Teeth problem and no dentist

[millymoomoo]

Hello,
I have a problem with my teeth and no dentist. One of my front teeth has broken down both sides. It's not causing me any pain but I'm really scared that it's going to snap in the middle.
I've had a look on the website that says which dentists are taking on NHS patients and none are in my area. I really don't have the money to go private.

How does it work, can I ring a dentist up to get on the waiting list:confused:

Any help would be much appreciated.

[UKTigerlily]

Hiya, I think nobody is registered with an NHS dentist now, have you tried calling the PCT? I'm sure some NHS dentist will sort it for you. Also try calling some & explaining cause the websites never updated IMO, I tried & alot that said they were taking on weren't! Toothsmith i'm sure will be along soon, between patients, to give the experts advice, he's worth waiting for he's very good! Talking of Toothy I had a dream about him ... (No not like that!)

[millymoomoo]

Thanks, I've spent the morning ringing round dentists and none are taking on patients and there are no lists to join apart from one which is 2 years! I could see this one if it becomes painful though I'd have to ring in the morning to see if I could see them the same day.

I've been given the number of the dental helpline by the PCT and there is a message on there saying that some places will be available spring/summer this year but no further information as yet.

[vickitoria100]

Hi Milly

It's highly unlikely you'll find a dentist taking on patients over 18.

However, there will be several in your area which offer treatment under the new 'simpler charging' scheme for patients not registered. Contact you Primary Care Trust or see http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/NearestSearch.aspx for this.

Charges depend on what needs doing...

Simpler charging
There are now three standard charges for all National Health Service (NHS) dental treatment. This makes it easier to know how much you may need to pay and also helps ensure that you are being charged for NHS care (rather than private care).
The maximum charge for a complex course of treatment has been reduced from £384 to £189. Most courses of treatment cost £15.50 or £42.40.
You still receive free NHS dental treatment if you meet the exemption criteria (http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/DentalTreatment.cmsx).
Find out more about the new patient charges. (http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/DentalCharges.cmsx)

[Savvy_Sue]

You may even find that a private dentist won't be any more expensive than an NHS dentist in the long run. Honestly, it is worth trying local private surgeries.

[UKTigerlily]

Yeah i've gone private & it wasn't too bad at all!

[sabbykins]

Yeah i've gone private & it wasn't too bad at all!

I second that! I'm with HSA dental and i pay less per month for my whole family than i do for my broadband connection, and i know which one i would rather be without ;)

[Psykicpup]

When I had a series of abcesses couple of yrs back, I rang roung trying to find a dentist - the cheapest I found was a private one!

[millymoomoo]

Thanks everyone, I think I will have a ring round the private ones!

[mancitychick]

You may even find that a private dentist won't be any more expensive than an NHS dentist in the long run. Honestly, it is worth trying local private surgeries.

I second this. My private dentist charges £12 for a check up, whereas my Husaband pays his NHS dentist £15.50 for his check up.

[Toothsmith]

I second this. My private dentist charges £12 for a check up, whereas my Husaband pays his NHS dentist £15.50 for his check up.

That £15.50 would include the clean-up and any x-rays as well, whereas you would pay extra for that.

BUT - the dentist only gets 1 UDA (funding point) for a 10 second look round, and exactly the same for a GOOD examination with x-rays and the clean and polish.

If you were an NHS dentist struggling to reach your target number of funding points, which are you most likely to do?

[mancitychick]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mancitychick
I second this. My private dentist charges £12 for a check up, whereas my Husaband pays his NHS dentist £15.50 for his check up.



That £15.50 would include the clean-up and any x-rays as well, whereas you would pay extra for that.

BUT - the dentist only gets 1 UDA (funding point) for a 10 second look round, and exactly the same for a GOOD examination with x-rays and the clean and polish.

If you were an NHS dentist struggling to reach your target number of funding points, which are you most likely to do?


My Hubbys dentist does the check up and makes him make another appointment for a scale and polish only. Therefore he ends up paying two lots of £15.50 - one for each appt. Is this to up their funding points?

[Toothsmith]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mancitychick
I second this. My private dentist charges £12 for a check up, whereas my Husaband pays his NHS dentist £15.50 for his check up.






My Hubbys dentist does the check up and makes him make another appointment for a scale and polish only. Therefore he ends up paying two lots of £15.50 - one for each appt. Is this to up their funding points?

That is wrong, and the PCT would be very interested in hearing about this fiddle.

[LondonDiva]

Hi Milly

It's highly unlikely you'll find a dentist taking on patients over 18. Sorry to be rude, but tosh. If a practice is regtistering NHS patients, they will be taking all patients entitled to NHS care.

