Dentistry Recommendations

[DTMark]

Have posted before about my crap teeth. In brief:

About 8 years ago I had a course of treatment involving various fillings - mostly cosmetic side fillings, I think they're called buccal fillings, and a bridge put in on the lower left over (I think) tooth 5 e.g. anchored to tooth 4 and tooth 6.

I also had some work done at the front which it later appears may not have been the right course of action but we are where we are: my two canines were pulled out and I had two crowns on my incisors (they were very worn) with fake teeth attached to fill the gaps where my canines used to be.

This all held good until a year ago when one pair of those snapped out. The dentist I went to see, on recommendation, cemented it back in and came up with a treatment plan.

I needed several fillings - nothing too complex there, the bridge previously put in needed taking off to treat some decay under the rear anchor tooth, and the dentists proposal was to take out my two incisor roots and put in a big bridge across the front top. Estimate for that was £12,700. That dentist wasn't qualified in implants, so that wasn't suggested.

I got a second opinion from a new dentist picked at random. Same conclusion about the fillings needing doing and the rear bridge anchor tooth needing treating. Started treatment.

Where I am now is that the bridge has been taken off, and the rear tooth worked on. Decay removed, but apparently the tooth is touch-and-go in the longer term. I asked her to try to save it. She has inserted three "pins" into it which apparently give rigidity. However since the anaesthetic wore off it has ached constantly needing Ibuprofen to treat that.

It didn't hurt before I went in. Now, it does. The dentist then appears to have changed their holiday needing my follow-up appointment to be changed, thanks to their lack of communication I missed the appointment anyway, She's back next week.

That session to treat that tooth was planned for three hours and estimated at £750 (root canal treatment might have been needed). Yet, it only lasted for 90 minutes and the bill was £870.

I find myself wondering how and why I've been left in pain. Has one of these pins been hammered into the root/nerve? Why is that still there? And so on.

And now I wonder whether to seek another opinion at my own cost before continuing with treatment. I'd like to give the first one the opportunity to put it right, but then worry about the quality of the treatment.

I have nothing to base any decisions on other than gut feeling. I'd love to see a site with reviews of dentists but most such sites are just SEO type "link juice" sites (IT speak for sites put up to draw traffic as opposed to do anything much that's useful), there's little meaningful stuff I can find.

Nor can I find any "ask a dentistry question" type sites except one, and it doesn't really go into much detail.

I don't really know what to do except that I've now been to two dentists and the first one gave quotes that were pie in the sky, the second dentist disagreed with the proposed treatment of the front teeth anyway (the big bridge), and would have been looking at implants, has receptionists that lie about telling you when your appointment is and leaves me with pain.

I remember saying before that I hadn't had any bad experiences with dentists which was true then. Sadly the original one emigrated to Sweden so I can't go and see her.

I don't suppose anyone here is in Surrey or Hampshire and can recommend their dentist, or has a bit of experience and can hazard a guess at what's going on with the aching tooth or point me at any links?

I'm minded to simply find another one and start over throwing away the money I've already paid twice now for impressions, x-rays and the like.

[MrPin]

I can't believe teeth cost so much! I just eat soup!

[Bossybabe]

Try the NHS Choices website. Find an NHS dentist locally, or, best case scenario, find your local dental hospital and walk in, tell them about the pain and they'll see and treat you. This will be free or minimal cost, and you'll get treated by senior experts. Good luck.

[StuG III]

Not in Surrey or Hampshire no, but can recommend a good dentist in Bucks.

[Darkman]

Sorry to hear your troubles. I don't have the best teeth myself, and toothache sucks the life out of you.

I decided awhile ago that if a tooth has had a few repairs already, then my words to the dentist will be "remove it".

[okaycuckoo]

I use NHS, works really well.

Try xylitol for dental care - Finns have been doing it since early '70s:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Dental_care

[happy_renting]

DIY dentistry. Never trust the NHS.

[corevalue]

DIY dentistry. Never trust the NHS.

Can you recommend a book? Is there a rough guide to dentistry perhaps?

[DTMark]

Try the NHS Choices website. Find an NHS dentist locally, or, best case scenario, find your local dental hospital and walk in, tell them about the pain and they'll see and treat you. This will be free or minimal cost, and you'll get treated by senior experts. Good luck.

That's good to know - at the moment Ibuprofren does work 100%, it's just that I'm having at least six a day.

