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Dentures (NHS) Advice

T

TSx

Junior member
Joined
Jul 9, 2021
Messages
1
Location
UK
In 2016 I had a partial denture fitted after a long period of not looking after my teeth. This was for the front left upper tooth. A few other fillings were done. I then got better at oral hygiene but did not return to the dentist due to my fear. Earlier this year I chipped the other front tooth badly (it wasn't in the best condition from before hand). I've been trying to get a dentist appointment since and finally managed to get one today.

The good news is I only require a single filling on the rest of my teeth the bad news is they need to extract the front right upper tooth and replace with a denture. I was fine with this but they then said I will have to wait 2-3 months after extraction before they'll fit the denture. I was in a bit of a daze - I have several weddings for close family members coming up in August but was told they would have to extract by the end of this month - I paid around £68 and they booked me in for the extraction and filling.

I'm now panicking badly - I didn't have this wait last time (maybe a week?) and the thought of going 3 months with a missing front teeth is giving me incredibly bad anxiety, I'm in a professional role and need to meet with clients regularly.

Is there another option? I can't afford fully private but I can afford slightly more than the NHS if there is a way around it.
 
Can you afford private at all? I think they do payment plans that's all.

3 months is a long time, did they give you a reason for it?
 
Not a dentist, but I think you should be able to get a temporary denture - depending on what you currently have there might even be a way to add another tooth to that? Three months is to give your gums time to settle down before giving you a permanent denture, but I don’t think there is any reason you can’t have something as a short term fix. When I was having work on a front tooth a few years ago and panicked it would need to come out my dentist (also NHS) said the only way she would leave someone with a visible gap like that would be in an emergency - eg, someone who had fallen over and smashed their tooth on the pavement and needed it extracted immediately.

It sounds like there is plenty of time to put a plan together, so in your shoes I would give the surgery a call on Monday.
 
The good news is I only require a single filling on the rest of my teeth the bad news is they need to extract the front right upper tooth and replace with a denture. I was fine with this but they then said I will have to wait 2-3 months after extraction before they'll fit the denture.

Utter rubbish. Call them up and tell them this is unacceptable and if they still spin this yarn then change dentist.
 
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