Dental Implants Following Accident - Available On NHS ?

[V8RX7]

My 17 yr old son, whilst cycling along the road, managed to go over the handle bars and knock 3 front teeth out yesterday.

My wife took him to the Dentist today and he's suggesting that he can only have dentures.

Google suggests that Dental implants are available - is it just a case of pressuring the Dentist ?

[Driller]

In all seriousness, do you really want someone drilling into your 17 year old's jaws who has been "pressured" into it?

[MacGee]

Not available on NHS.

[numtumfutunch]

MacGee said:

Not available on NHS.

Not completely true

If its a front tooth then I would say its worth asking for referral to a dental hospital who MAY agree to fund it

The problem is that in my experience most high street dentists will refer to a mate instead for a £2-3k procedure by somebody who almost certainly performs this operation a lot less than the hozzie people do

[MacGee]

Not in Yorkshire. I've tried referring. Just won't happen. Must be either serious road traffic injury with multi facial fractures or cancer involving same.

[numtumfutunch]

MacGee said:

Not in Yorkshire. I've tried referring. Just won't happen. Must be either serious road traffic injury with multi facial fractures or cancer involving same.

Must be a postcode lottery then

Im pretty much sure that if you 'need' a 1 implant then at least 1 centre of excellence will do it

[TwistingMyMelon]

Good luck OP

I had same issue, had pretty bad cycle accident a month back, my head took all the impact. I was surprised I didn't lose any teeth.

Then I noticed my three front teeth were going brown/grey, thankfully they were just stained, but I did fracture my front big tooth and there is a crack across it, thankfully it should hold out. I was very lucky

Hope your son sorts somthing out , as soon as I see the prices for implants my heart sinks

[V8RX7]

I mean pressuring the dentist / NHS to refer him.

Google shows that it is available in the UK - I've even seen it on TV - the NHS dentist was correcting cheap implants carried out abroad.

He won't be having dentures I can't believe they think that's acceptable for front teeth of a young person.

I wouldn't mind so mush if he was carrying out stupid stunts but he's a computer nerd and was just cycling home.

[numtumfutunch]

OK 3rd contribution from me and I'll declare my hand

I damaged a crown 10y ago and have been waiting for an implant ever since
To the absolute amazement of my dentist it was temporarily superglued back in (kind of) and still hasnt failed despite me accepting its on borrowed time

At the time it snapped I was registered elsewhere
That practice didnt even bother trying to fix it - they just said implant or extraction

The implant would be done in house at a cost of 3k including crown to sit on top

3k focuses the mind so I asked how many they did and what their complication rate was, I did not get simple answers to either of these questions

Im no expert but if I want work of any kind doing to a car I go to somebody who specialised in it
Implants are no different in my opinion

Further enquiries revealed people study for post graduate qualifications in implantology but I didnt get past shiny letters after dentists names when again asking for complication rates or numbers performed

At which point I approached my nearest dental hospital

The health authority where I am will sign off an implant for free if its a front tooth ie your 2 main upper incisors in the middle
Anything else they will do "at cost" for a grand as long as you agree to be teaching fodder supervised by one of their consultants

This may be worth pursuing for your son

I personally have no qualms about being used for practice by somebody with a consultant breathing down their neck
Paying 3k on the high street to somebody I know nothing about makes me nervous

Best of luck

[V8RX7]

Thanks - it is his two upper front teeth and one to the side - you'd wonder how he managed it.

We recently paid for my wife to get two implants, with hassle and complications the bill ended up around £10k which IMO is ridiculous.

[numtumfutunch]

10k buys a hip replacement and all follow up care

That makes implants look a bit steep

Sellers market????

[rex]

Regardless of cost or if available on the NHS or not you need to consider his age. 17 may be considered too young to place implants as his growth may not be completed. This can lead to problems later on.

Re high street implantologists. As in all areas of life there are some with more experience than others. There are many excellent specialists available on the high street who will be able to advise. One local to me is an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons implantology course and his work is the best implant work I have seen.

In saying that though, in your particular case a dental hospital may be your best resource. You can ask your sons dentist to refer him to the local dental teaching hospital. Alternatively you could try the local hospitals oral surgery department to see what their policy is. Again your dentist should be able to contact them to see what is or is not available.

I have only had one case in 10 years that has been accepted for implants on the NHS, and this was a patient that suffered from a cleft lip and palate.

[mph1977]

GP - refer to maxillofacial surgeon , much more likely to know what can be got on the NHS than a GDP as it;s Maxfax that do the trauma work

[MacGee]

So if I've spoken to maxfax surgeons at length regarding this...am I not likely to know?

[Rachie]

I worked in max fax Peterborough for a while in 2003, they were doing a very very small number of nhs implants for special cases at the time.


@rex, I presume you're talking about the big Irishman? I just left his practice to work in Dubai, if I needed an implant that's where I would go.

[numtumfutunch]

MacGee said:

So if I've spoken to maxfax surgeons at length regarding this...am I not likely to know?

Sorry mate but I'm not sure of your intent, you sound a bit Graham Taylor

My own experience is simply that a northern UK dental hospital absolutely funds implants on upper 1's (only)

[Driller]

numtumfutunch said:

10k buys a hip replacement and all follow up care

That makes implants look a bit steep

Sellers market????

How does it make implants look "steep"? Do you know all the costs of equipment, materials, training abd all the time soent in planning, preparation and followup for an implant?

numtumfutunch said:

Sorry mate but I'm not sure of your intent, you sound a bit Graham Taylor

My own experience is simply that a northern UK dental hospital absolutely funds implants on upper 1's (only)

That was unnecessary wasn't it?

[numtumfutunch]

Fair enough, apologies and sorry for the impetuous posts

Macgee describes having no joy in getting implants referred on the NHS
This is not my experience as a consumer presumably very close to where ever he has referred
At least one centre will fund for central incisors exclusive of trauma or cancer

On the cost issue I admit to not being at all qualified
However a family member recently paid 10k for a hip replacement involving several hours of surgery, several days in hospital and a comprehensive follow up and rehab program with numerous different allied health professionals

Assuming an implant specialist has the same training as an orthopaedic surgeon and the operation is done as a day case there must be a lot more to it than I anticipated

[fido]

A few of my friends have had implants both here in the UK and abroad (Hungary). Personally, I wouldn't go through the NHS anyway - but then I wouldn't mind spending a couple of grand for teeth. Fortunately I have a dentist who I can trust.

[MacGee]

Please name the centre which funds single implants. Then at least I have options for my patients.