Not in Surrey or Hampshire no, but can recommend a good dentist in Bucks.

I may well come back to you on that..

Sorry to hear your troubles. I don't have the best teeth myself, and toothache sucks the life out of you.

I decided awhile ago that if a tooth has had a few repairs already, then my words to the dentist will be "remove it".

The problem that I have with this particular one is that before, I had a bridge over a missing tooth. If this one has to come out in the end, I then I have a two-tooth gap on one side, a bridge can perhaps be made to bridge over the "gap of two" not the "gap of one" as it is now, but I am concerned about what has been done.

DIY dentistry. Never trust the NHS.

Not sure this one's practical - from what I have read, a possible cause of this is that the root canal wasn't treated, wasn't done fully or properly, or that some dirt or infection has been able to get into the cavitiy/ies (which is what has to be avoided at all costs, and I am not convinced you could replicate the dentists abilities yourself)

Maybe it's something like - the dentist thought they could put the "pins" in (I cannot find any online reference to that procedure) without jarring the nerve but hasn't managed it, but wanted to preserve as much of the tooth as possible so didn't take the whole root out in the hope that it would all "take" OK. I fear the consequence may be "it hasn't taken, so now we'll need to extract that tooth".

That's the problem with this - I have so little to go on to know what the quality of the work is like.

[happy_renting]

Can you recommend a book? Is there a rough guide to dentistry perhaps?

I use masonry tools and drill bits and adapt as necessary, so the nearest thing would be a textbook on drilling into brick, concrete, etc.

Or you could go underground and use these guys:-

[Tiger Woods?]

I found these people very good: http://www.harewooddentalsurgery.co.uk/team.htm

[Bloo Loo]

Give Jeremy Kyle a call....he'll give you the names of the dentists all his guests have been to.

Avoid them.

[crashmonitor]

The OP rates sound very expensive, surely these treatments are available on the NHS for less? Are you registered with an NHS dentist?

I never understood the benefits of Denplan or private dentists.

The former is around £250 pa, but even in my worst ever year since the inception of Denplan, twenty years or so ago, I paid out only £204 for a crown. most years come in at around £12 for a checkup, I usually confine it to one checkup a year.

I appreciate your teeth need significantly more work, but I would imagine there would be a collar on the amount you pay in the NHS?

[Number Six]

Ive been to a few Indian dentists that a very well qualified and experienced and about a quarter of the price of a uk dentist.

PM me and I'll give you details.

Prob not much use to you I know.

6

[happy_renting]

Give Jeremy Kyle a call....he'll give you the names of the dentists all his guests have been to.

Avoid them.

I can tell you are joking. Kyle's guests have never seen a dentist.

[DTMark]

I found these people very good: http://www.harewoodd....co.uk/team.htm

Link saved, thank you.

The OP rates sound very expensive, surely these treatments are available on the NHS for less? Are you registered with an NHS dentist?

I never understood the benefits of Denplan or private dentists.

The work done all that time ago was with an NHS dentist - all the fillings and basic stuff was done at NHS rates, the more complex stuff like bridgework was all private - the NHS/dentists would rather just pull the teeth out than pay for complex restorative work.

The impression I have is that because of this, private dentists tend to be more experienced with the more complex procedures and more inclined towards offering all available options to save a tooth, looking at the cosmetic implications knowing the client has their own money to spend. It's just a question of how much money..

Not registered with an NHS dentist down here, I think there is one in my local town, but I'm not sure they would be able to charge some of the work to the NHS anyway.

Dentists seem to start out working in NHS practices and then move to form their own partnerships and practices when they are sufficiently experienced.

Just my take though, don't know how true that is.

Ive been to a few Indian dentists that a very well qualified and experienced and about a quarter of the price of a uk dentist.

PM me and I'll give you details.

Prob not much use to you I know.

6

My brother's girlfriend is Polish. The bridgework quoted at £2,600 would cost about £400 in Poland. Actually, the price is the same - about one month's wages for someone reasonably well paid. It's all in the exchange rate

If I had say business dealings abroad and regularly flew back and forth I'd consider it, but I don't, and so I don't think I can go down this route for the complex work.

I've been too busy to progress this at the moment anyway, Ibuprofen stops the pain... I did re-forward my email to the practice from the 22nd, on the 29th (asking for clarification of next appointment), and still no reply forthcoming. Doesn't look good.

[StuG III]

http://www.missenden-dentalcare.co.uk/staff.html