Dental charges

[Solarjunkie]

Apparently I need a root filling in the tooth next to the canine, pre-molar I think it is. I have to take antibiotics for a few days first.
What are your experiences of the cost for this type of thing? Sadly NHS service is not available, so how much have you had to cough up?

[solitude]

NHS did the root canal but the crown cost �180.00. Hope you get sorted quickly and painlessly.

[bensmum]

My dentist charges from �120 for root canal work and from �350 for a crown if needed (these are private costs). I have dental insurance so most work I have is free except that I have to pay technicians costs for a crowns

[Solarjunkie]

Mmm. I'm not having a crown, just the filling. I thought over �360 was a lot!

[MrXLA]

The current NHS charge for a root canal treatment is �44.60. However teeth that need root canal treatment are usually very broken down and therefore many of them need crowns to rebuild them and seal off the root canal system especially molars and premolars. Crowns fall under NHS band 3 and the patient charge for that is currently �194.

If your dentist is a specialist in endodontics then you could expect to pay anywhere from �400-�600 on a private basis.

When considering the relative expense/cost consider:
- Most restorative dentistry is not life saving and is required as a result of one's own neglect (this is not my oppinion its simply fact)
- The clinician carrying out treatment has trained for at least 5 years as an undergraduate and has to demonstrate Continuing Professional development in the form of courses and seminars in order to stay registered and in many cases has attained post-graduate qualifications at considerable expense.
- Also the provision of dentistry despite the high profit it can generate in itself is extremely expensive.