Accessing urgent dental care
Discussion
Just how do you do it?
My regular NHS dentist diagnosed this week that a 2 week nagging pain was not a decayed tooth as I thought, but an impacted adjacent wisdom tooth. She was very nice but said she couldn't do it, and would refer me to a specialist with no estimated date for extraction (I assume from this it would be weeks).
Since then the pain has worsened very quickly to the extent that the over the counter meds and antibiotics she gave me aren't doing much at all.
The ever-helpful receptionist tells me there is nothing they can do to speed things up, and I should dial 111, however I find all 111 do is give a Google search of dentists in in your area! I've rang loads of them but understandably most want to start from scratch with an assessment, and say they even then they may come to he same conclusion i.e. that it's beyond them. There is also a timescale factor to this, a week for an assessment, and then whenever after for action, etc etc.
I've asked about paying privately (costs vary wildly from £200 to £2000) but even so the earliest appointment is 6th June. I don't think I can hold up that long. I've also got a 3 week holiday in the US in June and I don't fancy trying to find an emergency dentist in Death Valley if it flares up. Mind you at this rate maybe there are more there?
Just what are you meant to do? Pardon me for being exasperated but if I had nail in my forehead it would be simpler. With "hidden pain" is it assumed you are exaggerating or queue jumping?
My regular NHS dentist diagnosed this week that a 2 week nagging pain was not a decayed tooth as I thought, but an impacted adjacent wisdom tooth. She was very nice but said she couldn't do it, and would refer me to a specialist with no estimated date for extraction (I assume from this it would be weeks).
Since then the pain has worsened very quickly to the extent that the over the counter meds and antibiotics she gave me aren't doing much at all.
The ever-helpful receptionist tells me there is nothing they can do to speed things up, and I should dial 111, however I find all 111 do is give a Google search of dentists in in your area! I've rang loads of them but understandably most want to start from scratch with an assessment, and say they even then they may come to he same conclusion i.e. that it's beyond them. There is also a timescale factor to this, a week for an assessment, and then whenever after for action, etc etc.
I've asked about paying privately (costs vary wildly from £200 to £2000) but even so the earliest appointment is 6th June. I don't think I can hold up that long. I've also got a 3 week holiday in the US in June and I don't fancy trying to find an emergency dentist in Death Valley if it flares up. Mind you at this rate maybe there are more there?
Just what are you meant to do? Pardon me for being exasperated but if I had nail in my forehead it would be simpler. With "hidden pain" is it assumed you are exaggerating or queue jumping?
Ring a private dentist and demand immediate treatment. If you pay enough, they can always find a gap in their diary. Try Central London-based dentists. A bit more expensive, but much more sophisticated and used to catering for demanding, stroppy (rich) patients at short notice. Another option is to fly to Hungary or Slovakia and get it done privately abroad. Some foreign clinics will get you on a flight and in the chair within 24hrs. Research carefully. Make sure they can help with aftercare.
Just been in a similar but not as bad situation as you.
I could feel a hole in a back tooth (filling fallen out I think) and after a day or two of ignoring it it began to hurt.
Contacted my NHS dentist who said as I hadn't been for over 2 years I was scratched off. OK, would have been nice to know the rules beforehand. Yes they can fit me in privately...in July. See ya.
Then I spent a futile hour or so using NHS Choices trying to find a local NHS dentist taking on patients. Ho, ho, ho. Did find one eventually. We can fit you in...in September. Thanks but no thanks.
Eventually google led me to:
http://www.whatclinic.co.uk/
and a list of local private dentists with reviews. Contacted one who promised a quick reply...nowt after a few hours (and still nowt days later) so picked another, in Sainsburys as it happens (you can contact multiple ones together which I would recommend). Rang back within half an hour and appointment booked for 2 days later. I got a thorough review, said my problem wasn't urgent but booked in for follow up treatment 2 days later (today).
Had a marathon session in the chair this morning but now hopefully all sorted. Cost £200+. Pretty happy with the treatment and outcome.
I'm generally a small government person but it does seem bizarre that such a fundamental feature of the nation's health is left in this sorry state. I can imagine swathes of the population don't bother out of a mixture of apathy, availability and cost which will then just store up more problems for the future.
I can feel a Corbyn pledge coming on. Diane, how much would it cost to enable everyone to see an NHS dentist within a month?
I could feel a hole in a back tooth (filling fallen out I think) and after a day or two of ignoring it it began to hurt.
Contacted my NHS dentist who said as I hadn't been for over 2 years I was scratched off. OK, would have been nice to know the rules beforehand. Yes they can fit me in privately...in July. See ya.
Then I spent a futile hour or so using NHS Choices trying to find a local NHS dentist taking on patients. Ho, ho, ho. Did find one eventually. We can fit you in...in September. Thanks but no thanks.
Eventually google led me to:
http://www.whatclinic.co.uk/
and a list of local private dentists with reviews. Contacted one who promised a quick reply...nowt after a few hours (and still nowt days later) so picked another, in Sainsburys as it happens (you can contact multiple ones together which I would recommend). Rang back within half an hour and appointment booked for 2 days later. I got a thorough review, said my problem wasn't urgent but booked in for follow up treatment 2 days later (today).
