Teeth rotting and petrified of dentist

wannagobacktogreece

Can anyone help, i am 22 and at 20 i lost my job missed a dental appointment which i was starting to have 5 fillings, so they knocked me off the list and charged me 20 quid for missed appointment! i have not been able to get in anywhere since.i have 3 rotten teeth and its painful to eat sometimes, if i dont get these seen to soon they will spread again and il have no teeth left.
On private this treatment is going to cost thousands as im sure il need prob 4 taking out,various filling and i also require straightening and scraping as they are discoloured.
i work full time so im not exempt from costs but can no way afford treatment is there any plan i can join or anything to reduce these costs.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

sharon59

Not sure if you have checked with NHS Direct as l think they can give you the names of any Dentists in your area taking NHS patients on-some more seem to be doing it.Then the cost is pegged so should be a lot more affordable.
I am also terrified of the dentist but for last few yrs go regularly and find then much less to be done so helps in long run.If l change dentist ever l wont sit in the chair for the new one till l have chatted and sussed them out and told them how scared they are and that they are understanding!!!!If you explain this they may even prescribe a one of sedative to take before going so you are relaxed.I had this when l had a big thing done at dental hospital and they could have cut my head off-was so laid back that hubby and dentist had to guide me into room l could hardly walk!!!!!!
Check it out now!good luck

ethansmum

For a start phone up NHS Direct and get the number of the emergency dentist. If you are in pain they will sort you out.

My Mum struggled to find a dentist when she needed work urgently and this was the way she found one she could visit regularly.

Jennifer_Jane

Dentists today are far 'kinder' than they used to be. I had a tooth reconstruction - quite a huge thing - a week or so back, and nothing was even uncomfortable. It was really quick and easy. You know how long you are going to be in there, so you can say to yourself, I'll be out in half-an-hour so how bad can it be?

Please look after your teeth. I would get a job at Tesco or anywhere to pay for my dentistry. You must look after your teeth. If you do then once you've had your teeth dealt with it might be decades before you need more treatment (but go every 6 months for check-ups). Floss every day and brush of course. Sorry to sound like your mother but you really really must look after them. It's an investment in your total body health.

In the meantime, you could take Ibroprufen for the pain, or aspirin if suitable, and a hot-water against your cheek will help.

All the best - the dentists these days are pretty pain free and caring.

Jen

mae

Look at HSA dental plan. There are threads on here discussing it and it comes out very well. Basically you join and the highest package (which I think you would need) is £17 per mth. You can then pick a private dentist and you can claim the check up fee (100% of what you paid) straight away, money goes in your bank within 7 days of claim. But then you need to wait 12 weeks for any treatment (so just tell the dentist you are busy for next 12 wks and make an appointment for after that) then you can claim 75% of the cost of treatment back up to the value of £2000. Which I think in your circumstances is a very good deal as most health plans would not touch you until you teeth are sorted. So if your fee came to £2000 you would be able to claim £1500 back and if the £500 is still a problem for you to pay maybe you could look into a 0% on purchases credit card and pay it off monthly before the 0% period ends??? Just an example of how you sort your problem as easily as possible given the circumstances.
Ask around for a good recommended private dentist and take the plunge.
Good luck

Also don't forget to go through quidco if you decide to join HSA as you get £35 back.

Ishtar

Try here http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/ServiceSearch.aspx . The search facility brings up dentists in your area and in my case brings up the name of the local drop-in clinic for patients who aren't currently registered with a dentist (and they charge at NHS prices). Hope there's something like this near to you (or, even better, an NHS dentist taking on patients!).

Hope this helps
D

belfastgirl23

Just to say just do it!! teeth don't grow back and the situation will only get worse. I know how scary it is (believe me) but second that dentists have got a lotbetter over the last few years. i've had a fair bit of work done and only once have I been in any discomfort. GOOD LUCK!! and don't put it off, make an appointment NOW!!

DKLS

If your that terrified, there will be a dentist that specialises in Phobics, you would need a referal from your dentist. My Fiancee is the same, she had to speak the dentist in the car park as she wouldnt enter the clinic, who agreed to refer. She now gets knocked out before a treatment.
Try to be not scared too much, Dentists are human too.

Tigger36

Another phobic here. Have a look at this website
http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

The people on there are marvellous and if you read the success stories then it may take some fear away. They also have a list of 'phobic friendly' dentists in the country so you might find one near you.
I went to the dentist for the first time in 10 years a couple of weeks ago. I was extremely lucky - no work to do other than 2 deep cleaning sessions. I have the first one 2 weeks time. I was petrified but came out relieved and happy to go back. The website above helped me a huge amount. Read some of the posts, register and ask questions if you need to. E-mail or visit a couple of dentists until you find one you're comfortable with and then bite the bulet and go. Believe me, the fear of going is worse than the actual treatment. Honest. (And I never ever thought I'd find myself saying THAT!)

wannagobacktogreece

Wow thanks guys for all your replies, i will certainly have a look at the websites and am currently trying to get in at one my mum goes to, that way i know what to expect, My rotten teeth are actually like nothing left of them,one is just a bad bit right into my gum there is actually no tooth left.and the other is half a tooth .oh and some are split too.What would a dentist do with this, prob take all my teeth out and il have falses at age 23, think thats why im scared, also i had teeth out by gas when i was 6 and that petrified me so never wanted to go back, really wish i had now, i cant eat steak as its too painful and very upsetting.
cheers

Chelle

shoperholicnot

I have spent the last few years visiting terrible dentists.
i went to one who put a filling in for me, but i had pain for about 2 weeks afterwards, they said this was normal. 6 months later the filling fell out! then I went to another dentist to rectify it, which they did,but they also scraped a hole in my front tooth and I had to have another filling because I was in agony when i tried to eat!
that was 18 months ago, 3 months ago i wanted to go to the dentist for a check up but could not face the thought of going back to the same one or finding another crap NHS dentist for the same sort of thing to happen.
I took out HSA cover, the top one for 17.00 PM and decided to wait 3 months. I AM SO GLAD I DID.
i had a check up with a new private dentist On friday(recommended to me).
thought i may need a filling but nearly keeled over.
i need £1300 worth of treatment, including root canal which IMO should have been spotted 18 months ago, but i just said 'ok then' and I start treatment on wednesday. Brilliant Dentist BTW, if i did not have the insurance, i would be crying or going to the old dentist and waiting for my teeth to drop out!
moral of story: HSA insurance is well worth getting!