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

coldstreamalways

It's true that specialists have a high success rate because they are very quick to say "no" to a treatment that doesn't have a high chance of working. If you demand a guarantee that it will work, the healing light of day (extraction) is more likely to be prescribed than an RCT which may not work and that may mean you asking for your money back.

ouchheather

Hi Please can anyone help? I'm with an NHS dentist who is quoting me 300 pounds for root canal treatment. Can this be right? Any advice greatly received - thanks.

Toothsmith

£300 isn't an NHS fee.

If you're an NHS patient you're entitled to all necessary treatment on the NHS. If the root filling is necessary, then it falls into the Band 2 fee of £46.50 (assuming you're living in England).

If he's saying something like' the NHS won't fund root fillings' or 'The nHS will only allow me to extract it' then he's spinning a yarn. Complain to your local Primary Care Trust.

welshdent

has he definitely agreed to see you as an NHS patient? Is there anything unusual about your tooth that they have mentioned? Are there disagreements in management between you and the dentist? There is a slight amount of wriggle room on the basis of the dentist having to provide a certain level of care. If for example there are posts inside the tooth and other complications the dentist MAY say that its beyond the scope of this mandatory care and offer it privately. They should explain their reasoning for this though and offer you alternative routes of care also. In the event of a disagreement the dentist may have said that the tooth needs to come out but you may be adamant that it is saved ... in which case I do think there is a case for a private fee provided the dentist can back up their reasoning. generally I take on all comers because I enjoy the challenge and have plenty of equipment to do so but I am squarely in the minority in terms of what I feel prepared to take on.... and despite being hammered by the loan repayments on my gear and losing money hand over fist on each treatment ... I do them all on the nhs ... its painful buying a microsope for NHS work!

~Chameleon~

Can't find my post now (might be on the other thread) but saw dentist and I asked when I was going to have the RCT tooth crowned and she said only if/when it fractures!!! :eek:

Also, on the subject of periodontal disease ... majority BPE scores were 3 in all quadrants yet I'm still advised to see the hygienist for scale & clean. She said my teeth are clean but there's plaque deep in the pockets

welshdent

are you having any problems in that tooth to have necessitated a root filling in the first place? Sorry if you have already said but I am on a break in surgery and havent got time to go searching! :-S

If your BPE scores are 3 then to me that justifies periodontal treatment. Not sure why you are being told such a blatent contradiction either ... how can your teeth be clean if there is plaque deep in pockets? If your teeth WERE clean you probably wouldnt have pockets

~Chameleon~

No, not currently having any problems with that tooth but I have very weak teeth and only half a tooth remaining behind it so I'm worried about it breaking and losing both of them. I don't have many molars left as it is and due to having a partial gastrectomy I need to be able to chew food properly to aid digestion.

Other than these problems she's actually quite a nice dentist and has helped me overcome my phobia, so I'm reluctant to change. I'm not very good at being assertive though even when I'm confident I'm in the right

welshdent

There may not be an indication for root fillings in that tooth. Its not a guaranteed success and can actually result in the tooth being lost if it doesnt work. It also significantly weakens the tooth due to the amount of tooth tissue loss during the procedure. Its difficult for me to FULLY assess you without seeing you but I would not be too hasty to rush down that route. I would be more interested in getting your deep pockets sorted which will do more to save ALL your remaining teeth

~Chameleon~

welshdent wrote: »

There may not be an indication for root fillings in that tooth. Its not a guaranteed success and can actually result in the tooth being lost if it doesnt work. It also significantly weakens the tooth due to the amount of tooth tissue loss during the procedure. Its difficult for me to FULLY assess you without seeing you but I would not be too hasty to rush down that route. I would be more interested in getting your deep pockets sorted which will do more to save ALL your remaining teeth

Sorry, don't think I've explained myself properly, the tooth had RCT done about 8mths ago and I'm still waiting for a crown but she won't crown it unless it breaks

welshdent

Oh in that case ... I would get the crown done! as a guide a root filled molar tooth is 6 times more likely to break than a non root filled tootg