Going to dentist for a quote?

MikeyMole

elsien said:

I’m having an implant done at the moment. One visit to have a tooth extracted And whatever they used to build up the gums put in. Another visit in a couple of weeks time to check what’s happening and look at the stitches. Then a gap of several months brackets (timescale to be confirmed) to start looking at the implant itself. And that’s just for one tooth.
Can you afford to keep flying abroad as needed?

I don't even know if I'm eligible for implants. I don't know how much work I need I know I just need a lot. I certainly can't afford dental prices here. And my teeth are impacting every single aspect of my life and probably make it impossible for me to ever get a better job to save the amount of money Id need to get work done here so I don't exactly have a lot of options. I know I can get cheap flights to for example Hungary for less than £100 return and stay at a hostel for £20 a night. I imagine that'd be much cheaper than getting anything done here. 

MikeyMole

Im still just trying to save every penny I can at the minute. I would just like to have some idea how much it will cost me. I don't know if I'm months or years away from having enough and I have put my entire life on hold until I sort my teeth out. I don't don't know if I want to pay a dentist £70 for him to tell me "you need xyz done and it'll be £20k altogether". 

MikeyMole

elsien said:

I’m having an implant done at the moment. One visit to have a tooth extracted And whatever they used to build up the gums put in. Another visit in a couple of weeks time to check what’s happening and look at the stitches. Then a gap of several months brackets (timescale to be confirmed) to start looking at the implant itself. And that’s just for one tooth.
Can you afford to keep flying abroad as needed?

Also if I am paying each time I visit that gives me time to save between visits which is a good thing. I have no idea about things like this having never been to a dentist as an adult.

elsien

But you need a starting point. Yes, different dentists will give different treatment plans, but at least you would have more of an idea as to needs filling, what needs removing,  what can be saved. And also how to maintain your dental hygiene in the future. 

I still think having that initial assessment and X-rays  is necessary before you think about what you’re going do next. Have you looked to see if there are any Nhs dentists taking on new patients at the moment? It’s not necessarily an either/or. 

MikeyMole

elsien said:

But you need a starting point. Yes, different dentists will give different treatment plans, but at least you would have more of an idea as to needs filling, what needs removing,  what can be saved. And also how to maintain your dental hygiene in the future. 

I still think having that initial assessment and X-rays  is necessary before you think about what you’re going do next. Have you looked to see if there are any Nhs dentists taking on new patients at the moment? It’s not an either/or. 

Yes that was my entire point of starting this thread. I was asking what exactly happens at the dentist when you go. If they give you a quote to take home with you to compare prices or what happens. I just want to have some idea of how much I'd be paying. I have like £2k To my name and can save like £500 a month. I basically need a full mouth restoration at this point I don't know if any of my teeth are salvageable. 

Going to a dentist is terrifying for me because i have unbelievably bad social anxiety and I'm so embarrassed about letting myself get to this state.

elsien

I primarily use the NHS and only go private for things that they don’t cover or where it’s more complicated and private  would have a better success rate such as with a difficult root canal.
 

Brook2Jack is a dentist so has far more idea than me, I’m just relating from my personal experience. 

I went to an initial consultation for the private work and was given a treatment plan with costs (written, sent by email) and chose not to go ahead with that dentist and went elsewhere. They did offer a payment plan, but not going back to them wasn’t an issue.
I also made a formal request for my x-rays and NHS notes to be shared, which was facilitated. 

Costs vary, training and  experience varies and I don’t know how you would check that out. But if you can find a dentist  who will be sympathetic to your anxiety, and just get a rough idea of the work that is needed or what can be stabilised, I would suggest to go with that. 

Although you are embarrassed, it won’t be anything they haven’t seen before. 

MikeyMole

elsien said:

I primarily use the NHS and only go private for things that they don’t cover or where it’s more complicated and private  would have a better success rate such as with a difficult root canal.
 

Brook2Jack is a dentist so has far more idea than me, I’m just relating from my personal experience. 

I went to an initial consultation for the private work and was given a treatment plan with costs (written, sent by email) and chose not to go ahead with that dentist and went elsewhere. They did offer a payment plan, but not going back to them wasn’t an issue.
I also made a formal request for my x-rays and NHS notes to be shared, which was facilitated. 

