Dentistry Question
Discussion
Yesterday my dentist told me I had a dead tooth, one of my lower jaw molars.
He advised that all he could do would be to pull it out, or he could refer me to a non NHS specialist to root fill it, but it would cost at least £500.00. I quite enjoy having teeth as it makes chewing food much easier so would like to keep it.
On talking to my mum (who is a patient of a different dentist within the same practice) she said she has had the same work done there.
My dentist is the principal guy, it is his surgery with various other dentists who don't seem to be there full time.
My question to anyone with knowledge of dentistry is, is he correct in saying that he cannot do the procedure or does he just not want to carry out the work as it does not work out financially viable for him (he has told me before about the pressure dentists are under and how hard it is due to the NHS payment system).
If I have to go to the private specialist I will. However if he is not being truthful I could go to the practice my wife and kids use, but I have been to this one all my life and have never had any reason to not be happy with the service.
He advised that all he could do would be to pull it out, or he could refer me to a non NHS specialist to root fill it, but it would cost at least £500.00. I quite enjoy having teeth as it makes chewing food much easier so would like to keep it.
On talking to my mum (who is a patient of a different dentist within the same practice) she said she has had the same work done there.
My dentist is the principal guy, it is his surgery with various other dentists who don't seem to be there full time.
My question to anyone with knowledge of dentistry is, is he correct in saying that he cannot do the procedure or does he just not want to carry out the work as it does not work out financially viable for him (he has told me before about the pressure dentists are under and how hard it is due to the NHS payment system).
If I have to go to the private specialist I will. However if he is not being truthful I could go to the practice my wife and kids use, but I have been to this one all my life and have never had any reason to not be happy with the service.
If I was having a root canal done...I'd go to a specialist!
Its more likely to be successful long term. It is a very tricky procedure and a general dentist will be OK at them !.....so they are avaiable on NHS but I dont feel as predictable outcome than using specialist.
Im not allowed to say private is better than NHS!
Its more likely to be successful long term. It is a very tricky procedure and a general dentist will be OK at them !.....so they are avaiable on NHS but I dont feel as predictable outcome than using specialist.
Im not allowed to say private is better than NHS!
Thanks for the advice, (I take it you are a dentist working for the NHS).
My dentist was very candied, and said he did not do root canal work, and he wasn't very good at it anyway - he could give me the number of another non specialist dentist in Leeds who would have a go for £350 ish. For the extra cash going to a specialist seems the most sensible option.
The specialist he has referred me to is a chap in Harrogate so you may know him if you are the area.
My dentist was very candied, and said he did not do root canal work, and he wasn't very good at it anyway - he could give me the number of another non specialist dentist in Leeds who would have a go for £350 ish. For the extra cash going to a specialist seems the most sensible option.
The specialist he has referred me to is a chap in Harrogate so you may know him if you are the area.
PH5121 said:
Thanks for the advice, (I take it you are a dentist working for the NHS).
My dentist was very candied, and said he did not do root canal work, and he wasn't very good at it anyway - he could give me the number of another non specialist dentist in Leeds who would have a go for £350 ish. For the extra cash going to a specialist seems the most sensible option.
The specialist he has referred me to is a chap in Harrogate so you may know him if you are the area.
NHS dentists don't like doing root canal treatment as they get paid bugger all for performing them.My dentist was very candied, and said he did not do root canal work, and he wasn't very good at it anyway - he could give me the number of another non specialist dentist in Leeds who would have a go for £350 ish. For the extra cash going to a specialist seems the most sensible option.
The specialist he has referred me to is a chap in Harrogate so you may know him if you are the area.
Its not complicated, you are just getting fobbed off.
Bandit said:
NHS dentists don't like doing root canal treatment as they get paid bugger all for performing them.
+1 on this. Nhs dentists do not get paid anything for doing root canal treatment. The single use disposable instruments I use cost in the region of £40 pounds per tooth(plus an hours sugery time @ £110 per hr). Even if you can "persuade" him it is his his ethical duty to carry it out on the Nhs,for no extra renumeration,do you think it will be of a high standard?I realise I may be getting 'fobbed off' to a certain extent. However if my dentist doesn't want to do it, or is not capable of doing it I would rather he didn't have a go and cause me pain / complications. £500 is a lot of money at the moment for me, but I only have the one set of teeth, and after experiencing some very painful sinus, jaw, tooth problems over the last couple of months I have discovered I really don't like tooth pain!
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