NHS, Wisdom tooth extraction, and free treatment - probably one for toothsmith

Toothsmith

He can refuse if it doesn't meet the NICE guidelines.

Clumsy_Lawyer

Hi all

I'm new to this, so be gentle please!

Having had a lot of xrays and stuff through my teenage years (due to having braces), my dentist who's since (unfortunately!) retired told me I'd probably have to have my wisdom teeth out if they erupted. I saw a dentist in Somerset after I'd been having issues with them for some time, which was last Easter-time. She told me there was nothing wrong and sent me home. Then a few weeks later, the pain was excruciating and I couldn't concentrate on anything, so had an emergency appt in Oxford, an xray was taken, and I was told I'd have to have them out, 'probably' under general at hospital. I was referred to another dental practice, was seen in October, he looked at me and my xrays for 3 minutes, concurred with the judgment and said he'd refer me to the hospital.

I've still heard nothing from the hospital, phoned them the other day, and got a really narky woman on the other end of the phone, who told me they were only just dealing with the August referrals - I wouldn't hear anything for another month or two. This will only be for another assessment appt, and the extraction won't be booked till May. When I have my Undergrad Finals. I was told they'd be gone ages before I had my exams!

I was originally told that the waiting list was about 12 weeks from original referral. Is there anything I can do (aside from going private, which I don't have the money for) to speed this up at all? It's getting ridiculous. I've been in pain with this for about a year! I keep trying to chase things up, but it's making no difference.

Thanks v much!

brook2jack

Unless you go private... No.

You can tell them once you are seen you are willing to take an appointment at short notice but wisdom teeth are not seen as a priority. Indeed due to current cuts some hospitals are looking at not doing any wisdom tooth surgery.
Typically my patients wait 12 to 18 months to have the teeth out.

In the mean time keep everything ultra clean to stop problems.

Clumsy_Lawyer

I thought that would probably be the case. Guess I'll just have to hang on in there and hope that an appt comes up before my exams!

**dancingbutterfly**

i was referred by my dentist to have my bottom wisdom teeth out on july 22nd 2010, my first consultation with my consultant was tuesday this week! so 6 and a bit months! and ive got to wait 3 months for the op. so nearly a year after being referred. I dont mind as long as it gets done at some point in the near future! and preferably not the week before my wedding!

good luck!

Ladywriter1968

chartreuse wrote: »

The govt changed the way dentists are paid for NHS work in (I think) April 2006. Good luck getting any sort of decent treatment on the NHS now

IME, the only dentists accepting new NHS patients assign them to a trainee, who's job is to weed out the ones prepared to pay extra for private treatment and get rid of the rest. And we all pay a fortune in tax & NI for this - surely it's breach of contract on the part of the govt! :mad:

If only consumer protection laws applied to taxes!

Interesting, I want to ask you a question. I may put up a post myself about this. I will try to shorten it down.

Saw my local dentist and paid, nhs side, pain etc, he said its my wisdom tooth lower left, its impacted, meaning under gum not showing and right on the nerves and bone to. he referred me to hospital in London to have it removed under anaesthetic as I am nervous. So he did his part.

Saw oral surgeon or dentist at hospital and I thought he would say lets take that out. But not so straight forward. He started to give me other options.

He said at first if they remove they may just remove the crown to save any nerve damage, and I said that is fine whatever you think. Then he said, before we do that I want you to do this.

Go home and put hot and cold compress on for a week.
Then take painkillers for a week.
Then visit your own dentist again to see if you have a cracked filling at the back and get that re filled, and it all that dont work, then we will remove your wisdom tooth.

I have spoken to a top surgeon online and they said from the pain I describe its my wisdom tooth and they cant understand why the hospital are messing me about like this,

Thing is, its an 8wk wait as it is for the 3D Xray, as the normal Xray dont show all the nerves and stuff.

I told him I been getting pain for a while now, from the back of mouth to my ear, sharp pains and dull pains, then he said oh, it could be acid jaw. Whatever that means?

Do you think they are trying to stall removal at the hospital to save the nhs money of the operation? or do they have my interests at heart?

I was also told about the numbness of the lip etc if the nerves are disturbed. the risks, but surely leaving it in is a higher risk to?

I dont feel I can trust them now as wonder if they just trying to save money and palm me off with other stuff instead?

What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Ladywriter1968

I saw some one else put up a thread about teeth so thought I would ask advice here. I did not know what thread to put this under, This is my situation.

Saw my local dentist and paid, nhs side, due to pain of wisdom tooth left side, he said its my wisdom tooth lower left that is impacted and my fillings are all fine, its impacted, meaning under gum not showing and right on the nerves and bone to.

I had all the other 3 out a few years ago, and under sedation and was fine afterwards. I know about the risks when older as well and I am 43 now and know how the tooth becomes rock hard etc.

He then referred me to hospital in London to have it removed under anaesthetic as I am nervous. and he said it would be tricky to remove as well. So he did his part.

Saw oral surgeon or dentist, well I am not sure if he was an oral surgeon or just dentist there but I had an appointment anyway, at hospital and I thought he would say lets take that out. But not so straight forward. He started to give me other options.

He said at first if they remove they may just remove the crown to save any nerve damage, and I said that is fine I just want to get rid of it, its hurting etc. Then he said, before we do that I want you to do this first just in case it is not your wisdom tooth that is causing the pain and something else.

