Guest Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I have gum disease and have seen one before but I stopped going when he retired. Recently I've been having problems and had to get a new referral. So off I trotted today for a full once over and an extraction of £170. The bottom line is that between the gum disease and the bruxism (teeth grinding and clenching) and the terrible bite I have (when I bite only 2 teeth on each side meet) I have some back teeth where there is bone loss and the roots are exposed causing "tunnels" which just harbour stuff to eat away at them. If I don't get treatment I will lose these teeth and others will follow. Treatment plan is this.. A full periodontal clean under injection to be done in 2 stages for an hour each time on the same day. The cost for this will be.... £900 oh and I'll have to take the day off work which they are likely to make me take as unpaid leave (or call in sick as I can't afford to pay for the treatment AND lose a days pay) Ongoing checkups and monitoring at ongoing cost.... Othodontal treatment to sort out my appaling bite - last quote I had for this was £2000 approx Then once the bite has been corrected I can have some bone re-growth treatment which involves implants etc at goodness knows what cost. But having googled the procedures I suspect even more than the orthodontal work. Nothing can be done for the Bruxism which is so bad at the moment (stress related) that I'm having to take mild anti depressants at night to reduce the clenching/grinding and avoid the migranes that are caused by this. I can't get any of this done on the NHS - what the heck do I pay my taxes for???? The bottom line seems to be that if I want to keep my teeth (which are in perfect condition without a single filling) I need to shell out the cost of a small car!!! All of this would be worse if I wasn't so good at looking after them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 That is some serious money to be spending on your teeth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonix Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Eugh don't me started with dental treatment - i needed a filling and couldn't get an appointment, got soo bad my tooth snapped and now I can't even get an emergency appointment or any appointment to get it sorted (it happened in Feb)! And im a student and I dont have a loan but because I could have had a loan they asses me as having one so I get no NHS help I cant believe with how much yours is going to cost that you can't get any NHS help x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 That is some serious money to be spending on your teeth! You're not kidding My dentist has a scheme whereby you can take out an interest free loan to cover the cost of private dental work, I know it doesn't make it any easier, but might be helpful if you don't have the money to stump up the whole amount. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 sorry Pengy, I do sympathise. That's why I spent my last year's summer holiday in the back garden, the holiday fund went on dental work. It was worth it to me though, and I must say the work I put in clearing overgrown bits of the garden has paid off this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 LOL Olly - my next 3 holidays are already booked! Even the prodding he did yesterday has left me in pain - I can't really bite down on my back teeth at the moment. I'll have to come up with some money making schemes to generate some extra income. Lots of hen parties methinks! Maybe some exam marking too - hard work but worth about 1k each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 both me and DH have dental insurance from BUPA, costs £30 a month but you can claim most of your treatment costs back, even private treatment not just NHS charges. It means I can afford composite fillings when before I would have had to have amalgum (sp?) Probably too late for you to sign up but check it out anyway, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Eugh don't me started with dental treatment - i needed a filling and couldn't get an appointment, got soo bad my tooth snapped and now I can't even get an emergency appointment or any appointment to get it sorted (it happened in Feb)! And im a student and I dont have a loan but because I could have had a loan they asses me as having one so I get no NHS help I cant believe with how much yours is going to cost that you can't get any NHS help x can't you pop into the university dental hospital in Liverpool? i thought you could get appts there quite easily, I know people who have been. http://www.liv.ac.uk/dental/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A chickychickychick-ENN!! Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Eeek. I don't see how you can have NHS boob jobs and not teeth jobs. I do hope you find a solution Pengy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I sympathise with you Pengy, I have a fear of getting gum disease my mother has just had to have her remaining upper teeth removed because of this and has no bone left for implants.........My dentist who I used to work with has told me it can be hereditary so he keeps a close eye on my gums, touch wood i am fine so far, I would say keep up the cleaning regime because it will help in the long run, my mum had the deep cleaning done and i know how uncomfortable it is but still worth sticking with it as it will slow down the gum disease. As for the Bruxism i suffer badly from this but had my treatment at the Manchester dental hospital for free, it is worth trying to get an appointment at your local hospital. I had very good treatment because everything the student dentist did had to be double checked.......Good luck pengy i do hope the deep cleaning improves things for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonix Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Eugh don't me started with dental treatment - i needed a filling and couldn't get an appointment, got soo bad my tooth snapped and now I can't even get an emergency appointment or any appointment to get it sorted (it happened in Feb)! And im a student and I dont have a loan but because I could have had a loan they asses me as having one so I get no NHS help I cant believe with how much yours is going