Need lots of dental work cant afford it or find nhs dentist

wilson1972

Hey all

I got cancer in 2020, in my mouth with some spread. Radiation and chemo means that i am still alive etc, but the treatment did a lot of damage to my mouth, one of the side effects being i dont produce a lot of saliva.

I was financially ok before this point, but have spent a lot on private treatment for lymphodema etc as the waiting lists for nhs treatment were pretty huge.

I also registered for a private dentist who just told me that while my teeth are spotlessly clean (i brush with a very soft brush 4 times a day and rinse inbetween) they are demineralised and i need caps on almost all of them, cost over 6k

There is no way on earth i have that money, in fact i have a loan right now for 8k (manageable) and only 1k in the bank as i have spent thousands on post cancer treatment.

  However i have spent half of today ringing around trying to find an nhs dentist who will take me on, and none of them are...i went out to a ten mile radius.

Due to the treatment i have had, if i lose a tooth- i have a high risk of osteonecrosis (jaw death, it literally rots away) so i cant afford to leave the teeth to get worse

Can anyone suggest options? I am pretty desperate right now - thanks.

Toothsmith

I have a patient who has recently got the 'all clear' after a tonsilar cancer I spotted a few months ago. 

He too needed radiotherapy and so has the similar high risk of osteonecrosis should he need a tooth extraction. 

He has the support of a dentist at the hospital as well as me for his routine treatment. Do you have any support from the hospital oral surgery department? Maybe investigate that? 

I can't see you, so I have no idea as to the appropriateness of the treatment you have been recommended. Personally and very very generally speaking though, I would have thought that heavy intervention and provision of multiple crowns would be relatively high risk of creating a situation that might lead to further problems? 

'Demineralisation' is not decay, and could possibly be managed with a high fluoride toothpaste, excellent oral hygiene, and hygienist support, and possibly topical fluoride at regular intervals as well, rather than taking a drill to a tooth??

if you could get access to a dentist at the hospital, even though they wouldn't have the budget to provide extensive treatment for you, they may well have an opinion on whether the treatment that has been suggested to you is appropriate or whether one with less 'intervention' might be more appropriate? 

If someone at the hospital could suggest and write down an appropriate preventative program for you, then either that private dentist or a different one could then carry it out for you? 

wilson1972

Hey toothsmith, thanks for the advice

I was under birmingham dental hospital initially, they assessed my mouth to decide if i needed teeth out before treatment (they removed one)- and they assessed me after treatment, but i was discharged after two visits back to find a private dentist.

I do use duraphat, which i buy privately. As i understand it there is quite a bit of dentine exposed right now though so i dont think re-mineralisation is an option. I have had some sensitivity for a while, and tried novamin and biomin f between duraphat and it didnt really help.

I was supposed to have seen my consultant for my follow up a month or so ago, i was thinking of asking him to refer me back to the dental hospital? Then it could be taken from there as you suggest.

Thanks a lot for the advice, it is appreciated.