Refused dental bridge on the NHS

ERICS_MUM

Toothsmith wrote: »

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)

Thank's ! I know that apostrophe shouldn't be there, just checking .

g7ivp

Thank you brook2jack. Is the "criteria of improving oral health" published anywhere?

g7ivp

Forgive me, but having paid National Insurance for over 40 years and now needing treatment on the NHS, am I supposed to go private because the dentist can't make enough money out of her NHS contract?

Toothsmith

g7ivp wrote: »

Forgive me, but having paid National Insurance for over 40 years and now needing treatment on the NHS, am I supposed to go private because the dentist can't make enough money out of her NHS contract?

Well, your National Insurance has funded pension and the Welfare State ( Or at least that was the reason for introducing it). The NHS has been funded by general taxation ever since it was set up.

You are not unable to eat because of your gap in your teeth. It is of no detriment to your 'health' - so why should a 'health' service pay for it?

I'm presuming you've had your dental check ups on the NHS? And the fillings in your teeth to fix the decay in them? Maybe a root filling in that tooth some time before it was extracted? Then, of course, the extraction itself?

I'm sure, if you add it up, you'll have had a fair bit for the taxes you pay. Especially if you include the education you received, ( before you paid taxes) any contact you've had with the NHS including your birth, The transport systems you've used including roads, the education and medical treatment any children have had and not forgetting those lovely nuclear bombs that have kept us all so safe!!!

It really can't be a limitless service. Imagine how much it would cost if everybody with a gap could get it fixed with a bridge? Especially given that Dental health is virtually 99% down to how well teeth are looked after by the patient!

But either way - the policy of the NHS Dental service is set by the Department of Health, not the dentist. As I said, they have deemed you need to pay privately for the bridge, because the gap is of no detriment to your health, not out of any consideration to the dentist's finances ( they really don't give a stuff about that!)

If you want to change the system, then write to your MP. I'm sure your dentist would love it if funding for NHS dentistry was increased, and more advanced stuff could be provided.

brook2jack

One of the frustrations with the most recent Dental contract of 2006 is there is no prescriptive list of what is and isn!!!8217;t available on the NHS .

At the time of the new contract it was supposed to bring in fewer and simpler courses of treatment.

The back of the NHS form says you accept all treatment to secure oral health.

The definition of oral health also includes the concept of a shortened Dental arch, in other words if you have 18 teeth in your mouth you have enough . Those teeth can be your own , or dentures etc.

There is no definition of oral health that says every gap must be filled. You may want it filled but it may even adversely affect your oral health as any tooth prepared for a bridge has a twenty percent chance of dying off and needing root treatment. That makes it more brittle and likely to break and greatly decreases the lifespan of the bridge.

All bridges need replacing and each time they are replaced either more tooth is removed or you lose one or more of the teeth supporting the bridge.

The amount your NI contributes to dentistry is a few pennies a month.The total spent each year on each person having treatment , including patient contribution, is between £28 and £34 . It is clearly not enough to provide treatment to secure oral health for everyone as only 50% visit the dentist and that cash is limited despite however many visit. It is clearly not enough to provide all the dentistry people may chose to have.

Ms_Mop_123

I had a filling done last January. After what seemed like endless drilling dentist told me that I had more filling than tooth and to see how it went, if it failed I would have to have it out and have a bridge fitted. I have treatment on the NHS, think after reading the posts on here I!!!8217;m very lucky to have such a good dentist.

brook2jack

If it is just one tooth it is a crown the dentist will have suggested. A bridge is to replace a missing tooth or teeth where you have to drill down the teeth either side of the gap.

Ms_Mop_123

No, it’s definitely a bridge, he showed me a poster on the wall to explain what it was. The picture showed teeth either side the bridge covered by what looks like crowns over the teeth with the bridge in between. He did say I would only have one tooth covered because it was a big toothand strong enough to support the bridge. To be honest, apart from the fact that I would have to have the tooth out....aabsolutely scared to death of that....I would of preferred it. At the moment I hardlly dare eat anything that side of my mouth incase the filling fails and I end up with rip roaring tooth ache.

catalan_2

Certain people can have bridge work done on the NHS it depends on your circumstances. Google - Who is entitled do free NHS dental treatment in England - see BAND 3 below.

NHS dental charges

There are three NHS charge bands. From April 2018 to March 2019, the costs are as follows:
Band 1: £21.60 covers an examination, diagnosis and advice. If necessary, it also includes Xrays a scale and polish, and planning for further treatment.
Band 2: £59.10 covers all treatment included in Band 1, plus additional treatment, such as fillings, root canal treatment and removing teeth (extractions).
Band 3: £256.50 covers all treatment included in Bands 1 and 2, plus more complex procedures, such as crowns, dentures and bridges.

Rita2456

my brother had a denture made that slips over some caps, he did this in Romania and his dentisty here was very impressed