Got F***ed by the Dentist

[NoXion]

So last weekend a composite filling in one of my front teeth chipped. Sent a message to my local dental clinic for an appointment. Had it today. Dentist saw me and fixed up my filling. Job done.

Was gobsmacked to be hit with a £150 fee when I went to the receptionist. In a daze I agreed to pay £50 of it there and the rest later. So now I have about £6 in the bank left to last me until 13th December. Even then I will be down £100. Fan-fucking-tastic.

I assumed that fixing my broken filling would be covered by NHS/Universal Credit, but silly me forgot that teeth are fucking luxury bones. No wonder we've got a reputation for shitty teeth in this country.

Is there anything I can do about this? The receptionist told me that composite fillings weren't covered by the NHS, but I thought that they could be for front teeth? Have they changed the rules?

 

[not henry]

did you agree to treatment beforehand if so did you realise what it entailed. Did you understand this. Was your pain affecting your judgement. Were there any cheaper alternatives (nhs) the dentist could have used. If you fuck him off will he take you to court and have his practise labelled a rip off for evermore. What do you think your treatment was worth. Offer him that.

 

[Silas Loom]

You can probably make it too much of a PITA for the dentist to chase the remaining amount. This is only worth considering, though, if you think it will be easy to find another NHS dentist in your location.

 

[two sheds]

Last month I had a filling that had fallen out replaced, not sure if it was composite though. It took 10 minutes and cost £73 on NHS (standard charge for level 2 or 3 or whatever it was). I was a bit shocked by that, tbh.

And yes I try to avoid arguments with dentists

 

[gentlegreen]

I'd picked up the idea that composite fillings were just as permanent - having been in for an "emergency" filling a while back and the next dentist said it wouldn't need any more work.
The one I had recently was so non-eventful I mused that routine dentistry might one day be considered not much more challenging than fancy fingernails...

 

[planetgeli]

This is no help probably but I've just had the opposite. Had a tooth ripped out this morning, charged £30.

Now, this is a good 2 years after my dentist went 'partially NHS' whatever the fuck that means. I do know I last had a tooth out 8 years ago and got charged £42. So work that out.

My s-i-l just had one filling and she was charged £75.

Another guy I know just had 2 fillings (these are all separate dentists) and got charged £300, which is the same rate as you.

I have no idea what is going on with dental charges.

 

[MickiQ]

Tbh I suspect you are just going to accept the fact the you have been screwed over. As Silas Loom pointed out he probably won't pursue you if you just refuse to pay but NHS dentists are like rocking horse shit.
So it probably comes down to pay the £100 whilst complaining bitterly, start forking out £20pm for Denplan or let your teeth fallout.
(((NoXion)))

 

[moochedit]

So last weekend a composite filling in one of my front teeth chipped. Sent a message to my local dental clinic for an appointment. Had it today. Dentist saw me and fixed up my filling. Job done.

Was gobsmacked to be hit with a £150 fee when I went to the receptionist. In a daze I agreed to pay £50 of it there and the rest later. So now I have about £6 in the bank left to last me until 13th December. Even then I will be down £100. Fan-fucking-tastic.

I assumed that fixing my broken filling would be covered by NHS/Universal Credit, but silly me forgot that teeth are fucking luxury bones. No wonder we've got a reputation for shitty teeth in this country.

Is there anything I can do about this? The receptionist told me that composite fillings weren't covered by the NHS, but I thought that they could be for front teeth? Have they changed the rules?

Has your dentist opted out of the nhs and gone private? (a lot have )

Surely they should warn you of the cost in advance though?

 

[krtek a houby]

Sometimes find the extraction from the wallet tends to be more painful than anything else that the dentist takes out.

 

[two sheds]

I was originally told six weeks for the first appointment which concerned me a bit because the tooth edge was really sharp and I couldn't swallow, and it was about to start making my tongue bleed. I actually bought a temporary filling kit off the web which looked like it had good reviews. Ended up not using it because they phoned and said there was a time free next day.

 

[NoXion]

did you agree to treatment beforehand if so did you realise what it entailed. Did you understand this. Was your pain affecting your judgement. Were there any cheaper alternatives (nhs) the dentist could have used. If you fuck him off will he take you to court and have his practise labelled a rip off for evermore. What do you think your treatment was worth. Offer him that.

There was no pain, but there was a funny sensation when eating certain foods, like it was getting stuck between my teeth. Turned out that was the feeling of the filling coming loose, so the dentist replaced it. There was no discussion of cheaper alternatives. I'm happy with the work that's been done. It's just that the cost of it has come at the absolute worst possible time for me right now. Lost my job in October and the DWP made a deduction from my UC on account of the paltry final payment I got. Had to pay full whack for Council Tax in November as well. Yay.

