Hi
@urbanhermit,
the usual order would be:
1. addressing immediate pain (as in, emergency-type pain rather than a bit of sensitivity)
2. a cleaning (either scale & polish or a more thorough cleaning, depending on what's needed - this sets the foundation for everything else) and advice for preventing future problems and keeping current problems in check
3. everything else - you and your dentist would have to decide together on the order, depending on personal preference, finances, and what makes sense from a dentistry perspective.
To find out more about financing options, we've put together this page:
If you are worried about not being able to afford necessary dental treatment, this page provides tips for both private and NHS options.
www.dentalfearcentral.org
If you cannot afford private treatment, a private dentist may be able to refer you to the community dental service IF they deem that you would not be able to have treatment in a regular NHS practice due to extreme phobia. However, this service is not available in all areas, and waiting lists may be long. Do a google search for "community dental service" and your area, and see what comes up.
If you
can afford some private treatment, but just not all at once, have a discussion with your dentist on how to go about things. See if you can come up with a treatment plan that stretches over a longer period of time, and see if you can tackle the most urgent issues first. If you're not in pain, it's often possible to stop existing problems from getting worse with some changes in behaviour (like diet, cleaning, etc.). Again, your dentist should be able to give tips, and there's also a lot of info right here on this website, in the
Dental Topics section (under the "DIY Fixes" heading).
Does any of this info help?
