Refused dental bridge on the NHS

junes9333

Hi i am wanting a bridge to cover 1 gap (missing tooth) i have been told by a NHS dental receptionist that i could possibly have a bridge and would cost up to £200 depending what type of bridge, but my dental appointment is not due until April , i am wondering if my NHS dentist can refuse me a bridge at their discretion because of the work involved, although i am willing to pay the extra?.

Perhaps "Welshdent" would be able to advise on this matter as to the knowledge produced on this particular thread.

brook2jack

NHS dentistry is there to secure health not to necessarily give treatment the patient would prefer.

You cannot “top up “ the NHS payment to get treatment you want , if treatment is appropriate to secure dental health it should be provided on the NHS. However if you want treatments not available on the nhs eg cosmetic treatment then you can pay for this privately.

In general whether a bridge will be provided on the nhs depends on several factors ,
How many other teeth are missing
Is the gap a front tooth
Is there any gum disease
Is there active decay
Are the teeth either side of the gap healthy , with good enough roots do they have existing filling
Has the person any other oral or general health problems that make a Bridge a bad idea

Only the dentist who can see you and your x Rays will Ben able to tell you if it is appropriate NHS treatment.

junes9333

Thank you brook2jack for your informative reply, i am paying privately tomorrow for an upper bridge as my current 1 the gum is receding and needs to be replaced, fair play to the old 1 it's been there 30 years, i have also paid privately for my 2 front teeth to be refilled with new composites behind.
My lower left teeth are good for a bridge but i am unable to afford any further cost, the reason i am wanting a bridge is because when I eat sharp food such as biscuits etc hurt my gum are and catchesy tongue, i had a denture fitted 7 years ago and it caused nothing but problems.

junes9333

***Catches my tongue

Ilona

Hello June. brook2jack has given you a good reply, but you mention the word 'biscuit', which has prompted me to reply. My teeth are around 60 years old, (I am 68), and I don't expect to eat the same food as I did when I was younger. I have a four teeth bridge at the front top, and two crowns, and would like to keep what I have left for as long as possible, so I have modified my diet. You can manage without biscuits, they are not food.

I don't bite into anything hard any more, and try and stick to the softer food so I don't put excess wear on my teeth. For instance I have pasta, couscous, avocado, and a boiled egg for lunch. I still eat healthily, and I also eat slowly, being careful how I break the food down in my mouth. I add nuts to my breakfast, I grind them first in a mini Kenwood chopper. I don't eat meat so nothing to chew there.

Maybe you could try this approach, it might help.

Ilona

brook2jack

In general , it is very unlikely you will get a bridge to replace back teeth , particularly molars , on the NHS. The other factor is if there is a large gap , and the fact you have had a denture before indicates this , it makes it even more unlikely.

There is a concept called the shortened Dental arch , which means that so long as you have 20 teeth in total you are regarded as dentally fit. IE even if you have lost all your back teeth (molars) they do not need to be replaced to make you dentally fit.

People can manage to eat with no bottom teeth at all as the gums eventually toughen up so do not hold out much hope of you getting a Bridge on the NHS.

g7ivp

While at the dentist the other day arranging for a broken tooth to be crowned, I enquired about a bridge to replace a missing pre-molar in the upper right. the teeth either side of the gap are ok and the dentist said it would probably cost around £1100. When I said I'm an NHS patient not private she said I couldn't have it done on the NHS. I'm going to ask for more detail when I have the crown done next week but I what to know what the official line is. If it can be done privately why not on the NHS?

brook2jack

NHS Dental treatment is there to secure dental health only , and in general it will be done in the simplest way.

A gap does not necessarily need to be filled and , in general, bridges will not be offered on the NHS unless it is a front tooth and there are no other gaps and teeth either side of gap are in good health.

The NHS fee would probably only just about cover expenses , even for a bridge replacing one tooth.

There are many instances where treatment can be offered privately Eg anything that is not strictly to improve dental health. You may like to have the gap filled but it probably would not meet criteria of improving oral health.

ERICS_MUM

I have no proof but a strong suspicion that private dental work subsidises NHS dental work. I cant see its possible to cover the staff costs, premises, rates and insurance costs, equipment and maintenance costs (etc etc) purely by the NHS fees, regardless of how many procedures a surgery does.

(Apologies for lack of apostrophes, they translate into other characters, very annoying).

Toothsmith

You're completely right. It has done for years.

(And if you go into settings - keyboard - and turn off smart punctuation, it fixes the apostrophe problem - on the iPad, anyway)