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At the begining of the year, I registered with an NHS dentist, who offered me an NHS replacement of a cracked tooth veneer at the top front. The veneer was done in March, was too big and the wrong colour but I didn't complain at the time. Two months later, one night in May I woke up in the night with the veneer loose in my mouth. Returning to the dentist, he wanted to drill off the top of the underlying tooth and I objected, saying that it didn't make sense to damage a perfectly good tooth to accomodate a veneer on another tooth. He put the veneer back on, there was some drilling (which I thought was to the veneer, but I now think was to the back of veneered tooth). He said that if the veneer came off again, the tooth would need to be crowned instead. The veneer came off again about three weeks later, when I was in bed just nodding off to sleep. I was very distressed, totally lost faith in that dentist and bewildered as to how a tooth that had a veneer affixed for about 25 years (one of about 8 veneered teeth) should suddenly need to be crowned. I consulted a private dentist who said that a crown was out of the question on a front tooth because the metal base would always show through the porcelain and the tooth would be a different colour than surrounding teeth. His advice was a new veneer. He explained in detail why the NHS veneer had come off and was never going to be suitable for the tooth it was intended to cover. I am confident that the private dentist will get the job done properly. I am a pensioner on a limited income and am having to spend money I can't afford on something that was not my fault. The initial consultation was £75 and the new veneer will cost nearly £600. I would like to recover this money from the NHS, plus if possible, a little for my stress and distress.
If I understand correctly, something as small as this must be claimed via the small claims court and I cannot recover any solicitors fees. Alternatively, since I paid the original NHS charge (around £269, I need to check the exact amount) on my credit card, I can ask the bank for a charge-back instead of trying to recover the cost of the private dentristry and compensation.
I have also not yet complained to the NHS. It seems as though I have to complaint to NHS England, who will then decide whether to pass my complaint on to the appropriate authority.
I would be grateful for any opinions/advice.
Thank you.
At the begining of the year, I registered with an NHS dentist, who offered me an NHS replacement of a cracked tooth veneer at the top front. The veneer was done in March, was too big and the wrong colour but I didn't complain at the time. Two months later, one night in May I woke up in the night with the veneer loose in my mouth. Returning to the dentist, he wanted to drill off the top of the underlying tooth and I objected, saying that it didn't make sense to damage a perfectly good tooth to accomodate a veneer on another tooth. He put the veneer back on, there was some drilling (which I thought was to the veneer, but I now think was to the back of veneered tooth). He said that if the veneer came off again, the tooth would need to be crowned instead. The veneer came off again about three weeks later, when I was in bed just nodding off to sleep. I was very distressed, totally lost faith in that dentist and bewildered as to how a tooth that had a veneer affixed for about 25 years (one of about 8 veneered teeth) should suddenly need to be crowned. I consulted a private dentist who said that a crown was out of the question on a front tooth because the metal base would always show through the porcelain and the tooth would be a different colour than surrounding teeth. His advice was a new veneer. He explained in detail why the NHS veneer had come off and was never going to be suitable for the tooth it was intended to cover. I am confident that the private dentist will get the job done properly. I am a pensioner on a limited income and am having to spend money I can't afford on something that was not my fault. The initial consultation was £75 and the new veneer will cost nearly £600. I would like to recover this money from the NHS, plus if possible, a little for my stress and distress.
If I understand correctly, something as small as this must be claimed via the small claims court and I cannot recover any solicitors fees. Alternatively, since I paid the original NHS charge (around £269, I need to check the exact amount) on my credit card, I can ask the bank for a charge-back instead of trying to recover the cost of the private dentristry and compensation.
I have also not yet complained to the NHS. It seems as though I have to complaint to NHS England, who will then decide whether to pass my complaint on to the appropriate authority.
I would be grateful for any opinions/advice.
Thank you.
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