After severe toothache I was at the dentists today.
He agreed with me a capped tooth with persistant problems has to be extracted.
So we discussed options, the first being the usual preparation of adjacent teeth and the fitment of a bridge, cost about 250 quid.
He then said there is an alternative of a tooth implant so we talked about it a while, then he said "but it is expensive".
I said "whats expensive"?
"Oh about 2,000 pounds" came the reply.
Had leaflet through our door today for a new local dentists..£1790 each as an introductry offer...!!!
Someone is taking the piss somewhere.
Someone is taking the piss somewhere
That would be the private dentists that can't survive on the £80,000 that a NHS only dentist gets!!
I was at the dentist this morning for a check-up + clean etc.
£16.50
denplan....... end of!
Yep. My ( private cos of no option ) dentist said something similar when I cracked a molar. He said implants are an option, but don't even think about it! He wasn't sure a cap would work, but with my misgivings about an extraction I got it capped. £350 kerchingggg.
Mid November, anout 18monts later, I expereinced real toothache. In the end an extraction was £75. The relief was wonderful........
and it didn't hurt!
Shouldn't have wimped out first time. My fault entirely. Just impressed at the ease and lack of pain over the extraction.
Q
now a molar less but wonderfullt pain free!
and yet the tooth fairy buys for a quid...... 
private cos of no option
Do you know that for sure or is it just a perception?
Lots of new NHS dentists in the last year or so
Let's see 32 teeth x £2,000 = £64,000
Maybe that's why they call it the £64,000 question - should I look after my teeth or not 
It's an insane amount of money! I have a hygienist appointment today (have to go private as no option) £36 for 10 minutes! I mean look how many of those they can fit into a day! rip off.
Have you thought of using no more nails?
uplink:
Well..... I'm pretty sure, though it has eased recently. I'm in Devon, and it has been bad, worse in Cornwall. Local news reporting people travelling 100 miles or more in cornwall! Part of it is innertia too. I've Always been to the dentist in that surgery, even as a lad! It has just changed ownership, but the new lady was brilliant when removing this tooth. Better ther devil you know ( and trust!)
But will keep ears open for local changes point taken.
Q
£2000 is alot of money, certainly, but I wonder how many of us have frames costing that much or more.
Happily paid £2k for root canal and a crown last autumn. No pain plus i dont look like a gypsy!
That 1.5 - 2k doesnt all go in the dentist pocket you know!
My sisters bf is a dentist i had a similar conversation with her a few months ago. His implant course cost him 10k, then about 30 days off work on the course so thats maybe 6-7k lost income, then she says it costs the dentist about 5k to buy the equipment for the surgery for implants, then they have to pay a lab to make the implant things and the cap or bridge which can be over £500.
So this cost and the training costs, and equipment etc all have to be recovered Then theres busines overheads, staff wages, they pay extra insurance costs if they do implants, and theres general material costs as well like the impression stuff, filling stuff, all the disposable eqipment which is thrown away after each patient to prevent cross infection.
Thats partly why medical / dental costs are so high! People just dont tend to realise so much cos they are used to the government paying for it all in hospitals etc. But yes there is ££ profit in them, just not as high as people think. I respect my sisters bf, and my own dentist (NHS), they do 5 years really hard work at uni. People say you never see a poor dentist, but then again, you dont see poor hospital surgeons, or GP's (most of whom earn more than NHS dentists) Its just you dont pay them direct so it doesnt seem to annoy people as much!
And if that implant thing lasts you 10-15 years as well then its not really that expensive is it, no worse than mountain biking, or my gf spending £40 quid on her hair every couple of months 
My implant cost £2,000 and that was 11 years ago. So the price in effect has dropped, as there is more demand and more competition from the implant surgeons.
However mine has gone wrong. It's going to cost £1,000 to put right. Apparently the surgeon who origionally performed the implant should have done all the ground work/preparation and fitting of the crown at the end, somehow ( and I don't know why) this was done by my own (now ex) dentist of the time. I have no come back as this dnetist is no longer practicing. To say I am upset is an understatement. As a person who has a fear and hatred of going to the dentist, it's made me unhappy to say the least.
Mmmm have been to quite a few dnetists homes in the past through work and they do tend to have very nice houses.
re: bunnyhop. You have no comeback? Have you spoken to a lawyer?
As for dental costs, get real. It seems a lot, but you are paying for professional treatment. Think about health costs in the USA where even with health insurance you'll usually have sizeable 'co-pay'. Frightening.
I was born in the year the NHS came into existence
I have received NHS dental care from the cradle. Various unscrupulous governments have introduced "charges" they thought they could get away with, but I have still received dental care at a cost significantly lower than going private.
Until New Labour. I'll never ever forgive them for the fact that I lost my NHS dentist during the tenure of a Labour government
That's an outrage
As for dental costs, get real. It seems a lot, but you are paying for professional treatment. Think about health costs in the USA where even with health insurance you'll usually have sizeable 'co-pay'. Frightening.
Have you ever been to America? Everyone, with the exception of tramps on the street have absolutely perfect teeth from the guy who waters the public grass to the woman who sells you some chewing gum on a corner. Don't try to tell me they all have in depth insurance plans and a few thousand salted away to cover their dental charges. It's clearly a much better service at a much lower cost over there.
Dont get me started 
The tax payer pays for them to go and learn dentistry,and its a hell of a size of grant.
They qualify and work NHS for a few years on a very high salary until they can afford to open their own practise or buy into an established one.
When they are sitting pretty ,its a loud F OFF to the NHS patients that got them started and paid them for the privilege.
.
Long Live Plastic Teeth 
Have you ever been to America? Everyone, with the exception of tramps on the street have absolutely perfect teeth from the guy who waters the public grass to the woman who sells you some chewing gum on a corner. Don't try to tell me they all have in depth insurance plans and a few thousand salted away to cover their dental charges. It's clearly a much better service at a much lower cost over there
Well guess what yes I have been to the USA, I worked there for a couple of years, and it was an American dentist who repaired said tooth. He told me that the original crown (done by a UK dentist 10 years earlier)was no good and had to be replaced. So after two sessions each three hours each (I am not kidding)he replaced the crown and it has never been right since, so much so I have had enough of it and want the damned thing pulled out, oh and he charged 1200 bucks for the privilige. Dont be fooled by the perception that the USA dental health system is better than ours, it just costs a lot more, and boy do they pay for it!!
Got the painful tooth pulled out today - 11.50 from the NHS.
Dentist took a bit of persuasion to pull it out. They really dont like to pull them do they?
I had two implants fitted after a face / tarmac bike accident. I was in my late 20's and these were my upper two front teeth. Bridges and dentures were not an option. Both were £2,500 fitted each by the local consultant.
The process takes the best part of six month to a year to complete for each one but is so much better than dentures - I had to wear one for a while during the healing process.
Going to the local consultant for the job is the way forward - don't go to your local dentist - find your local consultants surgery. The difference in care standards is huge.
There are good things about dental implants - cold drinks aren't an issue anymore and I have some bling Titanium inside my head...
I got a new Bluetooth for £ 9
ps he offered it half price if I had it done by a "Polish colleague". 
private cos of no option
more dentists than required atm.
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