Would you ever resort to pulling your own teeth?

[moshquerade]

It's pretty sad when the high cost or the non-availability of Dentists forces people to pull their own teeth.

updated 9:24 a.m. EDT, Mon October 15, 2007

Brits resort to pulling own teeth

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Some English people have resorted to pulling out their own teeth because they cannot find -- or cannot afford -- a dentist, a major study has revealed.

Six percent of those questioned in a survey of 5,000 patients admitted they had resorted to self-treatment using pliers and glue, the UK's Press Association reported.

England has a two-tier dental care system with some dentists offering publicly subsidized treatment through the National Health Service and others performing more expensive private work.

But more than three-quarters of those polled said they had been forced to pay for private treatment because they had been unable to find an NHS dentist. Almost a fifth said they had refused dental treatment because of the cost.

One respondent in Lancashire, northern England, claimed to have extracted 14 of their own teeth with a pair of pliers. In Liverpool, one of those collecting data for the survey interviewed three people who had pulled out their own teeth in one morning.

"I took most of my teeth out in the shed with pliers. I have one to go," another respondent wrote.

Others said they had fixed broken crowns using glue to avoid costly dental work.

Valerie Halsworth, 64, told British television's GMTV she had removed seven of her own teeth using her husband's pliers when her toothache became unbearable and she was unable to find an NHS dentist willing to treat her.

Halsworth admitted that the first extraction had been "excruciatingly painful." But she added: "It got that painful that I just had to do something... When you have taken a tooth out... the pain has gone."

Sharon Grant, chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, which commissioned the survey, said: "These findings indicate that the NHS dental system is letting many patients down very badly.

"Where NHS dental services are available, people are happy with the quality of treatment provided but many find the NHS fee system confusing and expensive, with some patients taking out loans to pay for treatment or more worryingly taking matters into their own hands."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/...nd.dentists/index.html

 

[Anubis]

id be curious to the numbers in the US, because there might be alot of dentists but they arnt cheap, even with dental insurance its not, HMOs fucked over doctors yet dentists can still charge whatever they want

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Anubis
id be curious to the numbers in the US, because there might be alot of dentists but they arnt cheap, even with dental insurance its not, HMOs fucked over doctors yet dentists can still charge whatever they want

i agree. HMO's tried to get the Dentists to sign on, but they said noeffing way. smart move by them because HMO's have limited Doctor's income to the point where a couple of MD's I have spoke with have said they wished they would've become Dentists rather than Doctors because of ins. companies.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Anubis
id be curious to the numbers in the US, because there might be alot of dentists but they arnt cheap, even with dental insurance its not, HMOs fucked over doctors yet dentists can still charge whatever they want

i agree. HMO's tried to get the Dentists to sign on, but they said noeffing way. smart move by them because HMO's have limited Doctor's income to the point where a couple of MD's I have spoke with have said they wished they would've become Dentists rather than Doctors because of ins. companies.

yep, tho for whatever reason anesthesiologists dont get hit by HMOs and they are needed for just about everything, my dad who is a Doc, says its where the big money is now a days

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

This was majorly hyped up by the media, they couldn't get enough of it. I'm registered with a private dentist, the NHS service is complete suckage by comparison and the cost isn't exorbitant for basic procedures.

Edit: forgot to add my dentist is ridiculously cute too FTW.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper
This was majorly hyped up by the media, they couldn't get enough of it. I'm registered with a private dentist, the NHS service is complete suckage by comparison and the cost isn't exorbitant for basic procedures.

Edit: forgot to add my dentist is ridiculously cute too FTW.

so, you are registered with a private dentist, does it cost you an arm and a leg every time you go there?

how much does a routine cleaning cost you?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Yeah...and I'd use a blade off an ice skate after securing it to a rock.

 

[nakedfrog]

Dentists around here seem to charge a hundred bucks a pop to pull teeth, from what I've heard.
I'd only do it under the most dire of circumstances.

 

[importdistributors]

I would, I think i might enjoy the pain.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
so, you are registered with a private dentist, does it cost you an arm and a leg every time you go there?

how much does a routine cleaning cost you?

A checkup is £30 ($60) and the hygienist is £40 for a normal clean and £55 for an extended clean.

 

[Jeff7]

One respondent in Lancashire, northern England, claimed to have extracted 14 of their own teeth with a pair of pliers. In Liverpool, one of those collecting data for the survey interviewed three people who had pulled out their own teeth in one morning.

Geez people, brush your teeth or something. Geez.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper

Originally posted by: moshquerade
so, you are registered with a private dentist, does it cost you an arm and a leg every time you go there?

how much does a routine cleaning cost you?

A checkup is £30 ($60) and the hygienist is £40 for a normal clean and £55 for an extended clean.

About the same here. I have private dental from work.

 

[MisterJackson]

I honestly considered this last night for a tooth that was throbbing until I found some left over Hydrocodone! I was in the fetal position almost crying from the pain. I was making deals with God at that point then I remembered the left over narcotics and said "Thanks anyway God.".

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
Yeah...and I'd use a blade off an ice skate after securing it to a rock.

you don't secure it to the rock, you slam it with a rock. :roll:

:laugh:

i cannot imagine ever pulling out a tooth with a few problems. it'd be pretty securely rooted in, and would hurt like a bitch. i have enough problems with pain at the dentist as it is, don't wanna do it myself. (full shot of Novocain and laughing gas and still felt some pain, was first time with laughing gas though and knocked off a lot of the pain that the novocain doesn't cover up)

 

[MovingTarget]

...not since I believed in the tooth fairy. Sucks they have to resort to that, but dental care isn't cheap for a lot of people. I don't have dental insurance, but I've had to get regular cleanings and a few fillings out of pocket. Luckily I had a pretty decent job then, but a lot of people do not. In cases like those, you do what you have to do. I even know a few people who go to dentistry schools for very reduced dental care as they have students perform the work. Its a bit riskier, but all they can afford. Such is life.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Bill for my brothers wisdom teeth was $1300. Insurance covered $800. =/

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
About the same here. I have private dental from work.

FTW. I got 4 wisdoms out with a general for about £25 thanks to my old job

 

[PepePeru]

I guess it depends on how much the tooth that needs to be pulled was hurting.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: MisterJackson
I honestly considered this last night for a tooth that was throbbing until I found some left over Hydrocodone! I was in the fetal position almost crying from the pain. I was making deals with God at that point then I remembered the left over narcotics and said "Thanks anyway God.".

what the? my poor baby.
we need to get you dentally fit!