Chipped tooth panic time part three, UK version

January 21, 2011 12:03 AM

I just (re-)chipped a tooth. I'm a student in the UK and I've never been to the dentist here before. I need to get this sorted out as soon as possible. Help?

So the story goes that about two years ago at a party, my idiot drunken (former) friend accidentally dropped me face first onto a concrete floor. A bit of one of my front teeth chipped off at the time and I got it bonded at my dentist in America, where I'm from. A little over a year later, the bonded piece came off and I went back to get it fixed up, which was quick and went fine. Now, the same piece has chipped off again -- nothing happened in particular, I just woke up and it fell off. I'm panicking a little because I have job interviews next week and as this is one of my front teeth, it's very noticeable and I feel like I look really dumb right now. (I know it's not a big deal, but it's going to bother me until I get it fixed.)

So: I have a GP here in London, but not a dentist, and I am not really sure about what to do here. I've done a search for NHS dentists and although it seems a lot in my area (NW1, if it helps) are not accepting new patients, there are a few here that are. Should I just call them all and see who will give me an appointment first? Is there any sort of emergency dental services type thing I could do instead? Will they want to bond the tooth in the same way as my American dentist? Will I have to deal with this stupid problem every year for the rest of my life?

I'm also really worried about the cost as I'm just a skint student. I have heard that the NHS doesn't cover as many dental things as it does medical, but I have no idea how that would apply here or how much I'm realistically looking at spending.

Any advice or suggestions you can give will be gratefully received. Thanks so much, everyone.

posted by Put the kettle on to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

Just ring them up, explain your situation and see what they say. Emergency dental cover isn't usually all that centralised, most often done through your own dentist. I've never had a chippped tooth, so I don't know what they'll do, but they should see you promptly.

NHS Dental Costs
posted by Coobeastie at 12:49 AM on January 21, 2011

you can also check out the free dental clinic at Guy's and St Thomas Hospital to see if you're eligible
posted by wayward vagabond at 12:55 AM on January 21, 2011

Call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 and they will let you know how to access emergency dental health care in your area if needed
posted by coffee_monster at 1:32 AM on January 21, 2011

Yes, there's emergency dental services - one in NW1 here. Emergency dentists can usually see you very quickly, although you might have to spend quite a while in a waiting room.

I broke a molar a couple of years ago when I wasn't registered with any dentists. The nearest one in my area that was taking NHS patients made me an emergency appointment, but the wait was about a week; the emergency dentist saw me the next morning and gave me a temporary filling to last until then. They'll make you a priority if it's causing you a lot of pain.

I'm not sure exactly what the NHS covers when it comes to chipped teeth, but your dentist will be able to tell you your options. They're pretty good at making sure you're informed of all possible treatment options and their costs, in my experience.
posted by Catseye at 1:33 AM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: Only go to the emergency dentist if you want the tooth fixed immediately but don't mind waiting hours to do this and also don't mind going through possibly two appointments with a standard dentist to get the problem actually fixed.

Emergency dental is for, well, emergencies, and often won't take care of the problem long-term. They can fix your tooth but you'll still need to see a regular dentist. This almost exact same thing happened to me in London when I did not have a dentist only it was a chunk of my back molar that came off, so I was really scared the tooth would get infected or rot away. I went to the emergency dentist where, after many hours (typical of urgent care) they put on a temporary filling that would last, at most, one month. I was told I had to see a regular dentist for permanent treatment of the tooth before that month was up.

The way the regular dentist worked is that he made me make one appointment for consultation to determine what was wrong and do a check-up (regardless of how many times I told them what the emergency dentist told me) and then I had to make a follow-up appointment to actually have the tooth fixed.

If I were you I would just make an appointment with a regular dentist, (just call them up and explain the situation) unless the emergency dentist can fix your tooth permanently. You'd need to call ahead of time to find out if this is the case.