You can probably make it too much of a PITA for the dentist to chase the remaining amount. This is only worth considering, though, if you think it will be easy to find another NHS dentist in your location.

A friend of mine had an absolute nightmare getting his teeth sorted out, and he wasn't registered with a dentist. That, and I really can't be fucked having another debt on my arse. If there's no financial aid available, then it looks I'm going to have to suck this one up. This stupid fucking country.

Has your dentist opted out of the nhs and gone private? (a lot have )

Surely they should warn you of the cost in advance though?

They say on their website that they are still accepting NHS patients. No mention was made of what it would cost up-front.

 

[MickiQ]

This is no help probably but I've just had the opposite. Had a tooth ripped out this morning, charged £30.

Now, this is a good 2 years after my dentist went 'partially NHS' whatever the fuck that means. I do know I last had a tooth out 8 years ago and got charged £42. So work that out.

My s-i-l just had one filling and she was charged £75.

Another guy I know just had 2 fillings (these are all separate dentists) and got charged £300, which is the same rate as you.

I have no idea what is going on with dental charges.

My dentist went private years ago, I think my last filling cost me around £200. When I had a my wisdom tooth pulled my dentist sent me to a specialist who charged me £399 for the privilege which I thought was seriously taking the piss along with my tooth.

 

[Silas Loom]

Alt text: an NHS dentist aggrieved by late payment.

 

[NoXion]

Maybe I could have left it. It wasn't painful or anything. But I figured that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Fix it up now to avoid having to have more extensive work done later, or worse still, an extraction. Ugh.

 

[two sheds]

When I phoned the dentist there was an answering message saying that they were taking on new patients, so it confused me when I was told there wasn't an NHS appointment for six weeks. Apparently they're taking on new paid patients but their NHS dentists aren't. The receptionist said their head office (the dentist has been taken over by the Mydentist chain) refuses to change the central message for some reason.

 

[moochedit]

They say on their website that they are still accepting NHS patients. No mention was made of what it would cost up-front.

I thought nhs was supposed to be one of 3 charging bands (depending on work done). Regardless they should have warned you.

Edit (top band is quite expensive actually - i've never had that myself)

How much will I pay for NHS dental treatment?

Find out about NHS dental costs and what’s included in each band of fixed charges.

www.nhs.uk

 

[NoXion]

I thought nhs was supposed to be one of 3 charging bands (depending on work done). Regardless they should have warned you.

Lesson learned. Next time they call me back for an appointment, I'll be sure to ask about the cost and such.

 

[JimW]

Maybe I could have left it. It wasn't painful or anything. But I figured that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Fix it up now to avoid having to have more extensive work done later, or worse still, an extraction. Ugh.

Think you were right there, just terrible timing with all the other money worries in your life.

 

[NoXion]

£73.50 for the privilege of having a tooth removed. Good fucking grief! It might be cheaper to buy some fishing line and a bottle of liquor.

Back in 2021 it was looking like I might have to have a tooth extracted. Thankfully the dentist I visited convinced me to keep it in, and so far it hasn't flared up or gone rotten or anything like that. But that episode did bring home to me how ridiculously primitive dental care is for most ordinary folk. Imagine if doctors today thought that powdered wigs and bonesaws were still front-line equipment. It's farcical.

 

[blossie33]

My dentist no longer does any NHS treatment and a check up recently cost me £100!
I could really do with having a couple of implants and I've been quoted over £7000 for the whole process I know it's not something you can get done on the NHS anyway but I'd be interesting to know if that's the general going rate in the UK (I can totally understand why people often go abroad to a country where it's cheaper!!).

 

[WouldBe]

Lost my job in October and the DWP made a deduction from my UC on

If you've on UC I didn't think you had to pay NHS dental charges.

 

[planetgeli]

£73.50 for the privilege of having a tooth removed. Good fucking grief!

But this is what I'm saying. Today it cost me £30. I'm not sure where they got the extra £3.20 from but look. From How much will I pay for NHS dental treatment?

Band 2: £73.50​

Band 2 includes all treatment in Band 1, plus:

• removing teeth (extraction)

Urgent treatment: £26.80​

Your dentist will decide if you need urgent treatment for any pain or to stop your dental health getting worse.

Urgent treatment includes:

• removing up to 2 teeth

So who decides? All I did was ring up, tell them I'd had enough of the pain (without at all laying it on), appointment within 18 hours of phone call, 20 minutes getting extraction, £30.