Tooth Nerve - Root Canal Question, £700 cost? Help Please?

humptydumptybits

avogadro wrote: »

This sounds like a good option but the initial outlay needed may be beyond a lot of people.

To be honest it was a struggle for me at the time, I had one at university, two at school and a disabled husband and I was his carer and the wage earner but I couldn't find an NHS dentist at the time, I signed up with Denplan at a local practice and they then agreed to see the children as NHS patients so it was worth it. Eventually my husband dared to see the dentist, forced by pain, and eventually got confident enough to go regularly. I can afford it now without a problem but yes it was hard at the start.

brook2jack

The average practice has almost 1100 missed appointments every year and it's getting worse. Yes most have a two strikes and you're out policy , but this level of missed appointments means that increasing numbers of NHS practices are unable to meet their targets (70% in my area) , have money clawed back the following year making NHS dentistry even more precarious.

This level of missed appointments is not the result of a few vulnerable people missing appointments but a more widespread problem.

Historically 50% of people in the U.K. don't attend a dentist. In the past when most people had dentures by their late thirties it was not so much of a problem , now when people are keeping more teeth later in life it is more of a problem.

Clearly finances are a problem for some , but by no means all of the missing 50%. The number of children who do not attend a dentist is terrible and although access may be difficult in some areas this does not explain why over 40% of children are not taken for a free NHS Dental check up.

System

brook2jack wrote: »

Clearly finances are a problem for some , but by no means all of the missing 50%.

Don't you think so? The number of people living in poverty has sky-rocketed in recent years. People who can't afford to feed themselves are not going to be able to afford a dentist. That's the reality of life for many in the UK today, sadly.

steve007

Yes I can afford the payment.


The thing is, I clean my teeth and floss habitually, and have done for years.


I am 45 years old, and have 6 deep fillings, all of them were given before I was like 14, and as somebody who grew up in the 70's I am convinced (with a bit of research also) that the local dentist we all went to was profiting as his motivation to drill as many teeth as possible, and I mentioned this to my current dentist, who didn't disagree.


If I was to be given brand new teeth today, I'm pretty sure I would go through life with hardly a filling, so I must say I'm a little bitter about the fillings.



But, that is life, it has happened and I have to deal with it.


I am just wanting to save all my teeth for as long as possible, and you know, without all the enhancements in dentistry I kind of expected some options that were more permanent as to the risk of spending £700 for a 70% chance it will work on nerve and root removal.


Based on all I have read today and the replies from various people on various venues I have asked advice on, I am 90% leaning to extraction, and 10% rescue, because the filling is so deep the dentist said it was almost touching the nerve anyway, and the sourrounding area is extremely thin to fit a crown to.



£700 to save a tooth would be worth it to me, if it did in fact save it, but I am not sure the odds are in my favour, and I fear due to getting older, this could just be the start.


It kind of feels like I am being asked if I would like to lose a finger, something that has always been there. Dramatic? probably, but still sinking in as I sit here with a temporary filling and the dentist waiting for my decision.



I also wonder if some people are more prone to their teeth not being in good health.



Thanks for the replies.

brook2jack

Fluoride toothpaste only became readily available in the U.K. in the early 70s so rates of decay were much higher in the 70s than now. In the 70s by the time most people were in their forties they would be wearing a dentures of some sort.

The strongest substance in your body is enamel it is stronger than bone. Any man made replacement , including implants , is not as durable as the original tooth, will need maintainance and eventual replacement.

The nerve in your tooth has already gone the dentist has drilled through where it was to start the root treatment process.Root treatment can be very demanding treatment, the dentist is cleaning out areas hundredths of a millimetre wide , with curved areas , blind using x rays , microscopes and electronic equipment to guide them. Even then the root canals can be so small and complex it may be impossible to clean everything out. There are no 100% guarantees in any dentistry , it is the human body we are dealing with , not a machine.

Apart from a couple of very rare disorders there is no such thing as weak teeth. Some medications and conditions that cause dry mouth make some people more prone to decay but in general tooth decay is entirely preventable by keeping sugar intake to no more than three times a day. Brushing and flossing prevents gum disease , good diet prevents decay.

silvercar

£700 to save a tooth would be worth it to me, if it did in fact save it, but I am not sure the odds are in my favour, and I fear due to getting older, this could just be the start.

You could go for an initial consultation with the endontist. They can then give you an idea of the chance of saving the tooth. They can then give you cost options which may not be identical to your dentist.

System

steve007 wrote: »

I am 45 years old, and have 6 deep fillings, all of them were given before I was like 14, and as somebody who grew up in the 70's I am convinced (with a bit of research also) that the local dentist we all went to was profiting as his motivation to drill as many teeth as possible, and I mentioned this to my current dentist, who didn't disagree.

brook2jack wrote: »

Fluoride toothpaste only became readily available in the U.K. in the early 70s so rates of decay were much higher in the 70s than now. In the 70s by the time most people were in their forties they would be wearing a dentures of some sort.

I think the OP is referring to the fact that a lot of dentists in the 70s were "drilling for cash".. Many of us of the same age had a lot of fillings in the 70s.

As you say, once the filling has been put in, it will need to be maintained/replaced.


This article from 2000 paints a rather different picture to the one presented by dentists on this site

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/apr/23/anthonybrowne.theobserver

The Observer reported last week that dentists carry out at least £200 million worth of unnecessary work each year.

A_Nice_Englishman

brook2jack wrote: »

Historically 50% of people in the U.K. don't attend a dentist. In the past when most people had dentures by their late thirties it was not so much of a problem , now when people are keeping more teeth later in life it is more of a problem.

Sounds like dental health has improved enormously, or dentists were advising people to have dentures unnecessarily?

brook2jack

oral health has improved , but technology has also improved, so we are now saving teeth that would have been taken out previously . Unfortunately the technology doesn't come cheap eg the drills for root treatment that can only be used once cost £35 each which is more than the NHS fee. Operating microscopes (£16,000) mean teeth can be root filled now that would have been extracted in the past.

Also also these heavily restored teeth need maintainance that becomes more costly and difficult.

brook2jack

avogadro wrote: »

I think the OP is referring to the fact that a lot of dentists in the 70s were "drilling for cash".. Many of us of the same age had a lot of fillings in the 70s.

As you say, once the filling has been put in, it will need to be maintained/replaced.


This article from 2000 paints a rather different picture to the one presented by dentists on this site

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/apr/23/anthonybrowne.theobserver

This is an article from 18 years ago!!!!!! There has been a major change in NHS contracts which mean a dentist will lose money by "overtreating", there have been major changes in technology with rotary instruments and operating microscopes etc for endodontics . You are talking about an article from a generation ago! .