Dentist won't do white fillings on the NHS?

white Composite fillings or porcelain.

I'm 17.

They only do the metal ones, but I thought the white ones were the standard?!

When I asked they said it'd be £80 if I wanted it.
“Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
«1

Comments

  • welshdent
    welshdent Posts: 1,999 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    On back teeth on biting surfaces amalgam or silver fillings are the standard. If white is requested for cosmetic reasons then the dentist is quite entitled to seek a private fee for them
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,101 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Dentist should use 'most appropriate material'.

    If he did porcelain, then it would be a Band 3 treatment, and the PCT would soon be breathing down his neck and asking why he was wasting resources!

    There might be the odd occasion where composite is considered the 'most appropriate' material, in which case they could be done on the NHS - but if you had a room with 10 dentists in it, and asked them under what conditions composite would be 'most appropriate' you'd get 10 different answers!

    It's certainly a good argument that a 17 yr old with active decay in his back teeth should get a material most resistant to secondary decay - and that's amalgam.

    Understand why you've got a hole in your tooth, modify your diet to prevent it happening again, and when you're in work, get something nicer looking put in it's place.
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • Toothsmith wrote: »
    Dentist should use 'most appropriate material'.

    If he did porcelain, then it would be a Band 3 treatment, and the PCT would soon be breathing down his neck and asking why he was wasting resources!

    There might be the odd occasion where composite is considered the 'most appropriate' material, in which case they could be done on the NHS - but if you had a room with 10 dentists in it, and asked them under what conditions composite would be 'most appropriate' you'd get 10 different answers!

    It's certainly a good argument that a 17 yr old with active decay in his back teeth should get a material most resistant to secondary decay - and that's amalgam.

    Understand why you've got a hole in your tooth, modify your diet to prevent it happening again, and when you're in work, get something nicer looking put in it's place.


    Just out of interest how much is a porcelain filling?
    “Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
    ― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
  • welshdent
    welshdent Posts: 1,999 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    You can not get a "porcelain filling". You can have porcelain inlays and crowns but these are lab made items. That means they are made in a model of your tooth (or what is left) by a lab technician and then cemented in to your mouth after construction. Consequentially privately they would be upwards of a couple of hundred pounds. NHS wise if necessary (an inlay is the closest to your interpretation of a filling - and I can not recall the last time I felt such a restoration appropriate over composite) it falls in to the band 3 option so £204 or £177 in wales. I do not think they are available in scotland or northern ireland.
  • welshdent wrote: »
    You can not get a "porcelain filling". You can have porcelain inlays and crowns but these are lab made items. That means they are made in a model of your tooth (or what is left) by a lab technician and then cemented in to your mouth after construction. Consequentially privately they would be upwards of a couple of hundred pounds. NHS wise if necessary (an inlay is the closest to your interpretation of a filling - and I can not recall the last time I felt such a restoration appropriate over composite) it falls in to the band 3 option so £204 or £177 in wales. I do not think they are available in scotland or northern ireland.

    Are normal sliver fillings safe?
    Because I've read stuff about them disturbing electromagnetic brain signals (I have no idea what that means)
    “Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
    ― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,101 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    That debate could go on and on!

    But by any reasonable definition of the word, yes, amalgam fillings are safe.

    They're no more toxic than many other things you come into contact with on a daily basis. If you want a completely 'safe' filling material (That is, one that has nothing in it that has ever been shown to harm anything in any concentration), you will have to invent your own, as none exist at the moment. The closest you will get is gold - but you have to stick that in with something, and then you'll need a 'safe' cement.
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • Toothsmith wrote: »
    That debate could go on and on!

    But by any reasonable definition of the word, yes, amalgam fillings are safe.

    They're no more toxic than many other things you come into contact with on a daily basis. If you want a completely 'safe' filling material (That is, one that has nothing in it that has ever been shown to harm anything in any concentration), you will have to invent your own, as none exist at the moment. The closest you will get is gold - but you have to stick that in with something, and then you'll need a 'safe' cement.

    On reflection amalgam sounds quite good actually. I don't want Gold anyway because it's expensive and secondly, I don't wish to look like a pimp. Thanks everyone :)
    “Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
    ― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
  • welshdent wrote: »
    You can not get a "porcelain filling". You can have porcelain inlays and crowns but these are lab made items. That means they are made in a model of your tooth (or what is left) by a lab technician and then cemented in to your mouth after construction. Consequentially privately they would be upwards of a couple of hundred pounds. NHS wise if necessary (an inlay is the closest to your interpretation of a filling - and I can not recall the last time I felt such a restoration appropriate over composite) it falls in to the band 3 option so £204 or £177 in wales. I do not think they are available in scotland or northern ireland.

    Just on this point, 'they are lab made items' my dentist ethier has an internal lab or something, because they can do 1-visit ones.
    “Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
    ― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,101 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    That might be he CERAC system which it a very clever CAD/CAM machine that mills the restoration from a block of material.

    It would still count as a Band 3 if it were done on he NHS, but I would guess it was more likely to be a private option.
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • Dentistry is one of very few NHS services you have to pay for. This section explains what you will have to pay for and when you may not have to pay.
    All the treatment that your dentist believes is necessary to achieve and maintain good oral health is available on the NHS. This means that the NHS provides any treatment you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 349.7K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 452.9K Spending & Discounts
  • 242.7K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 619.4K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.3K Life & Family
  • 255.6K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.