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

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  • Many thanks to Toothsmith for advice, I don't want my tooth to fall in half and I don't want to wreck the tooth next to it making a bridge so I guess I'll go for the RCT and then the crown. Presumably, and I'm only guessing, the RCT in itself will only weaken the tooth further so in the time between this and the crowing it will be even more vulnerable to cracking apart? This would be the worst of both worlds and £600+ of RCT down the drain.
  • conquinn wrote: »
    I know The question has been asked loads of times but what is the real difference in treatment for root canal between NHS and doing it privately.

    I have had the root killed and cleaned and now with temporary filling in it but need to book another appointment either NHS or Private.
    As other people stated my dentist said he advised to go private as the equipment used is much better than NHS.
    He also advised the filling and crown would be of better quality than with NHS.
    He also advised as I was 28 and it was a molar tooth that Private would be stronger and last longer and I should go for the better quality one as I will need the tooth longer.

    Ofcourse the problem is the price , £400 for filling,crown e.tc privately. Is this a reasonable price ??
    Or NHS £44.60 .
    Is private treatment that much different to NHS? Is it worth it ? If I went NHS would this lower the possiblilty of a successfull treatment i.e would the filling be weaker e.t.c

    Just trying to decide but hoping someone can advise of the real differences between the two.

    Thanks
    I have worked at a dental practice for 15 years and although we are predominently NHS, we do see private patients. The main difference between NHS and private treatment is more noticeable when you are having cosmetic dentistry ie crowns, bridgework or a denture is the quality of the materials used. They are of a much higher quality and look more natural. When it comes to fillings and root treatments , it makes little difference whether they are done privately or under the NHS, they should each last the same amount of time. Under the NHS you are unable to have white fillings (composites) done on molars (to replace the usual amalgam) and would then have to consider getting it done privately.

    Hope this helps
    If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.;)
  • Olympika
    Olympika Posts: 128 Forumite
    Twiggers - Yup, I was told by my dentist that the crown is almost always necessary because a RC tooth becomes more brittle over time. I would definitely go with the endodontist doing the RC if your dentist has highlighted that the roots are narrow and curved.

    Toothsmith can I ask you something? The extraction site from the failed RC is still quite 'holey' and it is pretty big as the roots were so big. The problem is I am now having increasing sensitivity from the teeth either side, specifically the two surrounding tooth faces, where the gum is still very indented. I had normal check up and hygienist appointments recently and both noticed that parts of these teeth which shouldn't be exposed were (the dentine?)... Basically my question is what happens now? Will the gum 'grow back' upwards? (my guess is no :o) and what is the long term prognosis for these two teeth likely to be if the gum doesn't cover the tender bits again?

    Ok, one more thing...:D I have also chipped a white filling on upper right 3 (I think from having to eat more on that side still), this is the 3rd time this has happened, am I right in thinking the dentist takes a little bit of tooth off everytime this filling gets redone (in order to make a good site for the filling to stick to)? In which case is there any other way of dealing with this tooth long-term as it would seem that the fillings are going to keep coming off - am I going to have any tooth left to fill? :o Have got an appointment on Monday for it to be filed down or maybe filled again.
    hethmar - OMG your experiences sound hideous! :eek::eek: I am so sorry you went through all that. And YUCK at the dentist going to the loo and apparently not washing his hands :mad::eek::mad: . The dentist I had when I was little was kind and nice, but terribly keen to take my babyteeth out himself, which I wasn't so enthusiastic about :o I think only one fell out naturally. I don't know whether he was just a bit quick out of the blocks or whether they really needed to be extracted, but I DREADED having the "little sleeps" and the smell and hiss of the gas.

    Right, will stop hijacking this thread now! :o
  • Thanks Dippynina for the info

    I have been told in total for crown and root canal it will be £800 privately or £246.40 ish NHS but only after I queried the cost with my dentist.
    I have decided to go private with the root canal and filling but to have an NHS crown about £600 in total.
    I'm lucky enough to have insurance , which I recommend everybody take out if you an afford it. It is especially usefull when you need expensive treatments like crowns and root canals.
    While you won't get the total private cost back you should get more than half back ,depending on your policy.

    For those who asked in other posts ,I also asked my dentist why a crown was necessary. I was advised as the root can take up alot of the back of your tooth , you are left with a huge hole after the root is taken out so this needs to be filled. As the filling is now larger due to the root taken out most of the time a crown is nessecary to ensure the tooth doesn't split.
  • hethmar
    hethmar Posts: 10,678 Forumite
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    But the roots arent taken out, they are just cleaned out and the nerve is killed off - I think you may have misunderstood :confused:
  • Sky News has been running a report on NHS dentists turning away people who need root canal treatment, even though they are NHS dentists under contract to treat this condition. Kind of fits in with what many on the board have been saying about NHS vs Private for Root Canal (and Toothsmith has been explaining why this might happen). The report is here

    Sky News: Dentists Defying the NHS
    http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Health/Sky-News-Undercover-Report-Finds-Some-Dentists-Refuse-To-Offer-Complex-Treatment-On-NHS/Article/200810415128790?lpos=Health_First_Health_Article_Teaser_Region__0&lid=ARTICLE_15128790_Sky_News_Undercover_Report_Finds_Some_Dentists_Refuse_To_Offer_Complex_Treatment_On_NHS
  • Bf109
    Bf109 Posts: 634 Forumite
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    As I understand it, a root canal effectively kills the tooth. Over time the tooth becomes more brittle because it isnt being nourished and you therefore need a crown to prevent the tooth fracturing.
    [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rise like Lions after slumber
    In unvanquishable number -
    Shake your chains to earth like dew
    Which in sleep had fallen on you -
    Ye are many - they are few.
    [/FONT]
  • ~Chameleon~
    ~Chameleon~ Posts: 11,956 Forumite
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    Bf109 wrote: »
    As I understand it, a root canal effectively kills the tooth. Over time the tooth becomes more brittle because it isnt being nourished and you therefore need a crown to prevent the tooth fracturing.

    Yes. I had a number of RC treatments done on molars between 12-18 years ago and none were ever crowned. Every single one of those teeth has since snapped and broken apart and all bar one have subsequently been removed. The remaining one is also broken, the whole side of the tooth snapped off some time ago and the dentist has placed a blob of some hard white substance over it to try disguise the exposed black filling :o

    Had I known what would happen, or even that having a crown was an option back then, I'd certainly have done that and I might still have some of my lower back teeth now :rolleyes:
    “You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”
  • Pennylane
    Pennylane Posts: 2,721 Forumite
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    Apologies in advance - haven't read all this thread but saw the title and thought I'd add this.

    It was on the news tonight that some NHS dentists are telling patients that they have to pay privately for expensive treatments like root canal.

    They did secret filming and gave the evidence to one of the top guys at the NHS and he said this is WRONG and would be investigating and its part of their NHS contract to DO this work.

    I was also surprised to learn that dentists average NHS wage is £96,000 p.a.!! I knew it was a well-paid profession but didn't realise it was this much!;)
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,312 Forumite
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    Pennylane wrote: »
    I was also surprised to learn that dentists average NHS wage is £96,000 p.a.!! I knew it was a well-paid profession but didn't realise it was this much!;)
    I could be wrong, but from what I think I remember Toothsmith and others saying before, a lot of dentists aren't 'salaried' but effectively run their own practices, paying for staff, premises, equipment, insurance, materials etc etc etc. I'm sure he'll either explain it all again or point us to a previous post.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
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