dentist charges advice

korky69

hello, i'm after some advice please.

around 15 years ago i chipped 2 front teeth and had crowns (white) fitted through the nhs,
fast forward to now and the crowns whilst still ok but my gums have changed leaving about 5mm of my "old pegs" showing, at the same time the crowns now sit 5mm lower than my other teeth.
it's mainly cosmetic but do get a twinge eating certain foods and i always need a toothpick or floss.

Been to see the dentist about getting them replaced having got the £220 odd for the band 3 treatment to be told he can't do them via the nhs and he estimated £500 which i just cannot afford,
only by an unexpected payment did i say i'll get them done now while i can,
is it worth seeking another dentist to try or will it be the same all over

thanks

brook2jack

The NHS is there to secure dental health , not to improve looks.

If the problem is that your gums have receeded exposing the root underneath then that is a cosmetic, not a health problem and you will not find a dentist willing to replace on the NHS.

However what you may need to address is the reason your gums have receeded , and that is normally gum disease. You may need to look at your cleaning regime and if you smoke stop.

korky69

brook2jack wrote: »

The NHS is there to secure dental health , not to improve looks.

If the problem is that your gums have receeded exposing the root underneath then that is a cosmetic, not a health problem and you will not find a dentist willing to replace on the NHS.

However what you may need to address is the reason your gums have receeded , and that is normally gum disease. You may need to look at your cleaning regime and if you smoke stop.

thanks for your reply.

i do and have brushed regular for many years, and yes afraid i do smoke too.
as for securing dental health, if it's giving me some minor discomfort now what will it be like in a year or two, it's only going to get worse so will need doing sooner or later.
as i said, they were fitted quite a while since and having read about i've seen anything ranging from 10-20 years before they'll need replacing.

justme111

They can give you discomfort for various reasons. Most common are food packing , gum disease , inflammatory process at root tips, caries on the edge of the crown. I am afraid none of them is cured by replacing crowns. Apart from may be caries. So your story about it being clinically necessary is unlikely to cut it with your dentist.
Re your reading about crowns needing replacing every 10/20 years - you or someone else misinterpreted information . Lifespan of a crown indeed often is 10/20 years. It fails not because it breaks and needs replacing though but most often because the tooth structure that supports it fails. So replacing crowns is often now an answer to failing crowns.

justme111

Re brushing regularly - doing it regularly does not equal doing it well.
Everybody with fillings or crowns on their teeth is meant to use floss and /or other interdental cleaning aids regularly.

korky69

sorry if i'm not explaining the situation right, but its just the bit of the "pegs" that are now exposed that cause discomfort, cold drinks or even cold weather at times (if i smile) gives that ice cream sting just on those parts.
they were fine when the crowns covered them, pass on how it happened, i always thought i brush regular and thoroughly but about 5mm is exposed, i just put it down to getting old ;-)

justme111

Sorry to say 5 mm in 10-15 years is too much , 1 mm could be considered age related in that timeframe but not 5. Smoking damage usually becomes apparent after 50 so that could be the reason. Depending on health of your gums changing crowns could help with sensitivity but I would not hold my breath for your dentist to do it on NHS due to limited amount of money they would get paid for it.

brook2jack

From the sounds of it you have gum disease. The crown hasn't moved but the gums have shrunk down exposing the sensitive part of the tooth which is the root. This is not treated by changing the crowns.

First the reason for the gum disease needs to be tackled and root sensitivity needs to be tackled. Your dentist can advise you on that , it normally involves teaching you how to clean effectively eg using type brushes and use toothpaste for sensitive teeth on the roots.

Stopping smoking is also important and controlling any medical conditions like eg diabetes.

From the sound of it it's not the crowns at fault but your gum health .

korky69

if it is gum disease wouldn't my dentist pick up on it?
he's just done a check up and said come back in 6 months.
you maybe right but you've got to trust the person there, he said the rest are fine, its just cosmetic even though i told him certain things give me a slight pain.
not sure if you can teach me now, but i think i brush correctly and at least twice a day for i don't know how long.

i do agree with the smoking , i try, honest!
but the cigs can't surely pick on a certain 2 teeth and not with the rest?

justme111

We got no idea how you brush.
Just letting you know that many people who think they do it well in reality do not.
We can not tell you why your dentist did not pick it up - may be they did and informed you about it but as it was in different words you do not realise it. May be there is no gum disease - we can not diagnose over the internet. Ask them. NHS service can often be limiting - go and get second/third opinion privately elsewhere