Wake up call time

Broke_Kitty

Somehow, and I have absolutely NO idea how, I've managed to spend £200 less than I've earned this month. Pay day is on Friday and I can't see myself spending any money before then, so I'm declaring it now.

I'm literally completely flumoxed as to how. Very happy about it though! I can only assume that things like my fuel claim, and taking my lunch to work almost every single day have really added up.

I was really worrying because my Invisalign payment comes out on the 30th of each month and I get paid on the last day of each month (I have rung them and tried to get them to change it and they said they did but it hasn't actually happened for the past few months).

I need not have worried! That means that essentially December's pay has paid for two months worth of my payments for that.

If I can do this every month, and put an extra £200 towards my repayments, that shaves off 3 months from my DFD Not to mention the little extras I'm making from surveys, ebay etc.

Happy happy happy.

Madchickenlady

Hasn't your mum got her own house insurance, you don't need two policies and I think your dentist is ripping you off for the money, have you looked into why the treatment failed, was it someones fault if so you could sue them, do you have an emergency dental access clinic at your local hospital, if so you can get limited treatment there, if its a teaching centre they also offer treatment in return for you being a volunteer patient for the students to practice on, don't panic they aren't new they are nearly qualified and are supervised, you might not be able to get the problem rectified but you could get a second opinion about the best way to proceed, try and get a second opinion anyway because they might just be after your money,so far as I know taking out someones tooth does not result in the rest of them caving in, I lost a tooth two years ago and my dentist tried to save it but in the end it had to come out and it hasn't affected my other teeth

Broke_Kitty

Madchickenlady wrote: »

Hasn't your mum got her own house insurance, you don't need two policies and I think your dentist is ripping you off for the money, have you looked into why the treatment failed, was it someones fault if so you could sue them, do you have an emergency dental access clinic at your local hospital, if so you can get limited treatment there, if its a teaching centre they also offer treatment in return for you being a volunteer patient for the students to practice on, don't panic they aren't new they are nearly qualified and are supervised, you might not be able to get the problem rectified but you could get a second opinion about the best way to proceed, try and get a second opinion anyway because they might just be after your money,so far as I know taking out someones tooth does not result in the rest of them caving in, I lost a tooth two years ago and my dentist tried to save it but in the end it had to come out and it hasn't affected my other teeth

I appreciate you trying to help, and I know this isn't the shortest of threads, but I've been over this several times.

I don't have house insurance. My mum does, but I don't, there are no two policies. If you are referring to the cover I get with my bank account, I mentioned early on that I have downgraded my bank account.

I've explained my dental situation quite a few times in this thread if you read back just a few posts. No it was nobody's fault. I've had three different dentists opinions on it now. I said this a few posts ago.

We do have a dental access centre but they don't do that kind of work, as you said yourself they do very limited treatment. It's a root canal I need doing and emergency dentists don't even do fillings.

My orthodontist has said that if I can find an endodontist who practices on the NHS (these are very very rare to none existent) that he will happily refer me there, and I might be able to have the root canal redone for under £200. I am on the hunt, and willing to commute an hour or so, and in the mean time we are just leaving the tooth unless it flares up again. If I don't find an endodontist and it does flare up I will get an implant. That is my choice.

cms-help

Broke_Kitty wrote: »

The dental work is a failed root canal which is causing me constant pain, so it's pretty much essential unfortunately. The dentist I went to is an NHS dentist, but she said there is nothing that can be done actually ON the NHS, I had the option of being referred to various specialists all charging an arm and a leg and went with the one she recommended most highly (and the only one who wouldn't charge me just for the consultation). I have been on the NHS dentist waiting list for over a year, so I was very lucky to even get to see an NHS dentist at all. I literally rung every single NHS dentist within a 20 mile radius and got lucky that one would see me. I'd been told I would be at least another 6 months on the waiting list. It's a joke where I live. I don't really see what other options I've got. I'd obviously rather anything than have to spend a couple thousand pounds extra and it has really upset me that this has happened especially as it was apparently unavoidable and 'just happens'. I look after my teeth really well but I have had constant problems.

This is nonsense. What your dentist really means is that they wouldn't receive enough UDA payment from the NHS to cover the work that needs doing. Raise an official written complaint.

Broke_Kitty

cms-help wrote: »

This is nonsense. What your dentist really means is that they wouldn't receive enough UDA payment from the NHS to cover the work that needs doing. Raise an official written complaint.

It's because an endodontist would need to redo it. Most endodontists don't practice on the NHS. I don't know everything about how these things work, obviously, but I've spoken to three different dentists about it and they say the same thing.