Go home and put hot and cold compress on for a week.
Then take painkillers for a week. I told him I cant take them every day as it upsets my tummy really badly, but he still said take them every day. If I do that I wont be able to leave my flat.

Then visit your own dentist again to see if you have a cracked filling at the back and get that re-filled, even after my own dentist already said the fillings was fine and own dentist took xrays to. He still suggested me having it re-filled anyway. Of which I am already nervous so to have another filling replaced when not needed is crazy. I told him that I am nervous and only have things done if I have to, not for trial and error, but I felt the hospital guy didn't really care.

And if all that dont work, then we will remove your wisdom tooth.

I have spoken to a top surgeon online and they said from the pain I describe its my wisdom tooth and they cant understand why the hospital are messing me about like this, and sooner or later, I will have to have it out.

Thing is, its an 8wk wait as it is for the 3D Xray, as the normal Xray dont show all the nerves and stuff. Plus, surely the dentist at the hospital should know if my filling is cracked or not? then saying maybe it is, maybe its not? when own dentist said its fine. The hospital already have a normal Xray of my wisdom tooth and he showed me where its impacted.

I told him I have been getting pain for a while now, from the back of mouth to my ear, sharp pains and dull pains, then he said oh, it could be acid jaw. Whatever that means?

But it was like playing guessing games, It could be this, it could be that???

I was in there half hour while he felt my jaw and banged on my teeth and used cold compress on my teeth, he said you stated you have sensitive teeth. I said yes I do, but the pain is coming from the back where my wisdom tooth is right up to my hear, I dont get pain in any other teeth, only one next to wisdom where its pushing against it.

He asked me numerous questions, I felt like it was a quiz and answer time. How long did I have the pain, A year on and off I said! What type of pain is it? dull ache and sharp to ear? how many headaches do you get from it? A few times a week I said. He tapped all my teeth.

Then he put this plastic stuff in my mouth to make me a night guard thing, when I had the bits in my mouth he said I would have to swallow them as the spit equipment was not connected up. I told him he had a straight choice of me being sick over him or me spit out in hand wash tray, there was no way I was going to swallow bits of that stuff in my mouth. I thought that was pretty bad actually. It kind of gave me little faith really. Especially being a hospital as well.

Do you think they are trying to stall removal at the hospital to save the nhs money of the operation? or do they have my interests at heart?

I was also told about the numbness of the lip if the nerves are disturbed. the risks so he was open about that, but surely leaving it in is a higher risk to?

But I kind of felt he was trying to put me off having it out, like he was trying everything else to avoid the operation. We all know that operations are a risk. But then so is leaving it in to.

I just felt I was being palmed off really.

He said it would be a mistake to remove the wisdom tooth if I ended up having it out for nothing and then it happened to be the cracked filling after all.
But I could also be going thru having another filling replaced for nothing and going thru all that nervousness. When I could just be put under and have the wisom head chopped off without all the stress.

Its one of the training hospitals in London where they learn dentistry, dont think I am allowed to put name here. Its where the popular underground and overground station connects.


What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

brook2jack

Not even the most brilliant surgeon can properly diagnose you over the internet without seeing you your xrays and talking to you.

Dental pain canbe notoriously difficult to diagnose and if the hospital are suggesting cutting the top off the wisdo tooth it must be virtually on top of the nerve and they would be negligent if they didnt suggest anything to avoid surgery.

Leaving a wisdom tooth in will not damage the nerve but taking it out if it is close or the roots are wrapped around the nerve will.

It makes perfect sense to make 100% sure it is the wisdom tooth before launching into surgery that can have potentially irreversibly damaging consequences. Nothing to do with money.

brook2jack

Replied on your other thread. In short the hospital are being very thorough and are acting responsibly trying to avoid potentially permanently damaging surgery. Oral surgeons are not experts on fillings so not best placed to know if one needs replacing.

The treatment has nothing to do with cost cutting. The questions etc have everything to do with getting a correct diagnosis without launching into surgery.

princessdon

I don't wanna do "scare tactics" but I too had an impacted wisdom tooth. Dentist was a qualified surgeon but after Xrays said he'd rather it was done at Dental Hospital.

Had appt - they took X Rays (why they can't send the ones done at Dentists I have no idea). Anyway - as it wasn't "emergency or urgent" they said would be approx 3 -6 mos.

Sooo I decided to have it done at my surgery

BIG MISTAKE!!!!

They broke my jaw - the tooth had to be sawn into several parts - My mouth was open for over 4 hours (yes it was so impacted on the root it took nearly 5 hours). Anasethtic (sorry for spelling) wore off and they didn't have licence to give more, I lost a lot of blood etc.

Dentist said it was a borderliine case - we BOTH took the risk so not blaming them at all. In hindsight I would have waited years to have done correctly as my jaw isn't right - I have a fullness in my ears with meniers and have terrible headaches and pain as a result.

Impacted wisdom teeth are not urgent (there are a lot of more urgent treatment needed in dental hospitals), so yes you wait, but I don't beleive this is down to cost - just weighing up of how urgent your needs are.

I'd have take Anti biotics for years to wait and have it done in the right enviromnet with hindsight!

Good luck though- urgent or not, it's not pleasant