Dentist Forum

21 September 2011

NHS dental treatment during pregnancy

Dental advice wanted – NHS dental treatment during pregnancy

I needed an emergency root canal filling having broken a tooth after falling when pregnant. I was registered at a private practice but saw my dentist at his NHS clinic where he advised, due to my pregnancy I would be treated on the NHS. He advised I should attend his private practice the following day (it was closer to my home address and I was very upset) for the completion of my root canal where he also glued my original tooth back on to the stump that remained. I have since been told nothing will be covered on the NHS? Is this correct? Can nothing be claimed back?

I still have the temporary tooth and need to work out what to do next as I keep being told that this should all be covered on the NHS, regardless of whether I am registered as private or not.

Your advice would be really appreciated.

22 August 2011

TMJ dysfunction, jaw pain and NHS dental charges

Dental advice wanted – TMJ, jaw pain and dental charges

I went for my first appointment with a new dental practice around the end of June and was told that I would need 3 filings, 3 wisdom teeth removals and another night guard to sleep in.

I got a chest infection not long after which lasted about 5 weeks so had to cancel my appointment for my fillings and at first rebooked for a weeks time as at first I was told it was a cold/flu bug. Then a few days before I realised it wasn’t going, went back to the doctor who told me it was a severe chest infection so I rang back and told them I couldn’t rebook yet as I was unsure on when I would shift the infection. When it had cleared I rang up to make a new appointment and was told I have to have 2? One on the 2nd September and one on the 7th. She was unsure if I had to pay again. I already paid my £17 and as far as I was aware that covered you for 6 months? So do I have to pay the £17 again AND the extra to make it up to the £47?

Also please can you advise on this –

I then got through my appointment to see a specialist which I attended. He didn’t let me tell him all my dental history as I have been under a dental hospital before before I moved 2 years ago. He had a poke about in my mouth briefly, didn’t feel my jaw then told me only one wisdom tooth was a possible for removal (wisdom teeth all coming through, none through fully yet) He then asked me if I had physio and I said not properly because my back therapist who I got referred to for it showed me the exact same exercises as I was given on a piece of paper from the dental hospital and had been doing for the past few years and is not helping. He then recommended another night guard. I have already had 2 over different periods, they did not make a difference other than to make my jaw pain even more unbearable when I woke up. I told him I do not grind my teeth as the dental hospital checked that, no signs of it on my teeth, and my bite is behind so Ii cant even close my teeth together anymore. Also Im not clenching either as suggested as when I lay down my jaw trembles and I cant even put my teeth behind in its normal bite, I have to try and get to sleep with my teeth well apart.

I also told him that it was suggested at my dental hospital that I had botox into the muscle. I refused this at the time as Ii never saw my specialist and had loads of cancellations from him and kept seeing other people instead. the one time I saw him he didn’t look at my mouth and suggested that I had botox. I had been waiting 4 hours so just said I would think about it. a few days later the nurse rang back to double check as she was ordering and I refused it. I sent a letter of complaint to the hospital and got a new specialist, who did a scan (in 2 years the other one did nothing!!) and we discovered that one side of my jaw is significantly thinner and he seemed shocked that my last specialist wanted to give me botox. He said the only thing he would suggest was a saline solution to rise out the joints but even that would be a last resort and probably wouldn’t ease my pain anymore. Unfortunately I then moved to Cumbria and went on the dental waiting list for over a year before moving again and getting one straight away in Blackpool.

I was diagnosed with TMJD at my first dental hospital. My new specialist up here said he is in favour of botox and also medication. I also have fibromyalgia and ME and have had amitriptyline already for that and it made me ill and tired so I couldn’t stay on it. Their pain medications suggested do not work for me and I don’t really want medication. I don’t want botox either as I don’t think it is suitable.

My jaw pain is getting worse as is the locking, it locks half when I try to eat. The ear pain is awful and is worse in the mornings and at night when I have been talking all day as I have to work! The ear ache is causing my hearing to be affected and had a hearing test a few years ago and he said it wasn’t great and I would probably need a hearing device by 30.

Please help me to deal with my issues, who I contact and what to say etc as I cant go on like this then when I try to discuss it I get made to feel like a fool.

