A bridge that I’d had fitted many years ago failed early this year just before I was due to work away in Lithuania. I went to my regular NHS dentist and he said why not get it done out there as it is cheap and of good quality. So I had root canal work done there and then caught a bad cold so I could not be worked on further (manufacture and fitting of crowns). My work project was finished and I returned to the UK before further work could be done on my teeth. Just before I booked to go back to my regular dentist a crown on the other side came loose.
He took a look and said you need more root canal work and you need fibre pins, I can only do steel pins under the NHS, some of this work will need to be done elsewhere privately, all this is going to cost you £600 per tooth, you need 3, that’s £1800. Surprised I said I’d think about it.
Checked out the NHS website, no mention of these conditions:
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/
Nothing about these items that are supposedly outside of the NHS, it even says ‘bridges including any pin or post aids to retention’. No mention of cover for steel but not fibre.
It seems to say that all the treatment I require, i.e. root canals, crowns, and pins are covered under the NHS (Band 3 £256.50). It feels as if he is making it up as he goes along.
So I thought to give up with this character and see if another NHS dentist would take me on.
Found one up the road, rang them, yes we have vacancies. ‘Why do you want to see us?’ Loose crowns, missing bridge. ‘Oh, well we’d need to do those privately, we can’t treat existing conditions under the NHS, and only after that is done could you enrol under the NHS’.
No mention of this on the government website. Seems I’m being battered from pillar to post on this issue and all this seems contrary to NHS policy. Anybody else had experience of this sort of treatment, or any idea of what I should do?
Thanks in anticipation,
Keith
He took a look and said you need more root canal work and you need fibre pins, I can only do steel pins under the NHS, some of this work will need to be done elsewhere privately, all this is going to cost you £600 per tooth, you need 3, that’s £1800. Surprised I said I’d think about it.
Checked out the NHS website, no mention of these conditions:
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/
Nothing about these items that are supposedly outside of the NHS, it even says ‘bridges including any pin or post aids to retention’. No mention of cover for steel but not fibre.
It seems to say that all the treatment I require, i.e. root canals, crowns, and pins are covered under the NHS (Band 3 £256.50). It feels as if he is making it up as he goes along.
So I thought to give up with this character and see if another NHS dentist would take me on.
Found one up the road, rang them, yes we have vacancies. ‘Why do you want to see us?’ Loose crowns, missing bridge. ‘Oh, well we’d need to do those privately, we can’t treat existing conditions under the NHS, and only after that is done could you enrol under the NHS’.
No mention of this on the government website. Seems I’m being battered from pillar to post on this issue and all this seems contrary to NHS policy. Anybody else had experience of this sort of treatment, or any idea of what I should do?
Thanks in anticipation,
Keith
