Think I might need partial denture

I have full dentures. I have always had NHS ones. A few years ago, after seeing adverts for private clinics showing people with lovely smiles with dentures, I treated myself to some. I was royally ripped off. I paid £2500 for them at this fabulous clinic. I had to make several return trips as they hurt. I have never been able to wear the bottom ones as I got fed up of going back. I never had that trouble with NHS ones. They didn't look any different. I would say be careful.

I wear dentures and have done for many years due to an accident in my 20s. I have always had NHS dentures and have found them very good, but last year they broke, my practice is part NHS part private one of these big companies, the dentist said they could not offer me a new pair but I could have a repair, which meant that I would be without my front upper teeth for 3 weeks, or I could pay private to the tune of £900 ( this is a partial set)and he showed me the dentures saying they are more flexible and it would be a better fit , his mother had a set blah blah . Tbh there is no difference, yes initially they seemed more flexible but honestly 12 months later you can't tell the difference. I was told by someone who until recently had worked in a dental practice and she said the 3 week wait for a repair is untrue and they can turn around repairs in 48 hours which I would have been happier with. although I don't see why I wouldn't have been eligible for a new set as I had them for a number of years. So I do feel they push you the private route for no good reason except they are forced by the company they work for.

The only difference between NHS and private dentures should be in the materials used eg the colour of the teeth.

Impressions should be taken in exactly the same way in either case.

Dentists are professional people.

Repairs can usually be undertaken via a lab within 48 hours unless a further impression is needed. That should be done by the dentist.

The impression wasn't taken in the same way for my private set, it was done by some type of imaging on a screen, the dental nurse used a type of pen and it all came up on a screen as a 3d image. Previously I have always had to bite onto some type of very cold pink putty.

kittylester

The only difference between NHS and private dentures should be in the materials used eg the colour of the teeth.

Impressions should be taken in exactly the same way in either case.

Dentists are professional people.

Repairs can usually be undertaken via a lab within 48 hours unless a further impression is needed. That should be done by the dentist.

I really wish the colour difference in "NHS crowns" as compared to private had been explained to me by the NHS dentist before he fitted the dead white crown / bridge to the adjacent tooth to replace a front tooth I lost. Especially as it is a front tooth.

As it is a good job apart from the colour, I don't want to risk potential damage getting it broken and replaced privately. I'm self conscious about it and it especially shows up in photographs

There should be some colour matching available even on the NHS.

I have had a top denture now for about 18 months had it done privately, (absolutely no chance of NHS).£1000. two sets of dentures the initial set and then the set when the gums are settled down, They gave me a choice of what colour I wanted the teeth to be… I certainly didn’t go brilliant white 😁
It’s a husband and wife Dentist team and I have to say they are very very good, but it is very very expensive as we are all finding out to our cost but what’s the alternative?
I see a lot of people, even young people walking around with no teeth and it astonishes made that children don’t get free dental treatment anymore…🙄🤦‍♀️

Here are the current NHS prices:

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/how-much-will-i-pay-for-nhs-dental-treatment/

When my NHS dentist went private, I stayed on and - after some years - it became necessary to have a small top front denture. It cost me a not so small fortune but in the circumstances it would have been difficult to change back to a NHS dentist. However, when I moved south, I was lucky enough to find a NHS practice that was still admitting new patients. When another tooth near the denture had to be extracted, a new tooth was added to the denture and, at the same time, a crack repaired. All for £72 and completed in 24 hours. Privately the same job would have cost me in the £ hundreds.