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

silverfoxuk

Thanks maria1981, I'm in Edinburgh though.... but there are Endodontists here! Wen't to visit my dentist yesterday and he just said keep taking the antibiotics and come back next week if still a problem. He suggested if there were further problems then an extraction and implant would be the answer. I think I'd rather give saving the tooth one final go with a specialist or at least get their opinion on it. I'll my dentist to refer me and see how we go.......

flightinfo

RCT & crown - mixing private and NHS?

I have just spent ages reading through this great thread so some of my questions have been answered.

I hadn't been to the dentist (NHS) for some time as everytime I went there was a different dentist at the surgery and it put me off going. However, took my children regularly and they have had the same dentist for quite a time now. In December I broke a tooth so had no choice but to go. Unfortunately, need to have RCT and either crown or extraction. She informed me that this would have to be done privately (and yes, I have read the other posts about this) but she said her charges were 'independent' which was cheaper than private and she would send me a letter.

At the time, she did a check-up and 4 x-rays for which I paid £25. I also signed the form the receptionist gave me.

Having received her letter which I have been mulling over since the end of December, I have some queries:

1. She has quoted me privately for all the work, including fillings.
2. Having looked at NHS charges, I now realise the £25 I paid at the time was obviously private as it is not in any of the NHS bands. I did sign a form at the time but I did not read it (I know - my mistake). It was the usual case of the receptionist saying sign here - assuming it was the normal NHS form I did just that. At no time, did she state that all the work would be private.
3. On reading other posts, people seem to have been quoted an exact price - she is quoting me a range of fees which differ greatly. I realise that it may sometimes be necessary to do additional work which is not known about until work on the tooth is started but I have been quoted:

£35 - £100 for a filling - which I feel should be done on the NHS
(if she refuses to do on NHS - could I leave these - not bothering me - and have them done next time NHS appointment is due).
£100 - £250 for RCT (depending on material used)
Crown - £250 - £495 (depending on material used)
Post and core £50 - £150.

Surely I should be given a better quote than this - there is a huge difference in minimum and maximum.

I was just interested in some other views before I go back to her. I don't want to make a really big scene as my children do go there but am not happy to accept things as they stand. I am also thinking of asking her to refer me to an endodentist.

flightinfo

Just wondered if anyone can help me with some of my queries in the post above before I speak to the dentist.

Thanks for your help.

Debtless_2

all that work can be done on nhs, give the primary care trust a ring for your area and ask them, worked for me.

qaklush

Hi there,
My husband has had problems with an upper tooth (molar) for at least a year now (occasional bleeding) and a couple of weeks ago he was in a lot of pain and it was sensitive to hot and cold drinks and food. He regular goes to his dentist every 6 months (they do both NHS and private treatment) but for some reason they didn't seem to bothered with this tooth and would just clean it and give him special dental toothpaste for gum decay. He managed to get an emergency appointment couple of days after he rang and had an x-ray. He was then told he would need a root canal and crown as his tooth was either dead or heading that way. They said they could do the crown on the NHS but the root canal was specialist and could only be done private. They booked him for two appointments on 2nd Feb and 16th Feb. In the last week he wanted to get a second opinion so paid £16 for a private consultation with another dentist practice who checked his teeth including sensitivity test on the tooth in question and an an-ray. They rang him the next day to say that they would not recommend a root canal because his tooth was too short by about 10mm. He is now VERY confused and does not know what to do! Should he risk the root canal treatment at a cost to him or should he take the advice of second dentist and just have the tooth removed and replaced? He needs to let his dentist know by tomorrow if he is keeping his appointment for Monday...
Thanks for any last minute advice )
Caroline

qaklush

PS: forgot to mention that he was also prescribed a course of strong antibiotics (5 day course) which he has taken to help with the infection. He is not in any more pain but obviously does not want to take the risk of re-infection.
Caroline

Debtless_2

root canals are done on nhs no matter what the dentist says, my dentist said the same so i rang the PCT and they rang my dentist who then said they would do the RC on NHS.

qaklush

My hubby does know he can have it done on the NHS (the dental practice that gave him the second opinion offered to do it on the NHS but after they checked the x-ray...that is when they said they couldn't do it because of having a short tooth...I assume they mean roots?)...what I need to know is should he go ahead and have the root canal done or should he just have it taken out at some point and replaced? The conflicting advice has only just made him even more confused. At the end of the day he is happy to have it done but only if the tooth can be worked on with no foreseen problems. Did anyone else have any problems with the lenght of their remaining tooth or is my hubby just unfortunate? :-)

Debtless_2

have the root canal done and if it's no good then have it taken out and replaced etc.

hethmar

You need toothsmith, the resident dentist on this. But I really dont know what they mean about a short tooth??? The bigger problem is when the root canals are too long surely - and then you need a specialist with specialist equipment. May be they mean the tooth is too small to take a crown? Dont know, baffled.