I am in my 20s and due to past problems my teeth are rotted away but I cant afford dental care?

throwawaygirl

Spoonie_Turtle said:

throwawaygirl said:

brook2jack2 said:

I wonder if you are entitled to any other help as you are 

Most of the links on that page dont apply to me sorry. My wages are just enough to cover me so i dont fall into any difficulty financially but not enough for sudden dental bills.

I'd advise doing a benefit calculation, using a couple of different calculators to check whether the answers are roughly similar. If you rent then based on your wage you'd probably be entitled to some Universal Credit (if you don't rent then you might be entitled to ~£50 per month if you're over 25, but nothing if you're under 25). Most benefits are defined by fixed amounts but the NHS Low Income Scheme looks at everything - income and outgoings - so it's entirely possible you might qualify for help. I'm not sure whether you have to have started a course of treatment though or if you can apply in advance.

I dont apply for any benefits as I work 16 hours and live at home with family

throwawaygirl

sheramber said:

Have you completed the online application in the link given by brook2jack2?

No i either earn too much or dont qualify as I live at home with family

Spoonie_Turtle

throwawaygirl said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

throwawaygirl said:

brook2jack2 said:

I wonder if you are entitled to any other help as you are 

Most of the links on that page dont apply to me sorry. My wages are just enough to cover me so i dont fall into any difficulty financially but not enough for sudden dental bills.

I'd advise doing a benefit calculation, using a couple of different calculators to check whether the answers are roughly similar. If you rent then based on your wage you'd probably be entitled to some Universal Credit (if you don't rent then you might be entitled to ~£50 per month if you're over 25, but nothing if you're under 25). Most benefits are defined by fixed amounts but the NHS Low Income Scheme looks at everything - income and outgoings - so it's entirely possible you might qualify for help. I'm not sure whether you have to have started a course of treatment though or if you can apply in advance.

I dont apply for any benefits as I work 16 hours and live at home with family

Ah okay, in that case yes I can see how you didn't qualify. (The temporary increase to UC is only until April so after that you wouldn't qualify for anything at all again anyway.) The only exception would be if you care for a disabled person or have a child, which naturally you wouldn't mention in your opening post because it's not relevant to your dental situation.

In that case the NHS Low Income Scheme is definitely your best bet. I imagine the way forward with all of this won't be easy, for so many reasons, so I hope you are able to find a dentist and a way forward, and I really wish you the very best.

sheramber

Have you tried to find an NHS  dentist? 
Can you look at your budget and see if you can cut any of your  bills to save  some money to put towards your dental treatment.
As you live with family can they  help you out?

Problems finding an NHS dentist

If after contacting several dental surgeries you still cannot find a dentist accepting NHS patients, call NHS England's Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 2233.

NHS England commissions dental services in England and is required to meet the needs of their local population for both urgent and routine dental care.

Your local Healthwatch also may be able to give you information about services in your area.

Find your local Healthwatch

If NHS England has been unable to help you find a dentist and you want to raise your concerns about this, contact them on:

• email: england.contactus@nhs.net
• phone: 0300 311 2233
• visit the NHS England website

If you're still not satisfied with NHS England's response, you can take your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Dental emergency and out-of-hours care

If you think you need urgent care, contact your usual dentist as some surgeries offer emergency dental slots and will provide care if clinically necessary.

You can also contact NHS 111, who can put you in touch with an urgent dental service.

Do not contact a GP, as they will not be able to offer urgent or emergency dental care.

When to go to A&E

Only visit A&E in serious circumstances, such as:

• severe pain
• heavy bleeding
• injuries to the face, mouth or teeth

If you're not sure whether you should go to A&E, contact NHS 111, who will be able to advise you.

How much will I be charged?

The emergency dentist will only deal with the problem at hand and provide clinically necessary treatment to stop any pain. An urgent dental treatment will always be charged at Band 1 (£22.70) – see NHS dental charges explained.

If you are entitled to free NHS dental care, you should be able to claim back the cost of any treatment. Ensure you keep all receipts. For more information, see Help with dental costs.

If you are asked to come back for further treatment, this will be considered a separate course of non-urgent treatment. You will have to pay the relevant charge for the new course of treatment.

Ask the dentist what the treatment will cost or whether you can have a treatment plan.

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Page last reviewed: 10 December 2019
Next review due: 10 December 2022

Dentists

• How to find an NHS dentist
• What happens when you visit an NHS dentist
• Understanding NHS dental charges
• Dental treatment for people with special needs
• What's available on the NHS?

throwawaygirl

sheramber said:

Have you tried to find an NHS  dentist? 
Can you look at your budget and see if you can cut any of your  bills to save  some money to put towards your dental treatment.
As you live with family can they  help you out?

 

Cant cut my bills as it is set loan repayment etc. And i live with grandparents who only receive pension i live in northern ireland so the nhs england website will not help me.

Spoonie_Turtle

throwawaygirl said:

sheramber said:

Have you tried to find an NHS  dentist? 
Can you look at your budget and see if you can cut any of your  bills to save  some money to put towards your dental treatment.
As you live with family can they  help you out?

 

Cant cut my bills as it is set loan repayment etc. And i live with grandparents who only receive pension i live in northern ireland so the nhs england website will not help me.

a) it would have helped to tell us that before
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/health-service-dental-charges-and-treatments
b) they also have a Low Income Scheme which still sound like your best bet https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/claim-help-health-and-travel-costs-form-hc1

sheramber

If you are having difficulty finding a Health Service dentist you can contact the Health and Social Care Board in your area for further information.
http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/services/2073.htm

rach_k

Is there absolutely no way you can go for an examination with an NHS dentist?  You're looking at less than £30 if they do a couple of x-rays.  

Have you anything you can sell?  What are the loan repayments for?  Any old games, books, DVDs etc you can sell?  Or do you get birthday and Christmas presents?  Perhaps explain to people that you are saving for a dental check-up and they might give you cash instead (or, if somebody said that to me, I'd give them the money right then just so they go).  

If you can do that, they will be able to tell you what needs doing urgently (and, personally, I would ask about the front teeth first as they're probably the ones you're most conscious of) and then you can make a plan.  If you need extractions (the broken back teeth, perhaps), they might even refer you to the hospital instead of doing it there, in which case it would be free.  

suki1964

Dental treatment is priced differently here in NI, we don't have bands, we pay per cost

However in saying that, I have found an NHS dentist here who is absolutely brilliant - along the terms of what he can offer - and doesn't charge the earth. I have been pleasantly surprised on many occasions on how "cheap" my treatment has been

health-service-dental-charges-and-treatments gives an idea of the sort of charges you can expect

It really is worth finding a dentist in your area to get a check up and a treatment plan. You don't have to have the work all done at once, you get the urgent painful stuff done first, then work toward the cosmetic stuff. I had to save a good few months before I gave my dentist the go ahead for my last lot of treatment

But in the meantime you are going and you are getting the foundation works done so your oral health doesn't get worse

sheramber

In Scotland we also pay 80% of the cost