Had a marathon session in the chair this morning but now hopefully all sorted. Cost £200+. Pretty happy with the treatment and outcome.
I'm generally a small government person but it does seem bizarre that such a fundamental feature of the nation's health is left in this sorry state. I can imagine swathes of the population don't bother out of a mixture of apathy, availability and cost which will then just store up more problems for the future.
I can feel a Corbyn pledge coming on. Diane, how much would it cost to enable everyone to see an NHS dentist within a month?
Thanks for your input guys.
Amazingly I was sorted this afternoon, and it proved something I've suspected for a long time; that your chances of medical treatment rest with the empathy of the receptionist........they are your bridge to the world of men with letters after their name.
Luckily I found an amazingly helpful and pleasant bunch of people - Park View Dental Practice in Heaton, Newcastle. I can thoroughly recommend anyone locally to use them and they couldn't be more different from the places I've used in the past few years.
As an example they had a modern X-ray machine which printed an amazingly detailed and enlarged 360' scan of my complete jawline, as opposed to the 2" square contact print of 3 teeth at the NHS place. This proved critical as Ian, their excellent principal, spotted that the previous dentist's diagnosis was actually wrong! Yes I was being referred for removal of a wisdom tooth when the root (sorry) cause was pulpitis in the molar I originally suspected.
The dentist worked hard and quickly on a root canal procedure to ensure I was pain free enough to go on holiday and complete the work immediately on return. It actually feels strange not sitting here in throbbing agony, and unlike previous occasions don't even feel bruised from the 1.5 hour intrusion into my cakehole, which probably indicates the skill of the dentist.
The whole experience has made me re-evaluate my Trotsky principles and abandon the diehard NHS approach. For how many times it's needed plus the quality of work the costs are something to just suck up.
I do feel for those many, many people who have no choice, as I did not too long ago; like when I was on the dole and getting a tooth extracted rather than crowned as it was £70 vs £700. Agreed this could be something Corbyn could sort. I always pledged I'd vote for anyone who got rid of zero-hour contracts, making dentistry more accessible would seal the deal for a few more punters IMHO.
Amazingly I was sorted this afternoon, and it proved something I've suspected for a long time; that your chances of medical treatment rest with the empathy of the receptionist........they are your bridge to the world of men with letters after their name.
Luckily I found an amazingly helpful and pleasant bunch of people - Park View Dental Practice in Heaton, Newcastle. I can thoroughly recommend anyone locally to use them and they couldn't be more different from the places I've used in the past few years.
As an example they had a modern X-ray machine which printed an amazingly detailed and enlarged 360' scan of my complete jawline, as opposed to the 2" square contact print of 3 teeth at the NHS place. This proved critical as Ian, their excellent principal, spotted that the previous dentist's diagnosis was actually wrong! Yes I was being referred for removal of a wisdom tooth when the root (sorry) cause was pulpitis in the molar I originally suspected.
The dentist worked hard and quickly on a root canal procedure to ensure I was pain free enough to go on holiday and complete the work immediately on return. It actually feels strange not sitting here in throbbing agony, and unlike previous occasions don't even feel bruised from the 1.5 hour intrusion into my cakehole, which probably indicates the skill of the dentist.
The whole experience has made me re-evaluate my Trotsky principles and abandon the diehard NHS approach. For how many times it's needed plus the quality of work the costs are something to just suck up.
I do feel for those many, many people who have no choice, as I did not too long ago; like when I was on the dole and getting a tooth extracted rather than crowned as it was £70 vs £700. Agreed this could be something Corbyn could sort. I always pledged I'd vote for anyone who got rid of zero-hour contracts, making dentistry more accessible would seal the deal for a few more punters IMHO.
Rollin said:
I'm always amazed at the poor understanding of how NHS dentistry works in the UK.
Yep, if the public really knew I think they would understand why it's hard to get in. And for those saying corbyn will get their vote, keep taking whatever pills your on because that magic cure isn't coming Edited by Fozziebear on Saturday 13th May 08:05
As a semi post script a referral letter from a specialist clinic arrived this morning giving me 3 days to make an appointment for an assessment (6-7 weeks waiting time) and then treatment (a further 6-7 weeks). It also said some work would be done by students (not that I have objection to this but it pegs you in your place in life)
Given that I was rolling around in agony 6 days ago this seems a
in a civilised society's approach to healthcare. There must be an alternative?
PS I told this story to a mate who said when he had similar and the pain got too much he marched down to A&E. He was told to bring £25 cash in notes (?) for emergency dentistry and it was done very quickly. You shouldn't have to do that, IMHO emergency A&E dentistry should be for if someone whacked you in the mush with a cricket bat or something.
Given that I was rolling around in agony 6 days ago this seems a
in a civilised society's approach to healthcare. There must be an alternative? PS I told this story to a mate who said when he had similar and the pain got too much he marched down to A&E. He was told to bring £25 cash in notes (?) for emergency dentistry and it was done very quickly. You shouldn't have to do that, IMHO emergency A&E dentistry should be for if someone whacked you in the mush with a cricket bat or something.
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