As far as cost: treatment and costs here. My treatment fell into band two but I ended up paying a lot more because I wanted a white filling and NHS only covers amalgam. Again, your dentist can advise but be aware that if you go to an emergency dentist and then have to see a regular one, you will end up paying each time. If you have to make a follow-up appointment with a regular dentist it will likely be included in the full cost of treatment. So, for example, I did not have to pay £16.50 the first time for consultation and then he treatment fee the second time; the consultation was included in the follow-up appointment.
posted by Polychrome at 2:15 AM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: I chipped a (front) tooth a couple of weeks ago. I walked in to my local dentist, where I was not registered, and asked if they were taking new NHS patients. Yay, they were. They got me an appointment in about three days when I told them I wanted my chipped tooth fixing. The highly efficient dentist glanced at it, said 'Is very small, you ok if I do this now so we don't have to make another appointment?' and gave me an invisible white filling, and packed me off back to the receptionist to get £45.60 off me.

If you don't have very much money, you may be able to get Form HC1 (the details are hiding somewhere on that page), possibly from your dental surgery, and after sending the sixteen-page monstrosity off to Newcastle, you may be able to get some money back (If you have savings you're possibly not eligible, but it depends how much; as a student I never had to pay more than £20 for dental treatment, but that was while ago and things might have changed a bit now).
posted by Lebannen at 4:11 AM on January 21, 2011

Hi, fellow American student in the UK here. Depending on your priorities (i.e. dental health/tooth appearance vs. spending), I would think twice before going to a dentist you don't know very much about in London. I went to the (non-NHS but pretty inexpensive) dentist on my university campus, and they really messed up my back teeth. It's not life-threatening or anything, but I feel it every time I chew. (On the bright side, I am now forced to floss religiously, as it's rather painful if I don't.) I got a recommendation from an American friend, and now I go to Metrodental in Cannon Street. They are quite pricey but it is totally, absolutely worth it in my opinion. Anyway, good luck with your teeth!
posted by Concordia at 5:54 AM on January 21, 2011

I had a crown fitted on a back molar last month - this was an NHS one so it was metal but as it's at the back this doesn't bother me. It cost me £198. If I'd chosen a porcelain one, it would have cost between £400-600 - loans were available, but if you're an overseas student you may pass the credit check. This was for a molar that chipped thanks to me confusing a hard sweet for a soft sweet, but as yours isn't a molar and hasn;'t had a root canal first, you might not need a crown. Check the dental price PDF above.
posted by mippy at 8:56 AM on January 21, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks so much for all your help, everyone. I've calmed down a bit now. I decided not to try and get some sort of emergency dental care because it looks like I'd have to have an appointment with a regular dentist anyway. I found a dentist near me that is accepting new patients and I have an appointment in two and a half weeks. They didn't know how much it would cost, but they said fillings are generally £45 so I'm hoping my experience will be the same as Lebannen's. I'll post a follow-up once I get it taken care of.
posted by Put the kettle on at 9:57 AM on January 21, 2011

Response by poster: OK, here is my follow-up. I went to Parkway Dental a couple weeks ago and they were very nice. The dentist examined my tooth and told me I could get a bonded filling like I had before or get a porcelain veneer, which would be expensive and they'd have to file my tooth down. I wanted to do a bonded filling and he said it would cost £45.60 on the NHS or £90 privately, with a better quality filling. I asked what the difference was and he said the color would match better and that it was all-around better. Since it was just a small chip, and I am broke, and I wasn't entirely sold on the differences, I went with the cheaper NHS option. I had the filling done in about 5 minutes during that same appointment. The dentist did file my tooth down a little bit, which I didn't particularly want to happen, but oh well. The filling looks and feels fine so I'm glad I went with that option. We'll see if this one manages to last longer than a year though.

Thanks so much to everyone who responded to my question. I was worried, but these answers helped.
posted by Put the kettle on at 11:58 AM on February 21, 2011