The only exemption may be if they have a specific contract for children only which is incredibly unlikely. If an NHS dentist says this, they are most likely breaching their contract and the PCT needs to be notified straight away through the PALS team who will notify the dental contracts and advisor teams.

Another exemption this close to the end of the financial year (31 March) is that practices may be rationing their care to patients they have a history with / know will be returning. If ask them to put you on a waiting list, you should be able go back next Monday.

Hi Milly
However, there will be several in your area which offer treatment under the new 'simpler charging' scheme for patients not registered. Contact you Primary Care Trust or see http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/NearestSearch.aspx for this.

Charges depend on what needs doing...This is the new NHS dental service and only way of accessing NHS services.

You are no longer registered with a practice, but you are registered for a course of treatment on.ly. However, many practices will encourage patients to return to build up a relationship and someone familiar with your teeth and history.

:)

[LondonDiva]

My Hubbys dentist does the check up and makes him make another appointment for a scale and polish only. Therefore he ends up paying two lots of £15.50 - one for each appt. Is this to up their funding points?

Ask the practice, politely, exactly why they are charging this way as it is the same course of treatment. Then ring up the PCT's PALS team and ask them to clarify what is happening with the practice and the double charging. They should also arrange for the practice to refund the money & monitor any further issues to do with this in practice & contract visits.

[LondonDiva]

Milly, you can register with any NHS dentist...where do you live or work?

Come Monday the new money & contracts come into force and any practices that have run out should have more capacity. Best way to find out which practices are NHS is to ring the contracts or PALS team of PCT of the area you want to register in (google) and ask them to send you a list.

Come Monday ring up, ask to book an appointment, be seen. If they then refuse to see you, ask why, if they are clearing a backlog, ask about their waiting list. If they do not have a list or a reasonable explanation, tell the PCT as this is a breach of contract.

There are dentists out there, but there is a lot of misinformation, some dodgy dentists, some ditto patients and a crappy contract :)

[kickstart]

I am sure you can ring NHS Direct and they will put you in touch with a dentist. If it does become an emergency , you can go to your local hospitals dental dept and they will see you.

[Toothsmith]

That is true so long as they have an NHS dentist they can put you in touch with.

Some areas are better served than others.

Local hospitals rarely have a 'dental department' like that.

They sometimes have an Oral Surgery department, but they don't dirty their hands with mere toothaches!

Some cities have dental teaching hospitals, which may be worth a try, but take a good book if you're lucky enough to get through the door.

Some areas also have NHS dental access centres. These are basically toothache services, despite the fact they cost the taxpayer about £1m each, and are equiped to a very high standard with stuff that never comes out of the cupboard!

[Vashti]

No advice for you I'm afraid, just wanted to share that I had a similar problem when my NHS dentist decided to go private. Out of the blue, I just got a letter saying she was no longer available for NHS treatment, and as no other dentists in the practice were taking on new patients, my son and I were no longer registered with the practice . (Six months later I got another letter inviting me to attend the practice as a private patient.) I wasn't so bothered about me at that time, but my 12 year old son was at the start of extensive orthodontic treatment -so I rang round all the dentists in my area. (North East Scotland) I had no problem getting my son into a practice, but every single practice I phoned - and I went trough the whole phone book - told me they were not accepting adult NHS patients.

Unfortunately, I started a bad toothache just before a holiday, and I went as an emergency appointment to our local NHS dental service, called 'G-Dens', based at the local hospital. All they do is extractions or antibiotics - I took the antibiotics - and they told me to register with a dentist.

I have since found a private practice who charged me thirty pounds for a check up, x-rays were another forty. I have to have a root canal treatment which is costing three hundred and ninety pounds, and a replacement crown at another four hundred pounds.

[iceicebaby]

My dentist charges £12 for a check up and scrape and polish (NHS) you do have to go back for the scrape and polish but its all the one charge.

£39 for fillings , any number as long as they part of the same course of treatment and then £149 or something like that for crowns,

[Toothsmith]

It will be £15.50 for the exam/clean, £42.40 for the fillings etc, and £189 for the crowns/dentures.

Any different charge (Greater or lesser) is NOT an NHS charge.

[iceicebaby]

My dentist charges £12 for a check up and scrape and polish (NHS) you do have to go back for the scrape and polish but its all the one charge.

£39 for fillings , any number as long as they part of the same course of treatment and then £149 or something like that for crowns,



My dentist charges as above for NHS treatment. This is definate as I have just paid it and I am definately an NHS patient. I am in Wales if that makes any difference.

Edited to say...Unless the charges have gone up since March 19th when I had my last appointment?

[Toothsmith]

NHS charges in England & Wales have been as stated in my post since 1st April 2006.

If your dentist is charging exactly as you say, then something funny is going on somewhere.

My guess would be that he's fulfilling his NHS committment from the people who are exempt from patient charges, and just pocketing the patient charges he takes from patients who aren't exempt, instead of declaring them to the PCT.

