So embarassed about my teeth cant afford the dentist !!

Itismehonest

There should be an emergency dental place (sometimes at the local hospital) which you should go to, OP.
If you can't eat properly it is enough of an emergency.
If you can't find a number for them then your local GP surgery should be able to help track one down.
Get in to see them & then take their advice. Someone should be able to find a dentist who will then take you onto their books.

Toothsmith

Rather than going through NHS direct, get in touch with your local Primary Care Trust,(PCT) or whatever the Welsh equivilent is.if it's not called that.

The PCTs are the people who commission the NHS dental contracts in an area, and they are obliged to have NHS dental care for anyone who needs it.

NHS direct just have a computer database provided by the PCTs, and they needn't necessarily be that up-to-date.

NHS care will not get you flashy heavy engineering like implants and 'hollywood' cosmetics - but that would be the last thing you could cope with at he moment by the sounds of it.

You need a simple, sraightforward treatment plan to get rid of what can't be saved, to patch up what can be saved, to teach you how to look after whats left and to make you something that you can chew with and smile again.

That shouldn't be toocomplicated, and will cost you £200ish on the NHS - or maybe a bit more if it needs to be splitup into 2 or 3 'chunks' of treatment over a longer time span.

crumblepie

You almost sound like me. I have avoided the dentist for most of my adult life and have got to the stage where gums are receding and wobbly teeth. I too have to chop up my food and I can't eat anything too crunchy. I knew I had to do something about it.

I took a very deep breath and phoned every NHS dentist by me ( I'm in the Welsh Valleys) and managed to get on a waiting list of a couple of them. Five months later I had an appointment. I had the initial assessment and have to go back for some major gum treatment. Cost under band 2 is £39. I was a bit panicky at the initial appointment but got through it and I have to wait another 2 months before I go back.

Anything in band 3 is £177 but we haven't got to that stage with me yet. I'm still going through the I'm terrified and embarrassed about my teeth but the dentist and hygenist I spoke to were very non judgemental and said they understood my fears and I'll get through the appointments somehow.

Phone the dentists directly to see if they have a NHS waiting list. I know in my area some dentists aren't operating a waiting list and it's pot luck if they have a space and others have long waiting lists, like the one I'm now registered with.

When I needed a tooth out I had to go to the nearest private dentist for an appointment which cost me £30 just to be seen, but because of my fears I was referred to the hospital to have the work done. Would this be an option?

soembarassed

maybe i should try what you did and phone every one up but i know there are only one or 2 nhs ones here hence the waiting list
i know that my teeth will prbably have to come out i think 3 of them but what would i have in place of them false teeth / and how much do these cost and i fi cant get into an nhs how much is it privately
i have no idea
thanks for your reply it means alot

crumblepie

I thought exactly the same that I'd need loads of work my teeth are wobbly which equalled bad and have to come out, but the dentist said my teeth weren't that bad it was all the gum disease causing the problems. I'm hoping that I won't have to have any more teeth out because of what she said. I can't really see them doing all this work on my gums to then turn round and say you have to have teeth out. But I suppose it depends how the treatment goes.

If you have a tooth out it comes under band 2 which is £39. The initial appointment is £12 so I paid an extra £27 to make the £39. I'm beginning to save a bit of money just in case I have to have the more expensive work done. Many years ago in my ignorance of NHS and private I had a tooth out privately and the cost was £200 ish which was x rays, appointment and extraction.

Private dental work - I'm scared to think of how much it costs. Someone I know was quoted £800 for work to be done, even though I've told them there are NHS dental places available with a waiting list where the maximum cost is £177.

Lady_S

This was me a couple of years ago. I was terrified and I just couldn't go. Despite the fact I had massive problems with my teeth.

However, it was the best thing I have ever done. I had to wait three months for my first appointment, but the dentist was wonderful and I am actually proud of my teeth these days.

My gums still aren't perfect, but my teeth aren't wobbly now and I can eat whatever I want without being stressed. Even one of my dodgy teeth which had twisted has twisted back into shape!

Please ring around and don't give up. Look for dentists which are newly set up. I rang my PCT and got reccomendations from them and it worked for me. Just take the bull by the horns and do it today xx