Advise needed for teeth replacement

jatinmistry_uk

Me and my wife are the lucky ones who are registered with NHS dentist.

My wife had a bridge (for 2 tooth) which unfortunetly came out and also right next to that one more tooth came out. We been to dentist and they gave her normal medications and advise bridge will not now be possible due to 3 teeth missing. This means she will have to get partial teeth denture.

However the twist is my dentist refused to it as says they do not do it on NHS eventhough we are registered as NHS patients. Instead they have referred us to another dentist (we think they are private) who we have to initial consultation in two weeks time. Also our dentist was saying each tooth cost normally £1500 means it will cost us £4500 for 3 tooth replacement!!!!!!!

Now I was wondering if anyone can advise me that:

1. If it's correct for my dentist to refuse to do her tooth replacement and refer us to somewhere else?
2. Does each tooth replacement really cost £1500?
3. If not what can I do about this?
4. And most importantly how can I arrange my wife's replacement tooth done?

Finally forgot to mention that my wife works and I have made redundant from work as of 18/1/08. Any advise or help is appreciated and thank you in advance.

buglawton

Have a look at this Times article about Dental tourism.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article742353.ece

Many people combine a visit abroad for dental treatment with a holiday in that area and budget airlines are cheap especially if you travel midweek.

Also, some companies have offices in the UK where they give you an initial consultancy & pricing before sending you abroad for the actual treatment.

mary43

Not sure if this helps but I had a partial denture a few years ago and the cost was in the lower £100's............can't remember exactly how much but iI had a part denture with two teeth. I've got two capped teeth at the front at the minute and having problems with one of them that needs replacing and last trip to the dentist I was told I could have one added to my existing denture for around £48.

Toothsmith

At £1500 per tooth, I think the dentist has been talking about implants rather than a bridge.

A bridge can be about £300-£500 per unit, but if some teeth have come out, it might be that the remaining ones aren't strong enough to support the longer bridge.

Bridges and implants aren't really available on the nHS, as the lowest cost option to replace teeth is a partial denture.

You should have been offered one of those on the NHS? The cost on the NHS would be £194 if you have to pay patient charges.

alison999

id call your dentist. even if you cant speak to him/her personally over the phone you need to know what youre being referred and expected to pay for. if youre still not sure then book a appt. to speak to your dentist, it might be a lot to take in but you need to know whats going on

moomin_white

definatly sounds like your dentist is talking about implants, a partial denture would cost between £300-£700 for the whole thing

mumajo

I like some upto date info about tooth implants. How successful are they? If they fail would I still be expected to pay the dentist?

Thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to answer.

donteatthat

Implants are succesful. In the region of 95% survival in the lower jaw and 90% in the top jaw over 10 years, if not longer. However, the patient biology is an unknown so survival rates cannot be predicted for each person. The success is more influenced by a patients willingness to stick to the maintenance program, so those who smoke, place heavy forces on their implants or do not see the hygienist as often as recommended will find their implants may fail quickly.

If an implant I place fails, I replace the fixture free of charge via the implant company. The implant company will pay for the failed fixture but I charge for the cost of my time, disposables, and any procedures required to remedy the situation.

My patients pay for the placement surgery 1 week before the appointment in order for me to order the components I need. So yes, I would expect you to pay for a failed implant - if it fails, it is not actually my fault as I stick to the accpeted highest standards of implant dentistry.

HT

DET

mumajo

Thanks for the reply afraid it's made me feel worse!! I have two front teeth missing so have a 6 tooth bridge. Now due to an infection & general tooth deteriation from 25 yrs of bridges I need to go for 4 implants (then back to 6 tooth bridge) at a cost of £6K (not keen on going for a plate) If an implant fails can it be tried again or is that it & bone destroyed.

donteatthat

Sorry . Why would you think it would fail? How did you lose the front teeth and do you mean by "general tooth deterioration" gum disease?

If an implant fails it can usually be placed again, but when they fail it is usually in the short-term and due to infection which can cause bone damage. This can be corrected with a bone graft often, but at additional cost to the patient.

I'm afraid like all medical treatments it is impossible to give absolute assurances or guarentees for the human body. But on the whole, as long as the implant dentist has a good previous success rate you can look towards good results. All implant placers should have personal audits of their failures.

mumajo

Also I have been with my dentist for 15 yrs & assume I can trust him to advise me correctly & would only have told me this if it were true. Treatment is due to start next week & I am really scared & family now think maybe I should have sought second/third opinions.