21 August 2011

Dental Implants

Dental advice wanted – Dental Implants

I currently have an NHS dentist but need to have some implants done and my dentist says she can refer me to a private dentist who can do the work for around £6,000 – this sounds quite expensive to me, can you give me some advice on where I might get this work done?

26 July 2011

NHS dental charges from 1 April 2011

The following poster "NHS dental charges from 1 April 2011" describes the charge you will pay for your NHS dental treatment.

Your charges will depend on the treatment you need to keep your mouth, gums and teeth healthy. You will only ever be asked to pay one charge for each complete course of treatment, even if you need to visit your dentist more than once to finish it – either Band 1, Band 2 or Band 3. If you have to be referred to another dentist for another, separate course of treatment, you can expect a second charge. Some minor treatments, including having stitches removed or repair to dentures (if they can be mended), are free.

26 July 2011

NHS Dental Services in England

The following leaflet “How can I get NHS dental treatment” explains how to find an NHS dentist, what treatment you can expect and how much it will cost from 1 April 2011.

26 July 2011

NHS Dental Charges

Dental advice wanted – NHS Dental Charges

I visited the emergency NHS Access centre on Friday as I’ve been unable to eat for a few days due to pain, they fitted a couple of temporary fillings to the problem areas and charged me £17 (band 1). I’ve arranged to register as an NHS patient with a dentist tomorrow but they also want to charge me £17 plus the cost of the treatment (I’m assuming if it’s just fillings it will be £47). On the NHS site it says you only have to pay £17 once even if you are initially treated at another dentist for the problem. Should I be paying it twice?

18 July 2011

Colour of NHS crowns and inlays

Dental advice wanted – NHS crowns and inlays

“I am undertaking a NHS Root Canal treatment on my lower left Molar teeth (the 3rd one from the back) in central London; after Root Canal Filling (1st appointment) my dentist told me that in Porcelain Inlay Fit stage, NHS ONLY provide gold-colour inlay/crown, so if I want a white-colour, I have to go for private service. I asked around afterward, people told me that NHS does provide less shiny colour Inlay. Does this mean that my dentist is lying to me in order to push me to go for private service?”

18 July 2011

Tooth contouring and tooth reshaping

Dental advice wanted – Tooth contouring

“Is tooth reshaping (aka contouring) an accepted technique, or a controversial one? I can’t find a mention of it on the websites of professional dentistry associations (or anything else I could add as authoritative on Wikipedia).

Is this because it’s taken for granted? Or because it’s not universally accepted? If it’s taken for granted, is there a link to it as a reputable technique.”

10 July 2011

Is a bridge available on the NHS

Dental advice wanted – NHS Bridge

My NHS dentist has recently had to remove one of my teeth which is in a visible position at the front of my mouth and so needs replacing.

They have offered to do a bridge for the tooth but say I will have to pay ‘private’ rates. Can I not insist on having this done on the NHS at a cost of around £200?

5 June 2011

NHS Crowns

Dental advice wanted – NHS Crowns

I have a question about NHS crowns. I have 2 crowns made for my front teeth done privately however, the stem is extremely short and has created many problems for me. Not only have they come off 5 x in 1 year but the private dentist refused to believe it was his fault. The 1 year guarantee was over and if I had to go back there again he would charge me. I’m so not happy in going back there as crowns cost £450 each. Yet he was horrible the quality of his work was obviously not up to standard.

I have recently been stuck in a situation where I had to go to a NHS dentist. As I’m not working and claiming benefits. The problem is that one of the crowns came loose and came off again. The NHS dentist cemented back on but the problem is that it was not position correctly, so now one of the crowns is higher than the other and protrudes abit. The other crown next to it is getting very loose too. Both crowns are making me very frustrated. I asked the dentist on the NHS to help me replace both of them as they cause me problems. But he refused and said I need to wait until they both come out of the slot and then he will help me. I don’t know what to do, as I feel it’s hard to accept them the way they are at the moment. It’s not just a cosmetic issue, but also eating is difficult too.

Why can’t the NHS dentist just replace them for me. He has said that he can see the stem is too short and the crown is not done properly. So why do I need to wait until they both fall out? Does it mean I must go to a private dentist and have them replaced there? That is not a option as I am unemployed at the moment.

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