Quick question re dentists

[smoore102]

Hi all, just a bit of background to start with.

 

I have just come back from my hols (lovely 2 weeks in the USA). Whilst I was there I developed tooth pain and was unable to find a dentist out there. On returning to the UK on Friday I managed to get an appointment with a private dentist who inserted a temporary dressing into my tooth and stated that I need to have root canal treatment along with a crown, at a cost of £1100. This is definitely an amount I can't afford.

 

I used to be registered with an NHS dentist, but not been for about 2-3 years. Do you think there is any chance I will still be on their list? I would just ring them, but they are shut over the weekend.

 

If I am not on their list, what do you think I should do? The temporary filling is not meant to be there forever, although the treatment I need I don't think would be classed as an emergency treatment to be covered by the PCT emergency service. I have looked around on the NHS choices website, and the nearest dentist showing as accepting new NHS patients is out of my PCT's area. Don't move to the York area, they are seriously pressed for NHS coverage.

 

Any suggestions anyone?

 

Si M

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

were you able to confirm if you are still on your dentists list

[smoore102]

Hi. I called them and they confirmed that I am no longer registered. Anyone have any ideas?

[keldas]

I am getting a root canal done next week privately and it is costing £230 so it must be the crown that is expensive. You can get free emergency dental treatment on the nhs, but I am not sure what it covers.

[Night Owl]

Hi folks, just posted this up for someone else, hope it helps.

 

It's from the NHS Choices site.

 

General dental treatment

 

Most dentists provide both NHS and private treatment. The advantage of this is that you can have work that you need to keep your teeth healthy on the NHS, and cosmetic work privately, without having to go to two different dentists. However, sometimes it can be difficult to understand which elements of your treatment are provided by the NHS and which elements you need to pay for privately.

When you see your dentist for NHS treatment, they should give you a personal dental treatment plan (PDF, 19kb) that outlines all the treatments you are having on the NHS and how much it will cost.

 

Simpler charging

 

You can have all your dental treatment provided under the NHS that your dentist feels is clinically necessary in order to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. If your dentist says you need a particular type of treatment, you should not be asked to pay for it privately.

There are three standard charges for all NHS dental treatments. This makes it easier to know how much you may need to pay and also helps to ensure that you are being charged for NHS care (rather than private care).

• the maximum charge for a complex course of treatment (Band 3) is £198
  
• most courses of treatment (Band 1 and 2) cost £16.50 or £45.60
  

For detailed information about each band read the NHS dental treatments section.

You receive free NHS dental treatment if you meet the exemption criteria. For more information see our Help with dental costs section.

[normanuk]

crowns are very expensive and root canal isn't cheap either

[normanuk]

also wise to visit a good dentist

[zippygbr]

to the OP

will your previous dentist take you back on as an NHS patient ? have you directly asked this question ?

 

if not , are there any NHS dentists taking on new patients in your area ? ( NHS direct may well be able to help answer that)

[Nystagmite]

It might be worth still phoning those dentists that NHS website claims aren't taking new patients. I was told that the dentist my grandparents use (on NHS website) wasn't taking any new patients - they are.