Dental question - can anyone help me

besides a dentist of course. (just got that one in before anyone else did)</p>

actually its 2 questions i need answering.</p>

1. how much would it cost me for a tooth crowning? the tooth in question one of my back teeth which i beleive cost more than the front teeth to crown, but i have no idea how much it would cost.</p>

2. Vaneers, how much would these cost per tooth?</p>

any rough ideas would be appreciated, because i haven't got the slightest idea what to expect,although im betting it wont be cheap.</p>

 

Answer (just 1)

A crown for a molar could set you back between £100 and £150 depending on material (gold or ceramic - gold is cheaper and they last longer apparently). I recently had a bridge (like 2 crowns bridging a 2-tooth gap) which cost just under £400.

Got no idea about veneers though.

 

RE: Answer (just 1)

ok then, cheers for that. thats not as expensive as i thought, but still not cheap though (

 

Don't know if this info. may help.

http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/DentalCharges.cmsx

http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/L/lust4life/look_young/treat_veneers.html

 

Tough one to answer.</p>

For NHS treatment, you no longer pay per item of treatment, you pay per course of treatment.</p>

What this means is you used to pay a fee for each individual item - a checkup was an item, cleaning was an item, a filling was an item, as was a crown. A course of treatment runs from your checkup up to the point your dentist says, &quot;see you next year&quot;. The charge for a course of treatment used to be made up of any combination of items necessary to make your mouth healthy, so it could be just a checkup or it could be a checkup, clean, 3 fillings and an extraction, or whatever.</p>

Under the new scheme each course of treatment will cost you one of 3 prices - &pound;15.90, &pound;43.60 or &pound;194. The most expensive item in your course of treatment determines which price band it is in. As you need a crown, you are in the top bracket, so you will pay &pound;194 but this will include any other treatment you need - checkup, x-rays, any fillings, cleaning etc. However, if you don't need any other treatment, it may be cheaper to have the crown done privately, you'd have to discuss this with your dentist. </p>

With private treatment, the dentist can set any price he/she pleases but you are free to shop around so prices tend to depend on the local market - all the dentists in a small area tend to have similar prices for similar items. You generally pay per individual item of treatment if you go private, like the old NHS.
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On the NHS, your dentist is only obliged to provide the treatment that is &quot;necessary to secure and maintain oral health&quot;. Although veneers are available on the NHS, they don't usually qualify for this. If it is an old veneer that has broken, you can take your dentist to task to get it thrown in for the &pound;194, but if we are talking about getting sound teeth veneered for cosmetic reasons, expect to pay &pound;100-&pound;150 a tooth.</p>

On that note, before proceeding with veneers for cosmetic reasons, ask your dentist about non-invasive whitening treatments such as tray bleaching.
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RE: Answer (just 1)

What! A crown for £150? Where was this? Not down South I'll bet.

Try £3/400 down here.

'kin pisstakers.

 

Crystal/Revvie P - cheers, thats a great help

very much appreciated (Y) (Y) (Y)

 

RE: Answer (just 1)

(lol) you will have to get ya sen up north.

 

"Tray Bleaching"

Is it any good? There is also Laser Treatment.

Presumably, neither of those are available on the NHS.

 

RE: "Tray Bleaching"

I prefer tray whitening to laser whitening.</p>

The lower concentrations of bleaching agents used are better for the health of your gums. A rubber sheet is used to prevent the strong bleaches used in laser whitening from getting onto your gums. It is not perfect and there will be some gets through. There are varnishes can be used to seal the sheet to the teeth to prevent this but then the couple of mm of tooth closest to the gum line don't get whitened. It is very tricky to get perfectly even results.</p>

Tray whitening is very similar in terms of efficacy. It's more hassle but the results tend to be even and it has been succesfully used for about 40 years (albeit only widely in the last 10) so there are good long-term statistics for safety. The long-term effects on the gums of laser whitening may be nil also but as it is a newer treatment, less long-term results are available.</p>

The main problem with any of these treatments is that they are bleaching treatments, not pigment treatments. So you don't get to pick a colour - you do it and see what happens. I did my nurse's teeth and the results were spectacular but I did one a few weeks ago and you can scarcely tell the difference. There is a strong element of &quot;luck of the draw&quot; involved in how much improvement each person gets. Chances are there will be a distinct, visible improvement but don't embark on it expecting Tipp-Ex white teeth at the end of it - only a fortunate few get such spectacular outcomes (and get their chops photographed for their dentist's adverts!).</p>

However, if considering veneers, always try it first. It may save you a bomb and at any rate, veneers are translucent and show some colour from the tooth beneath. Anything you do to remove discolouration at the outset will improve the result with veneers.</p>

Oh and no, neither are available on the NHS and technically neither are available full-stop. Bleaching teeth is technically illegal in this country but no-one ever gets prosecuted for it. You cannot use more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide in cosmetics but tooth bleaches contain more than this. The government refuse to acknowledge bleaching as a medical treatment (higher concentrations are allowed under the Medical Devices Directive) as then it would be cornered into providing it on the NHS. However as a cosmetic it contravenes the EU laws controlling cosmetics. It hits the middle ground of being a cosmetic treatment done under supervision of a healthcare professional and so, as there is no safety issue (especially with tray bleaching) there is no benefit in prosecuting providers. It remains illegal only so that the NHS will never have to foot the bill.
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That's great. Thanks! nt