Costs vary, training and  experience varies and I don’t know how you would check that out. But if you can find a dentist  who will be sympathetic to your anxiety, and just get a rough idea of the work that is needed or what can be stabilised, I would suggest to go with that. 

Although you are embarrassed, it won’t be anything they haven’t seen before. 

Thank you that's very helpful. I need to get an appointment soon.

MikeyMole

brook2jack2 said:

The first thing is it is pointless spending any money on you
r teeth unless you are going to continue regular care with a dentist you trust. 

It’s taken many years for your teeth to get this bad and it will take time for the damage to be repaired and for you to get into a healthy routine that will maintain what teeth you have left in a good state. No dentistry lasts forever and if not looked after dental work will fail quicker than your own teeth.

Ask friends and relatives for recommendations for a dentist. As said before you may well struggle to get a NHS dentist and even some private dentists will have waiting lists . 

An appointment does not commit you to treatment but you will have to pay for check up and x rays and any other investigations that need to be done. The dentist will give you a written treatment plan with costings. However if you go to a different dentist they will do their own treatment plan and it might not be the same as the first . It doesn’t mean one is wrong and another right as there are many different ways of approaching a patients problems. 

The practice website should give you an idea of costings as new patient check ups take longer than routine check ups . Think about what your priorities are for treatment , getting pain and infection should be first , then looking better. 

You do not have to have the treatment all in one go , providing you do not have pain or infection , you can stage it as you can afford it. The most important thing is to take onboard the dentists and hygienists advice and to keep regular appointments once treatment is finished so you stay healthy. 

Be honest with the dentist about finances , you do not have to agree to any treatment. Do not worry they will have seen teeth in a worse state than yours . But if you are happy with dentist make regular appointments as this will not be just a one off treatment but should be to set you up for a healthy mouth for life with a practitioner you trust. 

Yes I will definitely be trying to keep on top of my dental hygiene going forward. I don't want to get into detail about my personal issues but the importance of dental hygiene was not impressed upon me growing up and my adult life has been filled with mental health issues which is how it got this bad. Unfortunately because of this I am in a position now where I earn little money and have little prospects to earn more. I have been rejected from every job interview I've had for the last couple years and only have this job because it was a supermarket hiring for Christmas and they didn't interview me and kept me on permanent. The reason I'm saying this as I moved back home to a different part of the UK to save money until I can sort out my teeth and am basically putting my life on hold until then. So I will eventually be moving away from my mum's house back to a different UK country. So I would have to be flying back every time I went to see my old dentist anyway? And flights are honestly similar prices to flying abroad anyway?

brook2jack2

You should choose a dentist close to where you are because, even in the best hands, things can go wrong and you will need appointments you didn’t know you needed. 

Even if you were going to have implants you would need to wear dentures for the initial months of healing . So why not budget for simple treatment like fillings , extractions and simple part dentures which will improve your looks and confidence, enable you to get a better job and save for more advanced treatment ? Certainly the amount you have saved already would pay for this sort of treatment now  , unless you needed root treatment or crowns . 

You are going to have to pay for a check up and x rays etc and , privately , that will be £70 to £150 in most places . As said before different dentists will give you different treatment plans , and an individual dentist can give you options in a treatment plan eg a simple treatment plane with just fillings, extractions and dentures up to more advanced treatment. 

MikeyMole

brook2jack2 said:

You should choose a dentist close to where you are because, even in the best hands, things can go wrong and you will need appointments you didn’t know you needed. 

Even if you were going to have implants you would need to wear dentures for the initial months of healing . So why not budget for simple treatment like fillings , extractions and simple part dentures which will improve your looks and confidence, enable you to get a better job and save for more advanced treatment ? Certainly the amount you have saved already would pay for this sort of treatment now  , unless you needed root treatment or crowns . 

You are going to have to pay for a check up and x rays etc and , privately , that will be £70 to £150 in most places . As said before different dentists will give you different treatment plans , and an individual dentist can give you options in a treatment plan eg a simple treatment plane with just fillings, extractions and dentures up to more advanced treatment. 

Thank you for the advice. Of course I may be overestimating the cost of treatment but I am probably underselling just how bad my teeth are. Most of them are missing. The rest are literally at least half rotted away or worse. One of them is mostly rotted away I'd black as coal. Maybe I'd be better with dentures? I know they are cheaper I just hate the idea of dentures at my age and how it will effect any potential dating life etc.