A
anxiousann
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2023
- Messages
- 6
- Location
- UK
I've been dental phobic pretty much all my life, until around 10 years ago when I found a wonderful dentist who I completely trusted but unfortunately she left the practice around the beginning of 2020.
During the Covid lockdown 3 of my teeth rapidly deteriorated. Years ago I was bulimic and that wrecked my teeth. They are literally brittle and crumbling.
I knew my dentist had left the practice and was terrified of making the appointment, so I waited and waited until finally this January I was in so much pain I knew I had to just do it and phone up.
But that just made matters worse.
I got an appointment with her replacement, who immediately seemed unsure and abrupt. By unsure, I mean one minute she said a molar could not be saved and would have to be extracted, to changing her mind to doing a root canal when I said I would pay to be seen privately. (It is a 9 month waiting list for NHS treatment)
So it is salvageable or not?
The first available appointment was for nearly the end of March, we agreed my front teeth would take precedence as these are visible. She was very clear that they would be composite bond fillings and I was given an itemised bill. I queried whether she was sure as one of the teeth is broken to the gumline, she insisted a composite filling was perfectly fine.
So I arrived for my appointment and she immediately said she couldn't do a filling on one of the teeth, it was too deep and would need a root canal. Which would cost £1000.
I sat up in the chair and said this was not what we had agreed. I had questioned her decision back in January and she had assured me a filling would suffice. Meanwhile the nurse is typing up the new cost. I tell her to stop and just treat the other tooth, my main front incisor.
At this point she proceeded with just the front tooth. With no anaesthetic nor offer of one. It was a deep filling, I'm talking within 3mm of the gum. It was horrendous. I swear she must have done this on purpose because I was angry at the change of treatment plan.
I left the practice shaking all over and was physically sick.
To make matters worse the tooth is a mess. It is at least 2 shades brighter than the surrounding teeth. It is yellow, very yellow. There is a visible line running down the centre of my front tooth where old meets new and the new part is YELLOW.
I know I need to complain. I know I need to contact the practice manager and have them make this right. But I cannot. It took me two years to pluck up courage to even make that initial phone call. The trust I had with my old dentist is gone, she's long gone and I'm stuck with her replacement.
There is no option of changing dentist, not one practice is taking on new patients in my area either NHS or private. What on earth do you do in this situation? This experience has set me back years in terms of being able to get myself into a dental chair.
During the Covid lockdown 3 of my teeth rapidly deteriorated. Years ago I was bulimic and that wrecked my teeth. They are literally brittle and crumbling.
I knew my dentist had left the practice and was terrified of making the appointment, so I waited and waited until finally this January I was in so much pain I knew I had to just do it and phone up.
But that just made matters worse.
I got an appointment with her replacement, who immediately seemed unsure and abrupt. By unsure, I mean one minute she said a molar could not be saved and would have to be extracted, to changing her mind to doing a root canal when I said I would pay to be seen privately. (It is a 9 month waiting list for NHS treatment)
So it is salvageable or not?
The first available appointment was for nearly the end of March, we agreed my front teeth would take precedence as these are visible. She was very clear that they would be composite bond fillings and I was given an itemised bill. I queried whether she was sure as one of the teeth is broken to the gumline, she insisted a composite filling was perfectly fine.
So I arrived for my appointment and she immediately said she couldn't do a filling on one of the teeth, it was too deep and would need a root canal. Which would cost £1000.
I sat up in the chair and said this was not what we had agreed. I had questioned her decision back in January and she had assured me a filling would suffice. Meanwhile the nurse is typing up the new cost. I tell her to stop and just treat the other tooth, my main front incisor.
At this point she proceeded with just the front tooth. With no anaesthetic nor offer of one. It was a deep filling, I'm talking within 3mm of the gum. It was horrendous. I swear she must have done this on purpose because I was angry at the change of treatment plan.
I left the practice shaking all over and was physically sick.
To make matters worse the tooth is a mess. It is at least 2 shades brighter than the surrounding teeth. It is yellow, very yellow. There is a visible line running down the centre of my front tooth where old meets new and the new part is YELLOW.
I know I need to complain. I know I need to contact the practice manager and have them make this right. But I cannot. It took me two years to pluck up courage to even make that initial phone call. The trust I had with my old dentist is gone, she's long gone and I'm stuck with her replacement.
There is no option of changing dentist, not one practice is taking on new patients in my area either NHS or private. What on earth do you do in this situation? This experience has set me back years in terms of being able to get myself into a dental chair.
