Q. I’m 22 and my teeth are awful! I’m embarassed to smile, laugh and often get told to ‘cheer up’ because of my regular closed mouth expression. My teeth are discoloured, sensitive, and crooked. This is due to lack of dental care when I was a child. I regularly use whitening products, and sensitive toothpastes, I visit the dentist but just seem to have filling upon filling. I’m so scared of one of my front teeth completely falling out. I honestly feel like I would be happier with false teeth, which is a bit of a daunting prospect at the age of 22. Being a student, I cant afford cosmetic dentisty and even the financial plas seem to want £100+ a month, which just isnt an option for me. I don’t seem to have a local dentistry school, and even ones far away seem to have full waiting lists. I’ve considered using a student loan to go abroad to have ‘cheap’ dentistry work done but hav been advised this could make things even worse. What should I do?

A. Its very difficult to have extensive treatment on a budget. You might be able to get some done on the NHS which is usually cheaper than paying privately. You always take a risk when going abroad as often the cost isn’t that much different, especially as the pound is quite weak against the Euro at the moment. You might also have complications that require further visits abroad. I guess the best option would be to save up as much as possible and to start the treatment in stages perhaps using a finance plan to help spread the costs?

Dr Andrew Moore
Advance Dental Clinic
Clinical Director
www.advancedentalclinic.com
Tel: 01245 268 494
104 Moulsham Street
Chelmsford Essex
CM2 0JG