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NHS Dental Bridge? Charges? Help!!
gingapete
Posts: 59 Forumite
Good evening everyone,
Last week a crown i had put in, 4 years ago, snapped off and after a trip to the dentist i was told the rest of the tooth needed to be extracted which would leave a hole in between two side teeth. I then saw the dental administrator to be given options on the next procedure and was informed that on the NHS i can only have a removable denture on a plate that would have to be removed nightly and this would cost £214. As I don't like things like that in my mouth as they make me gag i asked if they had stopped doing bridges on the NHS and the administrator said it would have to be done privately and gave me a quote for £1200! I didn't ask about the implant as £1200 maybe cheap for a bridge but i cannot afford it (I won’t go in to my financial background but it’s not good). I said i would go away and think about it but in the meantime i would have to get the tooth removed.
Anyway I checked on the NHS site and it states under the band 3 that this covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures and bridges.. So today i was back at the dentist to get the tooth removed and i asked about why i was told they don’t do bridges at the dentist on NHS? I was told by the administrator that this is the discretion of the dentist and they wont do it and as it was cosmetic it would have to be private. I said that as i was limited to what teeth i had for chewing at the mid rear of my mouth on both sides this wasn’t cosmetic. The administrator just repeated this is under the discretion of the dentist and as this was cosmetic it wouldn’t be done on the NHS.
So i asked would this be done on the NHS at the dentist "at all" as under the banding it should be available or would i have to look to another NHS dentist (which seem to be near impossible now days). The administrator said i should try and find a NHS dentist that would provide the bridge and said if i got a quote for the bridge elsewhere to come back as they would beat it as they can be very competitive. I was a bit stunned by this and said i would look in to this and possibly move dentists. The administrator said sorry there was nothing she could do.
Bear in mind that I have had to have a word with another administrator at this dentist a few years back when they charged my mother, who is a pensioner on pensions credits, for a similar procedure. The administrator took her in to an office and quoted £800, at the time, for the procedure and took a £200 deposit of her there and then. I took my mother back to ask why this wasn’t covered on the banding and they then said that my mother was concerned about the look of the NHS bridge and wanted to get the private one as it was better quality. I asked my mother if this was true and she said no she was pushed toward the private option. So i asked if the NHS bridge could be done instead and the deposit to be used to cover the NHS bridge and they agreed. My mother was 77 at the time!
My mother went ahead with the NHS option which was very well done indeed and is still in place. Then a week later my mother received a full refund of the £200 as she shouldn’t have paid it as she was in full receipt of benefits and pension credits! Which i didn't know about but the dentist did as all this information was recorded and is on her database record.
So my questions are:
1) If the NHS are giving out bandings for prices and procedures and they are not being provided by a NHS registered dentist then is there some sort of breach of the service or can dentists just choose which procedures they can provide as standard opting to state cosmetic for the reason?
2) Where can i get a list of NHS dentists in the Liverpool area that would be willing to provide the full service?
Cheers for reading and cheers for any advice
Last week a crown i had put in, 4 years ago, snapped off and after a trip to the dentist i was told the rest of the tooth needed to be extracted which would leave a hole in between two side teeth. I then saw the dental administrator to be given options on the next procedure and was informed that on the NHS i can only have a removable denture on a plate that would have to be removed nightly and this would cost £214. As I don't like things like that in my mouth as they make me gag i asked if they had stopped doing bridges on the NHS and the administrator said it would have to be done privately and gave me a quote for £1200! I didn't ask about the implant as £1200 maybe cheap for a bridge but i cannot afford it (I won’t go in to my financial background but it’s not good). I said i would go away and think about it but in the meantime i would have to get the tooth removed.
Anyway I checked on the NHS site and it states under the band 3 that this covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures and bridges.. So today i was back at the dentist to get the tooth removed and i asked about why i was told they don’t do bridges at the dentist on NHS? I was told by the administrator that this is the discretion of the dentist and they wont do it and as it was cosmetic it would have to be private. I said that as i was limited to what teeth i had for chewing at the mid rear of my mouth on both sides this wasn’t cosmetic. The administrator just repeated this is under the discretion of the dentist and as this was cosmetic it wouldn’t be done on the NHS.
So i asked would this be done on the NHS at the dentist "at all" as under the banding it should be available or would i have to look to another NHS dentist (which seem to be near impossible now days). The administrator said i should try and find a NHS dentist that would provide the bridge and said if i got a quote for the bridge elsewhere to come back as they would beat it as they can be very competitive. I was a bit stunned by this and said i would look in to this and possibly move dentists. The administrator said sorry there was nothing she could do.
Bear in mind that I have had to have a word with another administrator at this dentist a few years back when they charged my mother, who is a pensioner on pensions credits, for a similar procedure. The administrator took her in to an office and quoted £800, at the time, for the procedure and took a £200 deposit of her there and then. I took my mother back to ask why this wasn’t covered on the banding and they then said that my mother was concerned about the look of the NHS bridge and wanted to get the private one as it was better quality. I asked my mother if this was true and she said no she was pushed toward the private option. So i asked if the NHS bridge could be done instead and the deposit to be used to cover the NHS bridge and they agreed. My mother was 77 at the time!
