root canal treatment - NHS and private costs & pros and cons

Debtless_2

hi all, i had a root canal and now it needs redoing and my nhs dentist says it will cost £75, i am on tax credits so don't pay and they said that it is not covered by the exemption. this doesn't sound right to me any help appreciated.

Toothsmith

Doesn't sound right at all.

If you're NHS, and have an exemption, then you won't pay. Not sure that tax credits on their own are an automatic exemption though.

But if you don't pay normally you shouldn't pay for this.

What country are you in? as £75 isn't an NHS charge in England or Wales.

Debtless_2

england and yes exempt, i have emailed the GDC about it and will see what they say, i knoe for sure that i never paid for the last root canal i had there.

Toothsmith

Not really for the GDC yet this one. Your local PCT would certainly be interested though.

Mumto2

I had a crown fitted 2 weeks ago and it is still extremly sensitive. The dentist checked it on Thursday and said there is still time for it to settle. They want to wait as the alternative is root canal.

I have a maternity exemption which expires mid Jan. What I'm wondering is, if I did need root canal treatment doing, would it be covered under this treatment plan? If it happened after Jan would it be chargeable?

Thanks

hethmar

I cant see why an alternative to a crown would be a root canal. Hopefully one of the dentists will be along to advise

Toothsmith

It's not an alternative to a crown - It's the thing to do next if the crown doesn't settle.

Was the tooth x-rayed before the crown to check for possible problems?

I wouldn't worry too much about whether you'll still be exempt or not. It's more important to have the appropriate treatment at the appropriate time.

hethmar

Toothsmith, if you are still around - is £78 a reasonable price for a private extraction please?

coldstreamalways

hethmar wrote: »

I cant see why an alternative to a crown would be a root canal. Hopefully one of the dentists will be along to advise

If you read the post, it seems the dentist is saying the alternative to waiting for it to settle down is a root canal. RCT may be the answer ultimately anyway but it's important to know lots of things first-the condition of the tooth and root before treatment, why it needed crowning, what sort of problems the tooth is causing now etc etc etc. As many as one in ten crowned teeth will ultimately need RCT, that need could arise at any time between preparing the tooth and when the patient dies!!! Very unpredictable unfortunately.

£78 is perfectly reasonable for a private extraction in my opinion.

hethmar

Many thanks.

(my response to the other post was really just to nudge it up for an expert to see )