to cost that you can't get any NHS help x can't you pop into the university dental hospital in Liverpool? i thought you could get appts there quite easily, I know people who have been. http://www.liv.ac.uk/dental/ I never knew you could go there to get treatment! im supposed to be writing an essay right now so will get on with that but will def pop in on monday and see if they cando anything for me!! Thanks Poet! xXx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I've been told you can, might be an idea to phone first but apparently the students are always looking for people to practice on but I wouldn't worry because they are supervised by experienced dentists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 here you go Phonix! http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=701261 ignore the bit about extractions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I feel for you Pengy My OH has very weak teeth and over the years he has had to spend thousands of pounds on emergency work for abcesses and having caps fitted. He got another £1,000 to spend in the next few months I also need a filling ( my first ) I keep putting it off but it is between 2 teeth so I think it will cost me a fortune by the time I go. One of my cats Scamp also needs dental work doing , she is having a broken canine tooth removed and her teeth cleaned and that is going to cost the best part of £300, which OH says make his teeth sound cheap We couldn't get insurance for it because it was a pre-existing condition when we got her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 You have my total sympathy too, Pengy. I am also fed up with my dental treatment. A few years back I had a nerve removed and root canal work with my previous dentist. All on the NHS and I was really pleased with his work. What I didn't know was, having a nerve removed makes the tooth more brittle and it subsequently broke. I had a new dentist as my old one had moved on and she suggested a crown, again on the NHS. The cost was a not-unreasonable £180 (but still alot to me on my pittance of a pension), so I went ahead. I had to have several temporary crowns as there were some difficulties getting a final crown. The last temporary I had was so securely fixed, that it took ages to get it off with pliers. I am sure all this must have weakened the gold post. I only had my crown for about 4 months before it snapped off at the base. I was told that it couldnt be redone and my only options under the NHS were a toothless gap, a denture or a bridge (which involved wrecking the teeth either side and would cost £400-500). I currently have a gap, which I find embarassing, whilst thinking about the other options, but if I wanted to, I can be referred privately for a dental implant, but that costs around £2000. I'm undecided. I would prefer the implant, but £2000???????? Sorry to whinge on your thread. Edited to add. I have dreadful Bruxism too. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I too had excellent treatment from student dentists whilst I was a student myself many moons ago (sigh..), including having wisdom teeth extracted. There was a bit of a wait to get onto a list, but the treatment I had then has prevented several problems in later life. Definitely worth a try. Also if you have 'interesting' (ie out of the ordinary) teeth or additional complications the students will be interested in treating you because they need to see as wide a variety as possible and gain experience. They are VERY well supervised! Dental work is SO expensive - OH had teeth removed by a misguided orthodontist as a teen, and now has gaps between his teeth. His dentist is training in a new veneering technique which would disguise the gaps, and asked if OH would be a patient. He wouldn't have to pay for the time, but the veneers themselves would run into the thousands . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Trouble is that my periodontal needs have been treated twice now which makes it a pre-existing condition and won't be covered under insurance. Orthodontal work isn't covered under insurance anyway - even though mine is NOT cosmetic - anyone who meets me will see I have the most beautiful straight teeth - few people get a top set like mine after braces even - my bottom ones are not as perfect but still good - the problem isn't how they look but how they meet - only 2 teeth on each side meet and these are the teeth which now have 50% bone loss because of the bruxism. The Bruxism has been NHS treated once - Ive had the jaw joint "washed out" but still I have problems, I pay for the prescriptions I have from the Doctor for the headaches. The device I wear was expensive but a fairly one off cost and TBH less than I paid for a month on Lighterlife. I'm just annoyed that none of this is cosmetic dentistry and yet I pay through the nose. You CAN get a boob job on the NHS but not essential dental treatment. Talking of which - now I@m paying for the dental treatment there is NO WAY Im going to be able to afford the boob job that I want. SO watch this space - I'm gonna start a case with my GP to get it done on the NHS.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Hi Pengy, I'm just back from my dentist and I was telling her about this thread. She wondered whether this website would be have any useful information for you and be of any help, it's for The British Society of Occlusal Studies (BSOS) on: http://www.bsos.org.uk. She's fitted me with an acrylic mouth piece, moulded from my teeth that cost about £500 but has helped enormously with my bite problems, headaches and TMJ pain. I do hope you get this sorted as it sounds so much worse than what I had and it did wear me down (no pun intended! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Article about this very subject in today's Daily Mail **Clicketty Click** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffyknickers Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Sorry to hear you have to have all this expensive work done. My mum has also had lots of dental work done and I know a while back it was going to cost thousands and with the help of her dentist I believe she had t 'fight' to get this paid for somehow - I will ask her what she had to do. Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
