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

JazzaBing

I went to a new Dentist just around the corner from me - as I got some pain under a Molar filling a week ago - after xrays he said I'd need a root Canal as there was a hole under the filling and the tooth was quite hollow inside.

I was then basically presented with a price list - the two main prices were £300 to do the tooth and upto £250 for a crown which could be either gold or porcelain.

I going on holiday in a month's time - so need to at least get the basic sorted out and maybe a temp crown at first and full crown when I get back.

I'm in North West London - for that kind of money though can I see a specialist who does nothing but root canals in or around London?

Ideally I'd like to have paid the NHS rate which is under £200 - I'm not sure how this all works - his sign out front said NHS & Private and I paid the NHS band one for the checkup and xray. The current filing I had done abroad as it needing fixing whilst I was abroad.

Considering time is a factor what advice does anyone have?

He said that the initial procedure would take at least 2 hours in the chair in the first sitting. Does this sound about right? I saw some US video saying 40 minutes with the latest tools and equipment - Does the 2 hours sound too long and perhaps suggest he doesn't use the latest techniques or equipment?

Some websites mention the use of microscopes, etc for root canal. I'm in my 30's so don't particularly want to start losing teeth at my age. Would £500 pay for the services of a specialist in root canals with the latest equipment and say be within a reasonable drive of London?

shazrobo

my dentist did my root canal filling under the nhs, i assumed they all did, i must be one of the lucky ones

System

Toothsmith wrote: »

There is no reason why someone with that medical history needs specialist care for a root filling.

Yes you're pleased as it didn't cost you anything
yes im pleased ! he has since had other treatment free ,as for his medical history all you know is the basic info there are other factor which im not going in to .

mr_rush

Jazzabing - try Kind and Dental - Islington/Stoke Newington borders. Had my root canal done there a year ago under NHS. £42.

Toothsmith

JazzaBing wrote: »

Considering time is a factor what advice does anyone have?

If the tooth is more important than the money - go for the specialist referral. It will give the tooth the best chance of survival.

Don't pay too much attention to American 'guru's'. The American dental system is a bit peculiar. Yes, it's private, and pretty expensive, but most people have insurance cover, and the insurance companies have a position pretty similar to the NHS over here, where they have a monopolistic stranglehold on the fees paid.

So - there are some high end, big fee cosmetic practices but the average dentist dealing with average people have to fit their treatments to what the insurance companies will pay out.

Because of this, you get the 'gurus' coming along with their videos, and explaining how you can shave minutes off the treatment times with this bit of kit they've invented, or been paid to market.

A couple of hours is a good amount of time to spend on a molar root filling.

Having said that, the American fees are nowhere near as low as NHS fees, and at least there is a fee per item system, so that each treatment has it's own fee, not the crappy points system that the NHS has become.

Even under the old system, NHS root fillings were shown time and again to be substandard. There are, of course, exceptions, and some NHS dentists do them very well despite everything, but chances are very much stacked against you getting a decent root filling on the NHS.

Fortunately (In a way) many dentists now try and avoid doing root fillings on the NHS whenever they can!

If you are accepted as an NHS patient though, a dentist is breaking his contract if he only offers you a root filling privately. I would avoid having anything to do with a dentist who operates in this way, and the local PCT would also be interested that a necessary treatment was not offered to an NHS patient.

mda99das

Under a course of treatment the dentist needs to secure oral health.
An extraction would cover this . What about root canal on the NHS?

Toothsmith

I think this should be a reply on the other Root Canal thread - not a thread in itself. Can mods sort this?

JazzaBing

I'm not sure if I was accepted as an NHS patient or not this was my first visit with this Dentist - I'm not sure at what point your come under the NHS bit and which under private - they seem to offer both.

I was charged £15.90 for the initial visit and xrays and I heard the dentist tell his assistant to charge me under band one .. before I went I'd rung up and asked about NHS places but it was all a bit vague over the phone.

It was a strange visit
- perhaps the strangest thing was there wasn't anyone else in the waiting room both when I went and and when I came out. I've never seen a dentist's office before that didn't have loads of other people waiting to be seen.
Although they did say when I booked my appointment there was a cancellations so perhaps there was a long treatment planned that got canceled.


On another note I've come across a procedure called "Cerec" which seems to offer in house milling of a crown, inlay, etc.

Most information seems to promote it as thew quicker way to get everything you need done in a single visit - but I'm wondering is the actual technique better for the long term health of the tooth then the traditional root canal and crown?

Bearing in mind I'm in my 30's and need to get another 30 years out of my teeth I want to do whatever is going to last the longest - although of course this has to weigh up against the costs, but I am taking a longer term view on this.

LondonDiva

JazzaBing wrote: »

I'm not sure if I was accepted as an NHS patient or not this was my first visit with this Dentist - I'm not sure at what point your come under the NHS bit and which under private - they seem to offer both.

I was charged £15.90 for the initial visit and xrays and I heard the dentist tell his assistant to charge me under band one .. before I went I'd rung up and asked about NHS places but it was all a bit vague over the phone.

It was a strange visit
- perhaps the strangest thing was there wasn't anyone else in the waiting room both when I went and and when I came out. I've never seen a dentist's office before that didn't have loads of other people waiting to be seen.
Although they did say when I booked my appointment there was a cancellations so perhaps there was a long treatment planned that got canceled.


On another note I've come across a procedure called "Cerec" which seems to offer in house milling of a crown, inlay, etc.

Most information seems to promote it as thew quicker way to get everything you need done in a single visit - but I'm wondering is the actual technique better for the long term health of the tooth then the traditional root canal and crown?

Bearing in mind I'm in my 30's and need to get another 30 years out of my teeth I want to do whatever is going to last the longest - although of course this has to weigh up against the costs, but I am taking a longer term view on this.

You were charged NHS fees & seem to be on an NHS track with them.

If in doubt about any treatment or cost, ask for a treatment plan which should lay everything out. If they have an NHS contract, they should be able to see you within a reasonable time, or offer you information about where you would be on the waiting list. ANything else is just subtle 'persuasion' to try & get you to go private. The max nhs cost is I think £197 and some odd pennies under band 3

If there's even a hint of anything whiffy or not quite right, call the PALS of your local PCT. Google whatever borough your dentist is in along with the word PALS and ask for their help. They will be useful in trying to cl;arify what treatment you are going to have, when and for how much.,

Just don't start a treatment if you are still unclear about where you stand:)

smokesb

Hi Toothsmith, can I ask advice please. I had a root canal in my back molar about 5 years ago. It has been fine until recently when it started to feel sensitive and I had pain on biting down> My dentist gave me penicillin to clear up the infection, it went away for about 2 weeks but has now come back so she has given me stronger antibiotics and recommnded that I either have the tooth extracted or the root canal redone. She took an x-ray and said that it looked like a good root canal that was done originally, but one canal was showing that had not been filled. I am terrified at the thought of having a tooth out, and also worried how this will affect my other teeth (she said they may move, food will get trapped easrily and I would have a poor bite) I have decided (I think) to have the root redone by a colleague of my NHS dentist at the same practice cost £400. Its either that or be referred to a specialist at a cost of about £800. I am really worried about the whole thing, that it won't work, redoing it will damage my other teeth etc. Whats your honest opinion.
Thanks in advance