£515 for 4 fillings. Is this NHS dentist trying to rip him off?

brook2jack

White fillings are available for front teeth and very tiny fillings on back teeth on the NHS. They are not available for extensive fillings because they are not clinically indicated ie they are a cosmetic choice.

The reason a NHS fp17DC form has sections for NHS and private treatment is that a great many people chose to have private options like white fillings or crowns on back teeth, they know they have to pay extra.

The difficulty with this case is the poster wasn't in with her boyfriend when he had the discussion with the dentist and clearly there was a discussion . It clearly said this was private treatment so it should be a simple matter to ask for NHS instead.

welshdent

They arent NOT available on the NHS but they are at our discretion. If we feel they are clinically necessary to be in that material then we can do them. IF we feel they would be place for cosmetic reasons then no we do not do them. So far though he hasnt had anything he doesnt want and he has indeed had an NHS examination. And no that £17.50 is not strictly refundable because he HAS had an exam.

sky we are legally obliged to present all options and all options include private work. You may not like it but thats how it is. Plenty of other people would not like it if we didnt do it so we are damned if we do damned if we do not. toothsmith also did not say the OPs boyfriend was a buffoon. He was being a bit tongue in cheek.

As ts said, all we have is a second hand account of someone else's consultation. A consultation that has NOT yielded any treatment as yet and NHS options WERE discussed. And yes amalgam IS banned in some countries.

enigma368

Hi guys, OP here, as an update to my original question, my BF rang the surgery and said he wanted the fillings done under NHS as metal fillings which was fine.

He went in today to have the fillings done and had them all done except one at the back which the dentist refused to do with a metal filling. My boyfriend says the following happened:

"He did three fillings but refused ‘clinically’ to do the deep one at the back. Its really annoying because that’s the one I went in originally to get sorted. He said he wouldn’t do a metal filling on that one because its so deep and close to the nerve. I asked what difference would a white filling make? (because I cant see how one filling is different from another!) and he said that white fillings are safer because of how close to the nerve it would be.


He said that even if I ‘get someone’ to do the a metal filling in the back one it’ll be a nightmare to do because I have such a small mouth (which is true) and when you get in there you may need root canal, he cant tell."


Can someone in the know tell me if the Dentist is talking sense or BS? It sounds like BS to me but I have no idea. If its clinically necessary for a white filling to be done, shouldn't that be on the NHS?


My boyfriend said the Dentist also reacted as follows when he realised today that he had gone for metal fillings:


" [FONT=&quot]‘Oh youre going for the metal fillings anyway then’ and tutted. I said ‘yes, unfortunately I cant afford the white ones’ and he didn’t say anything just had his back to me filling in paper work."[/FONT]

welshdent

We cant really comment on the deep one because we cant see him. Is there decay associated with it or did he want it changed for appearance reasons?

Toothsmith

It's a bit hard to say for sure without actually being there and seeing just what he's on about.

Although I can sort-of see the side of it that says that a white filling would be better - if he has a small mouth, then doing an amalgam, or an amalgam with a class ionomer (another filing material) lining would be much simpler.

Of course though - if the dentist has said he NEEDS a white filling, then the white filling is no longer a 'cosmetic' alternative, but a necessity, and therefore it should be available to him on the NHS!

My feeling is then, that there is a whiff of BS about this!

enigma368

welshdent wrote: »

We cant really comment on the deep one because we cant see him. Is there decay associated with it or did he want it changed for appearance reasons?

It was one of the four teeth he was told he needed a filling in during his original consultation so presumably decay. He didn't request a filling be done on that tooth. it was just one of ones he was told he needed a filling for. it is the tooth that has been bothering him the most though.

can a dentist refuse to do a filling under the NHS when he has previously said was necessary? maybe the dentist meant that he would do a composite filling on the tooth but it would still be under the NHS?

enigma368

So guys just to summarise the facts(and I know I am telling this second hand but I think I can safely report these basic items as fact)

1) My boyfriend asked to be seen as a new NHS patient and went in for an initial consultation. He was told he needed four fillings(I have the sheet with the four teeth marked) and was strongly urged to get these as composite fillings.

2) Subsequent to his consultation, my boyfriend realised with the help of myself and people here that he could get the fillings done as amalgam fillings for a fraction of the cost - in fact he hadnt realised at all that he been quoted for private work.

3) He rang the practice booked in for an appointment for the fillings and said he was opting to have them done as amalgam and confirmed that the cost would be £48 minus the £17.50 already paid.

4) He went in today for his appointment, had three of his four fillings done and the Dentist refused to do the fourth filling as an amlgam, saying it was clinically necessary to do it as a composite filling. He had already stated he was getting the amalgam fillings as he couldn't afford composite, so presumably if he was been offered the composite filling under the NHS, he would have been told.

The simple question is:

Can a Dentist seeing a patient under the NHS refuse to treat a tooth under the NHS, where he has previously prescribed treatment?

enigma368

I'm not sure if Im allowed to name the practice, but unfortunately this Dentist/Practice seems to have a pretty long record of treating patients this way:

http://www.nhs.uk/Services/dentists/PatientFeedback/DefaultView.aspx?id=21031&nacs=6162636__000004_EC2A3BS&recordPP=0

http://www.qype.co.uk/place/639151-Dentessentials-London

vax2002

Some dentists will drill your gob for the money.

welshdent

vax2002 wrote: »

Some dentists will drill your gob for the money.

Not a particularly helpful comment.

enigma. If the dentist stated it is clinically necessary to use composite then it should be done in composite. That said, if access is difficult then I would go with amalgam as composite requires good access and isolation. Amalgam can be packed in with far more forgiving conditions.