Getting a Bridge from an NHS dentist

After his regular NHS dentist said the suspicious tooth and accompanying gum issues were just fine, a private dentist has identified that my husband has an abscess and a tooth that needs to come out. We'll have the extraction done at the private dentist, but a bridge has been estimated to cost... well, a whole bunch of money!

Neither of us are from the UK, so we need help. First, how can we find a better NHS dentist? I have no idea how he even found the first one... Second, how difficult would it be to get the bridge through the NHS (the NHS published price is a tenth of the private dentist's estimate). There seems to be some indication that the NHS would only cover a bridge if it were a medical necessity.

Thanks, Friends!

To find a dentist look at NHS Choices and start calling them up.

They are only going to give you a bridge if they think it is absolutely neccesary. I know people who have recieved bridges on the NHS - so it does happen. But I've had two root canals, with the same dentist, and have only recieved a crown for one of them, the other is merely filled.

YMMV.