My mother went ahead with the NHS option which was very well done indeed and is still in place. Then a week later my mother received a full refund of the £200 as she shouldn’t have paid it as she was in full receipt of benefits and pension credits! Which i didn't know about but the dentist did as all this information was recorded and is on her database record.
So my questions are:
1) If the NHS are giving out bandings for prices and procedures and they are not being provided by a NHS registered dentist then is there some sort of breach of the service or can dentists just choose which procedures they can provide as standard opting to state cosmetic for the reason?
2) Where can i get a list of NHS dentists in the Liverpool area that would be willing to provide the full service?
Cheers for reading and cheers for any advice
0
Comments
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Really your options should be discussed with the dentist as they are clinical decisions.
However your quote of £1200 for a bridge makes me suspect it is more than one tooth that is missing that needs replacing. In this sort of case the nhs is there to provide only what is clinically necessary and in many cases missing back teeth can adequately be replaced by a denture particularly if they are missing on both sides as yours appear to be. If someone prefers to have a bridge or bridges then rightly this is offered as a private option if clinically feasible but no one is going to offer bridges replacing multiple teeth on the nhs, the laboratory costs would far exceed the nhs fee.
The band's are there to say what may be available on the nhs but the treatment has to be clinically necessary and gaps on both sides on back teeth are not likely to be filled with bridges more likely to be dentures on the nhs.
You should have been given a written treatment plan detailing exactly what is your nhs and private options so you are clear what is being offered.0 -
brook2jack wrote: »Really your options should be discussed with the dentist as they are clinical decisions.
However your quote of £1200 for a bridge makes me suspect it is more than one tooth that is missing that needs replacing. In this sort of case the nhs is there to provide only what is clinically necessary and in many cases missing back teeth can adequately be replaced by a denture particularly if they are missing on both sides as yours appear to be. If someone prefers to have a bridge or bridges then rightly this is offered as a private option if clinically feasible but no one is going to offer bridges replacing multiple teeth on the nhs, the laboratory costs would far exceed the nhs fee.
The band's are there to say what may be available on the nhs but the treatment has to be clinically necessary and gaps on both sides on back teeth are not likely to be filled with bridges more likely to be dentures on the nhs.
You should have been given a written treatment plan detailing exactly what is your nhs and private options so you are clear what is being offered.
Thanks for the reply brook2jack:
Nope it is just one tooth that is missing on top, the one that was removed. I have many teeth missing below to the rear behind the gap, i have teeth above behind the gap, where the gap now is i have teeth below where i was able to chew food easily, now with the gap above i only have one tooth from the insisor that i can use to chew.
I had no discussion with a dentist on both visits i was told too see the administrator and they told me that i can have a denture with single tooth (as i said not an option due to gagging) or private bridge/implant. Not sure what "clinically necessary" means but according to the NHS band 3 you can have crowns/dentures/bridges this to me would state that you can actually have them if needed. As stated the denture option is not one i can do but a bridge would be. If this was the prefered option by the administrator, as well as myself, then would this point towards this being clinically necessary?
As discussions with a dentist? The dentist told me to see the administrator to discuss my options and what i got was NHS denture of prefered private bridge and a quote for the bridge. When i asked about a bridge i was told they DIDN'T provide that on the NHS. It was only when i asked why it states on the NHS site that this is provided it was then that it was put forward that this would be cosmetic as it was not on show. I then pointed out that when i smiled there was a gap and also i would not be able to chew properly. That was when i was told private or go elsewhere, but if i got a cheaper quote then come back as they would beat it!
To me it sounds like i wouldn't get the NHS option whatever the circumstances... I know they have to make a living and doing NHS does not bring in any profit but if i had the money i would take out an interest free loan and get a load of work done in one go! BUT as i dont have that luxury and as i dont earn less enough to claim for anything but i dont earn enough to have private health care this seems to be a time when i need some help that i can't get it!0 -
brook2jack wrote: »Really your options should be discussed with the dentist as they are clinical decisions.
However your quote of £1200 for a bridge makes me suspect it is more than one tooth that is missing that needs replacing. In this sort of case the nhs is there to provide only what is clinically necessary and in many cases missing back teeth can adequately be replaced by a denture particularly if they are missing on both sides as yours appear to be. If someone prefers to have a bridge or bridges then rightly this is offered as a private option if clinically feasible but no one is going to offer bridges replacing multiple teeth on the nhs, the laboratory costs would far exceed the nhs fee.
The band's are there to say what may be available on the nhs but the treatment has to be clinically necessary and gaps on both sides on back teeth are not likely to be filled with bridges more likely to be dentures on the nhs.
You should have been given a written treatment plan detailing exactly what is your nhs and private options so you are clear what is being offered.