Like I said above, if I can find one who practices on the NHS I can be referred there, but I'm told they are very rare (but not none existent) so I will have to ring around.

Oh and funnily enough since that post I have been assigned an NHS dentist from the waiting list, finally. I haven't told them I already found one myself, I'm just going to attend the appointment and get yet another opinion just you know, for science.

cms-help

Broke_Kitty wrote: »

It's because an endodontist would need to redo it. Most endodontists don't practice on the NHS. I don't know everything about how these things work, obviously, but I've spoken to three different dentists about it and they say the same thing.

Like I said above, if I can find one who practices on the NHS I can be referred there, but I'm told they are very rare (but not none existent) so I will have to ring around.

As a former NHS Dental Contracts Officer then I do have a vague idea of what you're talking about. Both root canals and implants are available on the NHS where there is a medical need for the treatment.

I'm a little confused as I don't know what your dentist has recommended having done as opposed to what you would like done.

However, rest assured for both of these procedures the dentists won't receive enough payment to cover costs; however, they receive more than sufficient payment for routine check-ups, fillings, extractions etc so the rarer expensive work is offset against the more routine work (if that makes sense).

I'm blessed with strong, healthy teeth so have never had invasive dental treatments myself but my mother's NHS dentist has performed 2 root canals on her - no need for a specialist referral.

Broke_Kitty

cms-help wrote: »

As a former NHS Dental Contracts Officer then I do have a vague idea of what you're talking about. Both root canals and implants are available on the NHS where there is a medical need for the treatment.

I'm a little confused as I don't know what your dentist has recommended having done as opposed to what you would like done.

However, rest assured for both of these procedures the dentists won't receive enough payment to cover costs; however, they receive more than sufficient payment for routine check-ups, fillings, extractions etc so the rarer expensive work is offset against the more routine work (if that makes sense).

I'm blessed with strong, healthy teeth so have never had invasive dental treatments myself but my mother's NHS dentist has performed 2 root canals on her - no need for a specialist referral.

Ooh awesome that you have knowledge of the field, so to speak.

I think the key thing people are missing from this is that I'm not in need of a root canal, I already have several, but one of them needs to be done AGAIN because it has failed. I'm told this is just something that happens sometimes and is unfortunate as the other two I have are absolutely fine!

If it was just a simple root canal of course my dentist would do it, but it needs to be redone under microscope or something because it's so risky, which is why an endodontist is needed.

My dentists have all basically suggested that it's not worth my while paying for a private endodontist to redo it at approximately £800 when there is no guarantee it would not fail again. Only my orthodontist has told me that there might exist such a thing as an NHS practicing endodontist and it's worth my while trying to track one down, just in case.

I agree with all of this advice, it's the people in this thread who are telling me to just have it taken out and leave a gap that I am disagreeing with because I just don't want that. If I can't find an NHS endodontist, I will get an implant. I didn't realise you could get implants done on the NHS though, I've definitely never heard that before!!

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Broke_Kitty wrote: »

If I can't find an NHS endodontist, I will get an implant. I didn't realise you could get implants done on the NHS though, I've definitely never heard that before!!

ONLY if there is a medical need - I need to be clear on that. You can't get them on the NHS for cosmetic reasons. As I'm not a dentist then I'm not in a position to comment on medical -v- cosmetic need in your case.

Would suggest definitely worth seeing your new 'allocated' dentist re the root canal - might be something they're prepared to do themselves on the NHS (Band 2 treatment - £49 charge).

Broke_Kitty

cms-help wrote: »

ONLY if there is a medical need - I need to be clear on that. You can't get them on the NHS for cosmetic reasons. As I'm not a dentist then I'm not in a position to comment on medical -v- cosmetic need in your case.

Would suggest definitely worth seeing your new 'allocated' dentist re the root canal - might be something they're prepared to do themselves on the NHS (Band 2 treatment - £49 charge).

I'm pretty sure they're not endodontists either, but I'll obviously ask. It would be amazing if it was only £49!

cms-help

Broke_Kitty wrote: »

I'm pretty sure they're not endodontists either, but I'll obviously ask. It would be amazing if it was only £49!

Maybe not but some dentists are more experienced with root canals than others; just give them your dental history (don't mention what other dentists have suggested/recommended and see what they say). Whilst they're both NHS dentists, they are still competition for each other as patients = payments.

I've never written a contract for an NHS Endodontist so I suspect rare is the operative word. Complex cases were always referred to oral surgeons at the hospital when I was there so generally stayed under the NHS remit.