I have a hole in my tooth...

pnq06

But I can't afford to go to the dentist to get treatment

Is there anything I can do myself to maybe fill it?

Also does anyone know if i can use my MATB maternity certificate thingy at a private dentist as I am registered with one but don't want to assume I can and then get charged

dobbie82

I have a meternity exemption too, i went to a private dentist as i couldnt cope with the pain of a broken wisdom tooth anymore, but got charged £25 to be seen, and he wanted £120 to take it out! at least i got antibiotics for the now infected tooth.

needless to say I am gonna wait the 3 weeks left out of the 6 week wait for "urgent" treatment on the NHS (And that only because I am going to travel 20 miles into another county. there is no nhs dentist here)

anyways, sorry for the rant, try calling nhs direct on 0845 46 47 they will be able to give you advice on the dentists in your area, do you have a hospital near you? maybe you can get it dont there? (call nhs first)

pnq06

Thanks hun, I'll try NHS direct and see what they recommend

You'd think that we could get simple/minor dentistry work done with our exemption certificates wouldn't you!!!

JennyW_2

pnq06 wrote: »

Is there anything I can do myself to maybe fill it?

:eek: OMG - this isn't the dark ages!

If there really is a hole in your tooth then I wouldn't leave it too long as it could lead to problems later on. If the bacteria gets through to the nerve, you may get an abcess and you really wont want one of those.

pnq06

Honestly chick, if I could afford it then I wouldn't give it a second thought BUT being in £15000 debt and being on mat leave with a 6 month old, I have to put other things before my tooth...

Although an abcess doesn't sound too nice

JennyW_2

pnq06 wrote: »

Honestly chick, if I could afford it then I wouldn't give it a second thought BUT being in £15000 debt and being on mat leave with a 6 month old, I have to put other things before my tooth...

Although an abcess doesn't sound too nice

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament

What about if you spoke to the dentist, maybe they could come up with some sort of payment in stages? I'm just thinking ahead. IF things do get worse, then treatment for an abcess will cost a lot more.

Good luck :cool:

pnq06

Ooh hadn't thought of that!!!

Suppose the worst that can happen is a "no"

frugallass

Boots do an emergency filling kit - I need to go to the dentist but in the current financial crisis I can't afford it - I've got friends who are doctors and social workers, all I need now is a dentist :cool:

shelovestobuystuff

Your maternity exeption certificate does cover you for essential dental work up to a year after the birth.I even managed to get root canal treatment and bleaching done on mine(one tooth where baby headbutted me during a tantrum and killed the tooth,baby didnt even have a dent)
Other than that you could get free treatment at a dental college of you let the trainees loose on you.

Toothsmith

shelovestobuystuff wrote: »

Your maternity exeption certificate does cover you for essential dental work up to a year after the birth.I even managed to get root canal treatment and bleaching done on mine(one tooth where baby headbutted me during a tantrum and killed the tooth,baby didnt even have a dent)
Other than that you could get free treatment at a dental college of you let the trainees loose on you.

Root canal treatment should be available - you were very lucky to get any bleaching done, as it's not available on the NHS at all.

Exemption certificates only work on the NHS.

The government don't pay private dentists to work on exempt patients.

Toothsmith

frugallass wrote: »

Boots do an emergency filling kit - I need to go to the dentist but in the current financial crisis I can't afford it

If you seal in food debris and general plaque and crud, you will do more damage with one of these kits than if you left the cavity open where the fluoride and antibacterials in toothpaste can have an effect on the cavity.

The stuff isn't that sticky anyway, and although it smells very 'dental' it has very limited usefulness.

If you really are as poor as you claim to be, then you should qualfy for exemption fromdental charges, and it isn't too difficult these days to access emergency dental care if you are persistant with your PCT.

Many people just think it is impossible and give up if the first place they ring say they have no appointments.

Find yourself a dentist ASAP and get it sorted.