as they often do unnecessary work.

Last year I watched the Travel Channel took their advice went to Krakow and had £3000 of work done - mostly to ameliorate the mess that Brit Dentists had left behind. All the dentists speak fluent English; they are lovely & old fashionedly polite, gentle and my Goodness incredible value for money! They have post graduate degrees from Western Germany. Their clinics are by Law all equipped and operated at European standards - often higher than ours. They also use Swiss steel made implants. The best porcelain and if you ask will give you receipts for the products they use. The same treatment which took 5 pleasant days in a beautiful city( - just like a holiday) would have cost me upwards of £7000 and would have taken umpteen appointments over many months to fit in with the local Brit dentist For God’s sake vote with your feet and don’t get ripped off here. I met loads of Brits over there as well as Germans, Dutch Italians – they all had the same story about over pricing and poor quality in their “developed” countries. Just look up Polish Dentist on the web. Use a cheap budget flight (as little as £0 from your local airport and go to Poland. After a year my teeth feel fantastic. I have been back for another lovely stay with the wife for a follow up check-up (part of the treatment) and have never had such a good feeling about my gnashers!