By pitching them just below NHS charges, he's probably thought that it's unlikely he'll get any complaints.

These charges form part of the funding of NHS dentistry though, so by keeping them himself, he's not only defrauding the patients (Even though he's charging them less!) but he's robbing the pot of money that has been budgeted for NHS dentistry in general - thus speeding up the cash crisis it will inevitably face.

If you are 100% sure of your figures, and are 100% sure that you've been told he's doing 'NHS' dentistry for you - I would have a word with the PCT, as some scam or other is going on here.

The DoH patient information leaflet confirming the charges can be viewed HERE (http://www.primarycarecontracting.nhs.uk/uploads/Dentistry/march_uploads/mar_06_what_you_need_to_know_about_changes_to_nhs_ dentistry_in_england.pdf)

[iceicebaby]

Just been on the nhs wales website, charges in wales are as i said, see below .

I was charged 12 , as it says. My dentist is doing nothing wrong, seems that the charges are just different in wales.

Toothsmith.. the link to your info says England on it


the excerpt comes from this link www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/small/en/home/localservices/dentistsinformationandlinks/frequentlyaskedquestionsaboutdentists#NHS1bookmark


How much does NHS dental treatment cost?
From 1st April 2006 the existing range of NHS dental treatment costs will be replaced by a simplified system which groups treatments under one of three price bands. The following list which applies to Wales, includes examples of how the new bands relate to some common dental treatments, procedures and services;

Band 1 = £12
Examination, case assessment and report.
Advice, diagnosis and treatment planning.
X-rays and reports.
Instruction in the prevention of dental and oral disease including dietary advice and dental hygiene instruction.
Scaling, polishing and marginal correction of fillings.
Adjustments to and easing of dentures or orthodontic appliances.

Band 2 = £39
Permanent fillings.
Extraction of teeth.
Transplantation of teeth.
Oral surgery including surgical removal of cyst, buried root, unerupted tooth, impacted tooth.

Band 3 = £177
Crowns including any pin or post aids to retention.
Bridges including any pin or post aids to retention.
Full or partial dentures.
Orthodontic treatment and appliances.
Other custom made appliances excluding sports guards.

[Toothsmith]

Very sorry!

Yes - I remember now - Wales is a couple of quid cheaper to the english charges!

Scotland & Northern Ireland doesn't have this new contract yet, which is why I specified Wales and England - but you're right Wales is slightly cheaper!


Edit - I've just noticed you'd mentioned you're in Wales on your previous post - I'd missed that bit.

Had I seen it, I would have checked a bit deeper into the welsh situation before replying

[mioliere]

Phone NHS Direct 0845 46 47 or any local dentist and ask for the emergency dental helpline number. This helpline is for people who do not have their own dentist. I would advise saying that you are in pain even if you're not. They'll arrange an emergency appointment for you and the most you'll pay - unless you're on benefits when it will be free - will be £15.50. You could also ask them if they know who is taking on in your area. It's also worth asking local dentists if they have a waiting list.

[iceicebaby]

[QUOTE=Toothsmith;4764090]Very sorry!

Yes - I remember now - Wales is a couple of quid cheaper to the english charges!


Free prescriptions for us from tomorrow too! Bloody assembly that cost us loads of money are useful for something i suppose!

[iceicebaby]

[QUOTE=Toothsmith;4764090]

Yes - I remember now - Wales is a couple of quid cheaper to the english charges!


Free prescriptions for us from tomorrow too! Bloody assembly that cost us loads of money are useful for something i suppose!

[iceicebaby]

EEEP and im so excited about that I posted twice lol ;)

[LondonDiva]

Phone NHS Direct 0845 46 47 or any local dentist and ask for the emergency dental helpline number. This helpline is for people who do not have their own dentist. I would advise saying that you are in pain even if you're not. They'll arrange an emergency appointment for you and the most you'll pay - unless you're on benefits when it will be free - will be £15.50. You could also ask them if they know who is taking on in your area. It's also worth asking local dentists if they have a waiting list.

:eek::eek::eek: OR you could save emergency treatment and facilities for someone in real need and contact your local PCT and ask them to give you details of your local NHS dentists.

If there is a problem with any dentist, ring the PCT to help you sort it out. Much, much better to do things the straight forward way than abusing an emergency system and adding unneeded pressures. Emergency services should be for genuine need not because it's too much effort.

Sorry:o, but I really have problems with services being abused this way when there are alternatives for pretty much the same effort.

