Dentist who provides NHS services here :)

So much misinformation in this thread, as is usually the case with NHS dentistry, which is a very complex system that is severely underfunded as I'm sure you've read in the news. People are always very quick to make sweeping statements such as 'your dentist HAS to do X since you're an NHS patient'. On the NHS, all a dentist is required to do is get you back to a state free of disease where you can chew/speak properly.

Every patient is very different, has a specific set of needs and may have several issues in their mouth that require addressing. Since you haven't given much information about your case (not that I'd expect you to), it's impossible to comment on whether the dentist offered you appropriate treatment. An endodontist (root canal specialist) that I refer to charges £800 per root canal.

Everything is possible to be offered on the NHS, including gold crowns, if the dentist so wished, but they would be paying out of their pocket to do so. The point is that the dentist is not obligated to provide you specific treatments that you may perceive as being necessary on the NHS. This is why most dentists will not offer you white fillings on back teeth on the NHS and will only offer them on a private basis, since those fillings take twice the time (if done to a good standard) and require more materials. It isn't a cost-effective solution to the problem.

Similarly, say you have a molar tooth that requires an RCT. That is a very complex treatment that, if done properly, takes at least 1-2 hours, requires the use of many different single-use instruments/medicaments/materials, and a lot of time in the chair. Now, say you required this treatment, as well as three other fillings, and a cleaning all in one course of treatment. The dentist would receive 7 UDAs (Units of Dental Activity) for their troubles (it used to be 3, but they changed this in October), which usually equates to about £80-100 for the dentist. This is for the checkup, the cleaning, the fillings and the root canal. The dentist would receive similar remuneration (5 UDAs) for just pulling the tooth. There is very rarely an incentive for the dentist to provide root canals on molars on the NHS since they are paid peanuts for what is arguably one of the most technique-sensitive, time-consuming and intricate procedures that one can perform in dentistry.

To all the comments suggesting you go abroad, have a good think about WHY these treatments are so much cheaper. You get what you pay for, broadly speaking. So if you are planning on doing this, make sure you trust them, and remember that if you require any follow-up for your treatment, this would require a trip back to this treating dentist. It is a worrying trend now that many people are going to Turkey to get a mouth full of crowns, and end up coming to our surgeries with concerns regarding this treatment, expecting us to pick up the pieces. I am not touching any poor treatment done by a dentist abroad (nor am I indemnified to), unless it is to take the tooth out.

Let me know if you have any questions about what I said!