Dentist

Roo2000

I know this is a money saving forum and I'm posting about a dental issue. But the idea is what do I need to pay?

The problem ...

I had a filling come loose and fall out a few weeks ago. I called my NHS dentist and got an appointment for the very next day.

The dentist applied a temporary filling and said that I would need to make an appointment and decide the next course of action, when the filling failed.

I thought this odd, as I'm at the dentist, could we not just apply a permanent filling or discus any other options now, while I'm here? But I needed to get to work, so off I went.

A couple of weeks later the tooth started to feel tender, so I thought "aha, the filling is failing, I need to speak to the dentist and get a permanent filling". I booked in and a different dentist took an X-ray of my mouth.

She explained that it wasn't a good idea to refill the tooth (she's the dentist, OK I agree) and I would probably need to have the tooth crowned or removed. She then explained that she wasn't able to extract or crown the tooth, as it was a complex procedure.

She recommended that I visit a private dentist (who was based in the same surgery, every Monday) and they would asses the next course of action during a £55 appointment. I would then need to pay the cost of whatever was decided during that consultation.

I thought this odd as an extraction under the NHS is a band 2 cost and I was expecting to pay around £80.

I thought about this more over the weekend (my tooth pain getting worse, which I'm now managing with Ibuprofen and paracetamol) and after an internet search found that I could ask the dentist to refer me to an NHS dental hospital that could carry out the work needed.

I called my dentist and asked if I could be referred, which they did.

Ive had confirmation of the referral, which says my referral is being assessed and that the minimum wait time is 4.5 years.

I don't believe my tooth will last another 4.5 weeks, nevermind years.

My question..

Is there anything other I can do as an NHS dental patient, to get my tooth fixed (either crowned or removed)?

Or is it just a case of my dentist finding the job too complex, so Private medical care is the only way forward unless I put up with the pain for at least 4.5 years?

And to be fair my referral hasn't been accepted yet, so is Private my only option?

sammyjammy

Sounds like your first appt was an emergency one so I would say on that basis the action was correct. From there it sounds wrong, you have an NHS dentist and they should carry out the necessary treatment under NHS guidance, I don't think you will get accepted for dental treatment at the hospital from what you say. I think you need to follow up with your dentist, maybe they will back off if you ask for a written explanation of why they can't treat you under NHS.

Good luck.

P.S Thats just my personal thoughts!

UnsureAboutthis

Sadly, I’ve completely lost trust in dentists these days.

Sounds like your initial appointment was categorized as an "emergency" visit. I recently posted a thread about our own nightmare with our clinic: they originally wanted two Band 3 payments of roughly £330 each, plus the £30 Band 1 fee we had already paid. It was only after I challenged them by email that they backtracked, revising it down to the Band 1 we paid and a single Band 3 charge.

I’ve been told to go private before, too. You mentioned a 4.5-year waiting list—we were quoted two years, but when the time came, there was zero contact. In the end, I had no choice but to pay privately, which set me back nearly £1,200.

Londoner_1

Book a trip to india for 2 weeks, dental cost there £100 max.

elsien

I would be asking for a very clear explanation as to why it was not possible to extract the tooth and specifically what the degree of complexity is. Because if it breaks, they’re going to have to do something with it.

Explain very clearly you cannot go private and ask what other tiers of care/ referral mechanisms there are in your area.

@Toothsmith doesn’t use the forum so much more but if they’re around they will have a much better idea of what’s possible/realistic.

Worried_fool

What do you need to pay? What the dentist charges.

I would imagine that what she calls a "complex" procedure is simply one for which the NHS fee is too low to make commercial sense for her. She might relent if you ask for a more detailed explanation and plead poverty, and/or make a complaint: having said that, I would not want to receive treatment from a dentist after complaining about her/him.

Your alternative is treatment in another country. You are in a strong position, since you have a diagnosis and know exactly what treatment you require. I would be pleased to recommend the dentist I see in Poland (in the mountain resort of Zakopane, a two-hour bus ride from the airport in Krakow) and of course there are many other options. If you fancy Turkey I know a good but expensive dentist in Istanbul.

kimwp

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82169691#Comment_82169691

I'm related to a dentist - under the UDA system, they do many treatments which don't "make commercial sense" ie they lose money on. Overall, it's still a decently paid job, particularly as a new graduate being compared to other new graduates, but NHS dentists don't get to turn away patients because they will lose money by treating them.

sheramber

Ask the practice for their complaint procedure.

All practices must have one.

To make a complaint about an NHS dental service in England, you can start by contacting the dental practice directly or reaching out to your local Integrated Care Board (ICB). [1, 2]

nhs dentisi complaint

MynameisMichaelCane

I don't trust dentists and mostly avoid them. A book called Free Your Smile by Dr Fre was recommended to me. I haven't read it all so I am not sure if it would help, but it might be worth a look.

Roo2000

Thank you for all the comments so far.

Just to clarify..

I'm not blaming the dentist or looking to complain about them. Especially if they are going to work ony teeth in the future.

Yes they've pointed me straight to a private dentist, but maybe they knew I'd be in pain and what the waiting list was for the NHS dental hospital in this area. So thought Private would be quicker?

If they're not confident to work on my tooth because it's in someway "Complex", then I'm very glad they know their limit.

I'm an electrician, nobody would want me wiring something up that I wasn't sure about.

I'm basically looking for an alternative to private treatment.

There must be one, or is the dental system really that broken, that I need to take out some kind of insurance for next time and cough up this time?

To all those saying to nip abroad..

It's not really that much cheaper when you factor in your travel costs and a hotel, leave from wor etc etc.. So it's not really a sensible answer.

I am a genuine bloke, with tooth ache asking if there is an NHS service (or similar) available or if everyone in my situation needs to spend £1000s?

marcia_

i just paid about £70 to have a check up then an extraction. She pulled the wrong tooth and i am beyond livid.

Ive booked in to a private dentist to have the correct tooth removed as the original dentist said she hadn't made a mistake and wouldn't take out the tooth that is causing me pain and sinus symptoms related to an infected upper molar. Quite upset i will now have no molars one upper side.
Nhs dentists are awful.