Nhs dental hell

joriginaloak · 16 November 2019 at 2:57AM

Dear friends I have suffered from bad teeth all my life. Since a kid I was subjected to torturous dental treatment on the NHS with multiple missing teeth and a part-denture which at the age of 30 in 2002 was finally given a full top set bridge in two parts. To my delight I thought my troubles were once and for all over, how wrong I was! With no advice at the time that this aledgedly once in a lifetime treatment would come back to haunt me! I now have an upper jaw of decaying teeth which are entombed within a bridge which I cannot have fixed any further under the NHS and the the only option is to have false teeth at the age of 47, this completely traumatises me at the thought! The fear and depression I now suffer, not to mention the pain, leaves me with little left to live for as the cost of a £12000+ bill for implants, which is next stage and I do not have such monies terrifies me and leaves me in total despair. My head constantly feels like it is in a vice through pain and which I can only think is an abscess or something worse building up behind the scenes but my fear of the cost is preventing me from going to the dentist to which I know I have no means to afford the imminent and enormous cost for fixing such a complicated situation! I have worked all my life and struggle financially but cannot even begin to contemplate costs like these! I have been to a dentist around a year ago and was frightened off after the discussion of these astronominical figures were discussed, I just shut down and refused to go back as I had no answer to the situation. I have for the last year lived with excrusiating and dibilitating pain, eaten food which most would regard as baby food but now would greatly appreciate any avice to options I may not know about as I am truly struggling to see beyond the coming days! I look forward to your responses. Jay

silvercar · 16 November 2019 at 9:23AM

One step at a time. Get the immediate pain sorted, then when you can think logically decide on your next steps.

Toothsmith · 16 November 2019 at 9:34AM

Go back, to this dentist or a different one, and get rid of the bad ones and replace them with the denture option.

The thought might 'traumatise' you, but many people operate perfectly well with false teeth, and you'll be out of pain.
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I hope the dentist explained to you the the implant option would also not be a 'once in a lifetime' option, and much like your bridges, if you don't get some control of your dental habits these will fail too - and in a very similar, painful way to how your bridges are failing. Failing implants, however, are much harder to deal with.

A denture would be the nearest thing you could get to the 'fit & forget' dentistry you seem to want. Once you've got used to it, you could eat & drink whatever you liked, whenever you liked, and cleaning it is just a relatively quick scrub under a tap a few times a day, depending on how important fresh breath is to you.

Implants would take very diligent cleaning with brushes & interdental floss for several minutes several times a day.

When you look at your options, I really thing a few hundred quid (or £260 odd on the NHS) to have the teeth/bridges removed and a denture provided would really be the best one for you.

mda99das · 16 November 2019 at 11:39PM

Basically tooth decay is generally preventable.
To get tooth decay you need
1) A site ( a tooth!)
2) Sugars
3) Bacteria
4) Time

Take away any of these factors and you will end up with tooth decay and possibly other things as well.
Certain dental conditions such as hypoplasia mean decay will set in a lot quicker.
Patients need to be educated and get the basics right. you mentioned that you had to have teeth removed as a child, decay does not form over night. You had a bridge done, perhaps you railroaded the dentist into doing something that was against their better judgement and delayed the inevitable. you need to take responsibility and ownership of the problem before you make the situation worse. I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is meant with good intentions.

Nhs dental hell

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