shocked at cost of dental bridge

lorryw

My husband had to have two teeth lower front teeth removed after an accident. His dentist quoted £2000 for a Maryland bridge prep and impression and £1300 for bridge fit.
We have no idea if this is excessive or the "going rate" We can't possibly find such a large amount of money. Would he be able to have a bridge on the NHS?

brook2jack2

It is most unusual to charge seperately for a bridge preparation and fit are you sure your husband has understood what he is quoted for? Has he a written quote? The prices you quote are much more in line with a having implants fitted . A Maryland bridge does not need much preparation . 

For two lower teeth missing your husband is very unlikely to have a bridge on the NHS , he is much more likely to be offered a part denture to replace the teeth. 

lorryw

Thank you for replying. It is a written quote and those are the figures stated, the dentist is also a well known high street chemist.

greyteam1959

I know dental work has had to massively increase their pricing due to Covid-19 but that just sounds ridiculous.
I would be getting a quote from a local independent dentist.
If you can find one that is.

brook2jack2

lorryw said:

Thank you for replying. It is a written quote and those are the figures stated, the dentist is also a well known high street chemist.

This seems very strange because it does not tally with what is written on their price list on their website https://smileright.co/fee-guide/smileright-cardiff-pricelist/

I presume it is the same pricelist on all their sites. I would get your husband to phone up and query as it is massively more than on their site. 

Toothsmith

I would agree that this is most likely some sort of admin error.

lorryw

We live in Basingstoke and for some reason the pricelist is more expensive. A bridge costs from £700 compared to £550 in Cardiff.  Still a huge difference from the amount he was quoted though. 

brook2jack2

The cost of wages, property, service costs , lab costs etc will be more in Basingstoke than Cardiff. 

Emmia

Smileright is presumably not an NHS dentist? I'd see if you can find one, although you'll still have to pay.

Given that dentures wear out, you'll need to budget for replacements periodically too.

Undervalued

Emmia said:

Smileright is presumably not an NHS dentist? I'd see if you can find one, although you'll still have to pay.

Given that dentures wear out, you'll need to budget for replacements periodically too.

As I understand it, the NHS only provide bridges under very limited circumstances. I am far from sure that this would qualify but maybe one of the dentists could comment?

Rightly or wrongly the NHS only provides the minimum necessary to "maintain dental health" and anything else would normally have to be private.

Toothsmith

As I understand it, the NHS only provide bridges under very limited circumstances. I am far from sure that this would qualify but maybe one of the dentists could comment?

Brook pretty much did in her first reply. Very unusual to get a bridge on the NHS. The stars, planets, biorhythms and runes all need to be aligned in a very specific way!