NHS Molar Root Canal

Bollotom

Best way would be for dentists to fund their own training and the NHS to dump dentists altogether. After all, most qualify with NHS funding then move to private asap. My Missus pitched up at her dentist for some NHS work and was directed to another site further down the street, so obviously there are double standards.

izzybella16

I agree. Dentists milk the NHS for training and an 80k a year dental contract and give nothing back.

izzybella16

95% of root canals are required on molar teeth, because of the surface of these teeth...flat with grooves they develop caries very easily but the NHS either won't do them or do them very badly. They will do a root canal on a front tooth though because it is easy, but if someone needs a root canal on a front tooth then they are more likely to be not looking after their teeth because it is very unusual for caries to develop on these ones.

scooby088

izzybella16 wrote: »

I agree. Dentists milk the NHS for training and an 80k a year dental contract and give nothing back.

You cannot blame the dentist for the treatment they are allowed to access via nhs funding, if you want the treatment you feel you need then either fund it yourself or lobby your local MP but either way we all will end up funding it via a rise in taxation.

brook2jack

The average dental student will leave university with £80,000 debt. Over 70% of dentists are associates ie they do not own the practice , their income has dropped by 20 % in the last 6 years and is around £54000 and dropping year by year.

The vast majority of dentists still earn the majority of their income from NHS treatment.

They will then pay around £5000 a year just to pay indemnity and registration fees. To put that in context that is over 720 band one treatments just to pay to work.

Dentistry is constantly evolving, new materials and techniques are evolving which are expensive to use.

To treat many molar teeth properly you need an endodontic microscope (cost around £15000) time (around 2 hours a cheap surgery will cost around £160 an hour to run) expensive materials (eg mdta cement at £50 a time , rotary instruments £35 a time) and a postgraduate qualification ( around £20,000 minimum to fund).

The NHS will pay in England and Wales, including patient contribution , around £69 for a band two treatment. That is for check up , hygiene , X Ray's , all fillings and root fillings necessary. The figures do not add up.

As to patients being turned away, each practice has a contract to carry out only a set amount of treatments. If they run out of this allowance , or are running short, they are not allowed to treat anyone else on the NHS.

welshdent

What is wrong with molar root fillings?!?! Why should people be sued to stop them??!?! That is nonsense. There is a very good success rate for them!!! around 80 - 90 odd %!!!

welshdent

You ARE aware that dental students pay fees in the same way that any other student pays fees right?? and you are also aware that while AT dental school they treat many many people all free of charge with neither the patient paying nor the student taking any money?
Or are you just making assumptions based on zero clue about what actually happens??

The NHS does not employ any dentists outside of the hospital or community sectors. That is not the fault of dentists that is how the government of the day set it up some 60 odd years ago.

welshdent

oh and I have never had a "salary" of 80K nor have I even taken that home with my self employed status. I don't personally know many non practice owning dentists that earn that money. A recent medical (not dental) journal article showed that of all healthcare providers it is DENTISTS (not Dr's nurses etc) that have seen the biggest fall in income. There has been on average a 20% drop in earnings in the last few years.

But again. Lets all just make unfounded baseless comments for a laugh.

no1catman

I've had two molars done with root canal treatment.


The first, I had a referral letter from the Dentist, and had it done at the Dental (Teaching) Hospital - no problem.
The second, at a different Dentist - no 'local' needed, again no problem.


Currently, on penicillin for an abscess, the molar was very tender, I was told it was a little loose. Fingers crossed, the gum descends and tightens around it, as it is the swelling in the cheek has gone, but gum still swollen.
Just wonder if root canal might be an option rather than extraction - will it give the tooth more secure and stable foundation!?

izzybella16

Welshdent..
My friends and I have experienced the problem with NHS molar root canals first hand. A LOT of dentists either won't do them or do them badly. I meant sue when they do the root canals badly. If a dentist regularly does molar root canals under the NHS then fair play to them, but in my experience most won't!