have a cyst in jaw caused by old root canaled tooth still present and need to have 2 neighbouring teeth root c as well prior to op – have had one too many bad experiences with numbing so have had iv sedation at private dentist but dentl insurance only covers 1/3 of cost for this – there anyway i caan have nhs treatment but pay full for sedation – must have done asap as op by june – current quote for 2 root canal plus iv sed is £1200 – all this because i enquired about having my darkened tooth dealt with and they found the cyst etc etc – please help – kind regards

ble and embarrisinghi i had 3 crowns and a bridge fitted about 12 yrs ago on the nhs unfortunatley these wore and kept falling out my dentist said replecements of these would cost me around 2000 on the nhs which i didnt have so he fitted dentures which i find uncomfortable and embarissing to wear i do not pay for my treatment because i recieve disability living allowance is he right or could i get replacements on the nhs. many thanks

my teeth are really bad im 36 and i would like to know could i get all my teeth fixed on nhs as i have no money
its really making me feel really bad

Dear Dr Hughes,
I have recently moved and changed dentist. My previous (NHS) dentist gave white fillings if I needed them, so I assumed this was the norm. My new (NHS) dentist has given me a silver filling which I am unhappy with, especially as the main advantage of silver seems to be cost and the practice has expensive looking tvs in all waiting and treatment rooms. Am l being unreasonable?

hi, im 16 still at school and was just wondering is there any free treatment from the NHS to get my teeth whitened??

I’v had a partial denture since I was 13yrs old due to a sporting accident.I am now 56 and that dreaded time has come for it to be replaced. I have been to the same dentist since school and would feel very disloyal going elsewhere. My dentist is NHS but can I ask that the new denture be made of Valplast, and if so is the change in appearance and speech SO noticeable to others?

i have a broken tooth but i have half a tooth left and its a double back tooth and i wanted to get it taken out, im at a NHS dentist but im 17 and i wanted to know how much the tooth would be to get taken out thanks

Hi Dr Moore,

General question, how can I assess whether my dentist is looing after my teeth properly or simply attempting to make money out of me?

I’ve had about 18 months/2 years with no treatment, and now it seems everytime I go for a check up he decides to “replace fillings he is not happy with” even though they are not causing any pain. I also have an impacted wisdom tooth which he wanted to take out. I refused to have this done in the Dental surgery and asked for a referral to an NHS Hospital – once I got my appt there they said the tooth did not need to be removed.

All of this is making me rather concerned and loathe to return to my dentist. I also have some pain in my left upper molar which I have previously flagged to him. He insists that the tooth does not need a filling – however the cynic in me now feels that it could be he is waiting for it to decay badly so I’ll need a root canal @ £350 as opposed to filing the tooth now which makes him alot less.

Am I being too cynical and is my dentist just trying to provide preventative care? (all my fillings are white and I know these are not as long lasting as amalgam ones).

My 7yo daughter was referred by NHS to be assessed (x-ray & exam by child specialist) for treatment of 6 (4 upper abutting molars – 2 each side and 2 lower molars – 1 each side) teeth. At the first appointment she was seen after a 45 minute wait after her appointment time but after a 5minute exam she was given a re-appointment for x-rays. At the x-ray appointment, she was again examined and we were told to have ALL the teeth out prior to x-ray, then they said she could not be x-rayed because the film was too big. Again we were told to have the teeth out, as the only option was “harmful, high dose” (their words) whole head x-ray scanning. We asked to have the scan to see what the teeth were like (fillable or not – our dentist had indicated at least the lowers were fillable) and finally they got an appointment with another clinic to do the scan.

Afterwards we found out that other child size xray films are available (3-8y.o.) but were not used (ones used were about 2.5.-3cm (+tab) in height and 4cm or so wide, about the same size as those used on myself.

Do you understand what is happening and is this unusual?

Naturally, we are concerned, they seem to be pushing for general anesthetic and wholesale removal without considering ANY xray evidence. These teeth were all ok 10 months ago.

Dear Dr Rob, i have had tooth rot running through my teeth for some years now.Subsequently i have lost a lot of teeth. Having visted the dentist 11/2/2011,another rotten touth has been found.I am on the n.h.s and have been told that it will not come under n.h.s funding and unless i want to pay for it it is not worth saving the tooth.I have been told it will be in the region of £300 ,i would like to try and save the tooth. Is the cost of route canal treatment this much? The dentist is worried also that the route canal will not work.I sure there is not much you can say but as i wil have to have denture i am concerned. Would it better to loose them slowly and then spend i dont know how much have permanent teeth fitted. Any thing you can tell me or advise me would be helpfull. Yours gratefully