MAJOR DENTAL WORK ENQUIRY

[johncub]

Hello there ive just found this forum so i thought id ask whats been bugging of late  i need to have some major work done ie a problem with a tooth under a bridge i had done 15 years ago ( grrr it would have to be under the bridge wouldnt it ?)....i also thought i would really like for cosmetic reasons my upper front 4 teeth crowned separatetly or another bridge maybe ,the fron teeth are solid no problems but have white fillings in them plus a filling to repair a chipped corner on one that ive had redone again and again hence i thought it would now be better to get them crowned ?? also i would like all my bottom fillings replaced with white ones as again ive become very concious of them  ..now the problem being i have just returned to work part time following a long illness ( several operations for arthritus )however i fall into the category of where i have to pay for my treatment im not by a long shot moaning about it but is there anyway i could have this treatment done bit by bit over a period of a few months and pay for each bit as i go along i really do not want to get myself into debt over this but im really concious of it now and would really like to start having it done ,im 47 in general good health now many thanks for your time and trouble john

[asterix]

from what i can gather from your post, in terms of the work you are after, the majority appears to be cosmetic. this does not fall into the catagory of nhs treatment so you are looking at private work to get it done.

If you know more or less what you want done, for instance 4 crowns, 5 white fillings (including their size) simply go round to a couple of dentists in your area and request their private price lists, the majority should have printed ones to give you. sit down with a calculator and work out how much it should be and compare like for like between the dentists.

(there will obviously be a margin of error here as some things you may not realise you need, but this is more to give a comparison of how 'expensive' the dentist is for the particular work you want done)

most dentists would be happy just to do a few things at a time rather than all in one shot, (however if you are having a set of crowns for the front teeth these are best done in one go so as they all match perfectly.)

some dentists do work on an hourly rate plus lab bills and hence will want to assess you rather than give you a price list.

you could consider a cover plan such as tesco which are very good value but any plan will only cover you for a certain ammount of work per year, however this may fit with your plan to do the work bit by bit.
capitation schemes such as denplan require you to be dentally fit to start with (have no problems or needs) so may not be worth it for you as you would have to get 'fixed up' first before being accepted.

some dental practices will sort out a 'dental loan' at credit card APR's (~10-16%) but you may be just as well to open a 0% credit card and pay off a set amount each month to pay it off before the interest free offer runs out

As a ball park figure you could expect to pay £1500-1800 for 4 crowns on the front teeth and 5 large white fillings.

hope this is of some help

[johncub]

thank you very much for the information its really appreciated  ill get going around the dentists in the area for price lists again thanks a lot john

[asterix]

just as a foot-note to the above regarding crowns: if there is not much wrong with the teeth at the front apart from the filling not being great it is well worth considering just replacing the white fillings: the technology and materials have really improved over the past 10 years and very good shade matches and bonding (i.e. fillings not falling out) is possible in modern cosmetic dentistry.

This may address you problems in a more conservative manner(and at lesser expense!): remember you have to drill off quite a bit of healthy tooth tissue to fit a crown which in the long term can be a bad thing: depends on how the teeth are to start with and what you are trying to achieve. every case is different...

there are lots of factors to think about and many different ways of achieving a good result; just a couple of points to bear in mind...

[davidon]

Looks like John is giving you very sound advice

Can I add just a few comments

Tesco and other policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, so no cover there I'm afraid.

Really good advice to stay with existing white composite fillings if you can. They are significantly cheaper and bear in mind that about one in twenty (5%) of teeth that are crowned the nerve dies off leading to even more problems. A good compromise may be Veneers -- far less destructive to teeth and usually cheaper than crowns.

Hope that helps

[davidon]

Sorry --  didn't mean John -- meant Asterix