Dental prices - NHS / Private

How upsetting for you !
Is it possible for you to change dentists ? I know it’s difficult to find an NHS dentist these days but if you are willing to travel you may be lucky. I don’t see why you can’t be treated as an NHS patient as the treatment should be covered and paid for in the upper band rate, I think it’s currently £282.80
Good luck ?

That sounds really expensive to me.

This link may help.

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/blog/how-much-are-nhs-dental-charges

About ten years ago I moved to a place with no NHS dental provision, so signed up for Denplan. For about £20 a month (it varies by area and state of teeth) all routine inspections, hygienist visits and treatment is covered. I'm very happy with it.

I would ring PALS for advice.

As far as Denplan is concerned, there is a charge for any lab fees are concerned.

The price seems about right for the treatment involved.

The alternative would be extraction.

To get this done on the NHS you would need referring to the oral surgery dept of your local hospital. Round here, at least, they are not accepting referrals for this type of work.

I think kittylester is right OP. A friend of mine was also told by her dentist that she needed root canal treatment and he would refer her onto another practice, as they specialised in that type of work. She was quoted £1500, plus £50 to pay for her own drills.

The price seems about right. I paid for a wisdom tooth extraction last December. The waiting list for the NHS was two years..... and I was in terrible pain. We have had other lockdowns since then!!!!!

I'm on Denplan but my own dentist couldn't do the extraction because I had complications and needed sedation.

I have a very good NHS dentist, but I'm afraid your experience is what happens when the systems muddle into each other.
If this is urgent, then you should be able to get an urgent NHS referral that may need you to travel some distance.

If it isn't immediately urgent, then ask to be referred to the nearest specialist NHS dentist. I did that when I needed specialised work, and had excellent care.

It would be reasonable to ask your dentist why they are recommending this referral, and what the advantages would be over NHS care. I discussed the options with my dentist and decided NHS care would be fine.

The only other thing I wonder was if your bridge was done privately, does that cause an issue with NHS care? I can't see why it would, but think you need to ask as I've suggested above.

Nannarose There is a massive NHS backlog due to Covid.

My dentist decided to semi retire but would keep a small number of patients on privately. I pay him just under £12.00 per month to see him for a full dental check up once a year, 2 hygienist appointments a year, all x rays and 20% off any treatment that I might need. And I get to see the only dentist that I've ever felt comfortable with so it's a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

BBNan5 I hate to say it, but I agree with others who have said this is the going rate.

My dentist, implantologist, and dental technician describe my dental work as the most complex they’ve ever had to work on. (Not the first time a dentist has told me that either.) Already the cost is more than any car we’ve ever owned and I still need an extraction. The upside is that I do have complete trust in my dentist and as I hope that this dental work will see me through into my dotage (rapidly galloping toward me) I bit the bullet and went ahead with the treatment.

When I had deep infections in my gums which had destroyed the tooth, I was given two choices, extraction on the NHS or go private for complicated and expensive restoration. My fear of any kind of dental work made me have no choice, extraction it was! I just about coped with one session to whip out the tooth, no way could I have sat there for three long sessions.

The treatment which involved root canal and something else is not available on the NHS, only extractions. I was quoted between £1800 and £2000.

All power to anyone who can find an NHS dentist. Quite a few quit the NHS including mine. Have a feeling GPs and elective surgery will go the same way. Would be interesting to see how some of the other European countries do things.

There are fair few nhs dentists round here.

I take Sparklefizz' point, but would also suggest that you can ask about the waiting list. It does seem that provision is patchy. My experience was pre-pandemic.

My dentist moved to Denplan about 15 years ago but kept existing nhs patients. I needed a bridge and root canal etc. Nhs cost £650. Denplan £200. I moved to Denplan. I pay a monthly fee and I’m very happy with excellent care

I was quoted ridiculous prices to save a few back teeth. I decided that extraction, at another surgery (where they specialise in sedation) was a better option. It was far cheaper and, best of all, guaranteed no further problems. They'd caused me so much pain and many sleepless nights.

Iam64

My dentist moved to Denplan about 15 years ago but kept existing nhs patients. I needed a bridge and root canal etc. Nhs cost £650. Denplan £200. I moved to Denplan. I pay a monthly fee and I’m very happy with excellent care

Baffled by your cost unless it was 2 courses of treatment.

I had to have some specialist work done recently and was referred to my nearest dental hospital. Six appointments free of charge. Is there a dental hospital somewhere not too far away. Not everyone can afford that kind of money so I'm sure there are options, but sometimes you have to insist.

I had a crown fitted almost 6 years ago on NHS but last week it came out & dentist says it can’t be replaced. My only option is an implant not covered by NHS cost approx £1200. Needless to say I will not be able to have this as
I just can’t afford it.

This must be new then, because i had a specialist root canal done, (yes, i had bridges too) at my previous dentist, and there were about 3 of them undertaking this and a nurse, it took them about 2&a half hours- all done free on NHS,! Im now with a dentist who doesn't seem to do anything intricate- if I'd known I'd have stayed with the other practice.

I recently moved from Wales where I had an NHS dentist to England where I’ve had to go private, I searched high and low for an NHS Dentist to no avail I wouldn’t mind traveling back to wales to see my dentist but don’t think it would be allowed

Contact your local Health Authority and ask why the costs is so high. I had a lower molar needing a particularly awkward root filling. Was referred to a unit where more than standard procedures were done. Cost £200 but that was 6 years ago. The had the cost of crown fitted by usual dentist.

Ask for a referral to the dental hospital