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

cattie

A lot of the dental schools in London do stopgap emergency treatment only for walk-ins & then only for people on means tested benefits.

If you qualify for such treatment & are in immediate pain they will do a temporary job only, you are expected to consult a dentist for a more permanent solution to your toothache.

Patients are usually taken by referral from dentist or dr only to have treatment.

shahpur

Thanks for all the help and information .

I phoned up NHS direct and was told what they were doing was wrong, in that if there is a medical need and the service is available on the NHS they have to either provide it or refer me to another NHS dentist .

I was told to phone up the Birmingham Primary and open a case , would it be worth doing or would the dentist still refuse to do the procedure ?

alison999

shahpur wrote: »

Thanks for all the help and information .

I phoned up NHS direct and was told what they were doing was wrong, in that if there is a medical need and the service is available on the NHS they have to either provide it or refer me to another NHS dentist .

I was told to phone up the Birmingham Primary and open a case , would it be worth doing or would the dentist still refuse to do the procedure ?

You could try phoning your dentist and informing them that you have spoken to NHS direct and tell them what theyve said... see how they react to that? Otherwise you could ring the PCT and take it from there, if you are in pain then Id try the first option then, if no luck say you'll take it further with the PCT!

Please just bear in mind that the receptionist might have to speak to the dentist before you get your 'final decision' from him/her so you might have to wait for a call back.

Good luck!

jugglebug

shahpur wrote: »

Thanks for all the help and information .

I phoned up NHS direct and was told what they were doing was wrong, in that if there is a medical need and the service is available on the NHS they have to either provide it or refer me to another NHS dentist .

I was told to phone up the Birmingham Primary and open a case , would it be worth doing or would the dentist still refuse to do the procedure ?

If the dentist has said they are not capable of doing it then nothing can force them to do so. That is clear in medical law. In fact it is considered negligent in law to attempt a procedure that is beyond your abilities, even if the patient says "I don't mind if you have a go" The onus remains on the dentist.
So that leaves you with getting an NHS referral. And there lies the problem.
In my locality there is not a single NHS specialist in endodontics. So where would I refer a patient too?
One of the Dental Hospitals presumably, which means that the dozen or so dental hospitals are required to provide all the complex root treatments needed for every patient in the country???? I don't think anyone can believe that is possible, there just are not enough of them. That ignores the practical travelling to and from the hospital.

Essentially this highlights the massive !!!! up that is NHS dentistry in this country. Good news is that the government has neatly dumped the responsibility of providing the availability of care onto the PCT.
They didn't train the PCTS on how to achieve this and they don't fund them any differently from before it was the PCT's responsibility.

Jaycee1972

Hi

I had a white filling about 3 years ago while pregnant and it was quite a big one and close to the root. The tooth has been sensitive on and off ever since. Back in Jan 09 I had pain in it and the dentist I had at the time said it was infected, prescribed antibotics and said if problems persisted I may need root canal treatment.

I have since moved house and changed dentists. After a week or so of awful toothache on and off (kept thinking it was settling down but it would flare up). My gums were inflamed and would bleed on brushing.

Anyway, I got an emergency appointment yesterday morning, the dentist took an x-ray and said the filling was close to the root but there was no infection. I went back later the same day and she took out the old filling, put a dressing and temporary filling in and sent me home to see if it would settle. She said if I were still in pain, after 10 days or so to go back and she will have to do root canal treatment. If it does settle I have an appointment booked for early July to have it refilled.

My question really is how long should it take to settle down if it is going to? I had awful pain last night although I did get some sleep I had to get up at 5 and take more painkillers (I am taking paracetamol and ibuprofen as one or the other doesn't touch it). The pain is different to before the treatment yesterday and already my gum is less inflamed and sore, I can press on it without hitting the ceiling - but the whole tooth itself is really painful and if I catch it, it really makes me jump. In one sense it is better as there is less throbbing but the whole tooth now is really painful. The painkillers are making it bearable unless I touch the tooth. I don't want to not give it time, but don't want 10 days of this pain either. What is usual? Anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks x

adouglasmhor

A couple of days at most, probably start to feel a bit better by the end of today.


And stop touching it if you can.

Toothsmith

From it's history, I think it's a bit over optimistic to hope it will settle.

If it's still as bad tomorrow, I'd ring up and get back.

Jaycee1972

Toothsmith wrote: »

If it's still as bad tomorrow, I'd ring up and get back.

Yes, will do, thanks.

Jaycee1972

Seen a different dentist this morning at their sister practice as no dentists in today at mine!

She said it was infected (and probably wouldn't have shown up on thursdays x-ray if in early stages) and prescribed antibiotics. I have been advised to alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen at 2 hourly intervals - although she said I might not need them tomorrow as the antibiotics should settle it down. Here's hoping!

adouglasmhor

Sorry to hear that, hope it settles quickly.