Thanks for the reply brook2jack:
Nope it is just one tooth that is missing on top, the one that was removed. I have many teeth missing below to the rear behind the gap, i have teeth above behind the gap, where the gap now is i have teeth below where i was able to chew food easily, now with the gap above i only have one tooth from the insisor that i can use to chew.
I had no discussion with a dentist on both visits i was told too see the administrator and they told me that i can have a denture with single tooth (as i said not an option due to gagging) or private bridge/implant. Not sure what "clinically necessary" means but according to the NHS band 3 you can have crowns/dentures/bridges this to me would state that you can actually have them if needed. As stated the denture option is not one i can do but a bridge would be. If the bridge was the prefered option by the administrator, as well as myself, then would this point towards this being clinically necessary?
As discussions with a dentist? The dentist told me to see the administrator to discuss my options and what i got was NHS denture of prefered private bridge and a quote for the bridge. When i asked about a bridge i was told they DIDN'T provide that on the NHS. It was only when i asked why it states on the NHS site that this is provided it was then that it was put forward that this would be cosmetic as it was not on show. I then pointed out that when i smiled there was a gap and also i would not be able to chew properly. That was when i was told private or go elsewhere, but if i got a cheaper quote then come back as they would beat it!
To me it sounds like i wouldn't get the NHS option whatever the circumstances... I know they have to make a living and doing NHS does not bring in any profit but if i had the money i would take out an interest free loan and get a load of work done in one go! BUT as i dont have that luxury and as i dont earn less enough to claim for anything but i dont earn enough to have private health care this seems to be a time when i need some help that i can't get it!0 -
why does one denture make you Gag , have you had this before?
Lots of people have a clip in denture
Trust me I have had private bridge work on back teeth in the past .. it does put stress on surrounding teeth top and bottom and you admit you have missing teeth further back. That bridge is going to take a hell of a pasting when you chew
I was lucky and the bridges I had worked for 20 years with a lot of care but they will wear out and you will be back to square one plus damage to the natural teeth supporting the bridge work..
One clip in denture really is not the end of the world.. give it a chance0 -
why does one denture make you Gag , have you had this before?
Lots of people have a clip in denture
Trust me I have had private bridge work on back teeth in the past .. it does put stress on surrounding teeth top and bottom and you admit you have missing teeth further back. That bridge is going to take a hell of a pasting when you chew
I was lucky and the bridges I had worked for 20 years with a lot of care but they will wear out and you will be back to square one plus damage to the natural teeth supporting the bridge work..
One clip in denture really is not the end of the world.. give it a chance
I dont know what it is about things like that but they just make me want to gag.. I used to box years ago and had to wear a gum sheild and i used to have to spit it out after a few minutes as i used to start to gag and nearly be sick.
I dont think they do spares that you can try so it would be £214 to try and if that didn't work i would have to pay out again. But i get what your saying about the bridge and about the clip in.. The one they showed me looked more like what you would see !!!!!! Emmery wearing and the colour of the plate was rank!
I may need to consider the clip in if that's a better option IF this isn't seen as a cosmetic item.
Thanks for the reply!0 -
Mate .. I had all my top teeth extracted 2 weeks ago and was fitted with temporary full set of dentures..
These are nothing like a gum shield.. I'm lucky and the temps fit like a glove .. I look years younger (with them in) you would never know but
with them out you would run a mile ! :eek:
one denture that you could probably keep in most of the time is what a lot of people learn to live with..
You used to be a boxer ?.. this is a childs play
XXX0 -
I have to wonder why you have so many missing teeth and why the crown snapped.
Could it be that you have allowed dental caries to progress without giving any thought to your diet or oral hygiene regime. Also we don't know about the condition of the gums, where bridgework is contraindicated in patients that have periodontitis.0 -
Mate .. I had all my top teeth extracted 2 weeks ago and was fitted with temporary full set of dentures..
These are nothing like a gum shield.. I'm lucky and the temps fit like a glove .. I look years younger (with them in) you would never know but
with them out you would run a mile ! :eek:
one denture that you could probably keep in most of the time is what a lot of people learn to live with..
You used to be a boxer ?.. this is a childs play
XXX
Hahaa thanks for the input cavey, yeha i used to box but mainly got hit in the back as i spent most of my time running away!
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I have to wonder why you have so many missing teeth and why the crown snapped.
Could it be that you have allowed dental caries to progress without giving any thought to your diet or oral hygiene regime. Also we don't know about the condition of the gums, where bridgework is contraindicated in patients that have periodontitis.
I have teeth missing at the rear bottom due to some being taken out when i was younger. The tooth that had the crown put on i'd never had any problems with until it started to hurt, at that point i underwent root canal work and a crown fitted to a pin? My diet? Well i eat pretty normal, fresh veg/fruit, fish, meat etc and brush my teeth twice a day, floss once a dayand rinse with listerine. As for periodontitis dont hink i have that, but if i did wouldn't the dentist have mentioned something about it? I have regular check ups and each time i get an all clear?0
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