[mioliere]

I think everyone should have access to a dentist anyway regardless of whether or not they need emergency treatment. Millymoomoo, the poster with the dental problem, is much better off getting the problem treated now than waiting until it becomes a more serious emergency. As a former dental nurse, I lost count of the number of times my employer told a patient they should have sought treatment at the first sign of trouble instead of leaving it to become a much bigger problem and, in the long run, costing the NHS more in time and money. As most of us know, dentists are leaving the NHS at a rate of knots. The new contracts have seen to that - the PCTs are in charge of them - I'd love to meet someone who's PCT actually successfully found them a dentist. Most NHS dentists are not taking on although the new contract states that they should always be registering and they are not supposed to have waiting lists, either. Where does that leave people who cannot afford private treatment and cannot find an NHS dentist willing - as their contract says they should - to take them on?

[LondonDiva]

the majority of London.

PCTs will only sort out problems with individual dentists not complying if they are aware of it.

Practices are suppossed to have waiting lists, if they are spreading out their UDAs or running low. It's part of the new contract good practice and can be part of practice visits.:)

[mioliere]

How many people not connected with the dental profession will know that their local PCT is supposed to 'sort out problems with individual dentists not complying if they are aware of it'? You would need to be aware of that to be able to approach the PCT in the first place! My employer was told not to have a waiting list and the main reason for that is that the Government do not want the embarrassment of long queues outside any dentist who advertises that he is taking patients on but where is the consideration for anyone with dental problems and nowhere to turn to for help? I only left the profession very recently because the contract had had such a detrimental effect on the surgery in which I worked and on the staff. My employer had stopped taking on completely by August - only four months after the start of the all-singing all-dancing contract which was supposed to have increased access to NHS dentists and, in fact, on the days I was not nursing but on reception, I would register people even though we had been told we were unable to take on any more. I would always do this in the case of children in pain. How could anyone stand by and watch a child suffer toothache? Most of the other local dentists have closed their lists - any that said they were taking on would restrict their list by postcode. How on earth is that supposed to help someone like Millymoomoo? How long ago did Tony Blair promise 'everyone would have access to an NHS dentist within two years'? Due to his Government's policies that will never happen and many people are being left to suffer. If Millymoomoo can find a way to avoid more pain by seeing a dentist at the first sign of trouble instead of waiting until it gets worse, she will save the NHS time and money.

[LondonDiva]

Most people know about the 'health authority' which is inevitably the PCT.

Waiting list is not queues outside the dentist. If practices are not taking on when they've agreed to a contract, restricting by postcode isthey are breeching it. Itr would be better if more dentists refused to sign the contract, than signed it and operated it with dodges and slight of hand and in a half @rsed manner which helps no one.

[mioliere]

Believe you me, practically all the NHS dentists in my locality and, incidentally, in Wiltshire where I have been trying to find a dentist for someone who lives there, are breaching the contract. My employer was one of the dentists who signed his contract 'in dispute' which, apparently, at the time of signing, meant the PCT would come back to him having resolved the things he was disputing. This hasn't happened; he, like so many others, has closed his 'list' (after just FOUR months!) and, obviously, anyone in pain or even worried about a dental problem, will just have to put up with it as far as I can see.

A waiting list IS a queue outside the dentist if there is a waiting list to get on the waiting list! A lot of dentists here will open their lists for 'one day only' so there is a local panic, as soon as word gets round, to get on the list and - there you have it - a queue! I've seen it with my own eyes. Incidentally, about seven/eight months ago, our local Emergency Dental Helpline told us that they included in their list of emergencies, a crown that had come off, whether or not there was any pain. That did not used to warrant an emergency appointment and I wouldn't consider it an emergency now. Millymoomoo has a genuine dental problem (well, with any luck, she might have had it treated by now) which, if left, will result in pain. I would rather see her treated than someone who has just lost a crown!

[Toothsmith]

I only left the profession very recently because the contract had had such a detrimental effect on the surgery in which I worked and on the staff. My employer had stopped taking on completely by August - only four months after the start of the all-singing all-dancing contract which was supposed to have increased access to NHS dentists and, in fact, on the days I was not nursing but on reception, I would register people even though we had been told we were unable to take on any more. I would always do this in the case of children in pain. How could anyone stand by and watch a child suffer toothache?

You cannot solve all the problems of the world by yourself.

You cannot committ your boss to solve them either.

If you were a memeber of my staff and did this, I would have to show you the door.

Would you give away food if you worked at Tesco?

Your boss was not responsible for feeding the kids a diet that rotted their teeth. You should not committ him to putting it right when the powers that be aren't prepared to pay the costs of putting it right.

Did you and the other staff work for free whenever you saw all your 'extras' and did you all have a whip round to pay for the materials used?

As a dentist who didn't sign the contract, it is my position as well that if more hadn't signed it then the Government would have been forced into coming up with something more workable.

Your boss obviously felt that he had to sign it, and then had to find a way of working it so he didn't go bust.

Maybe you would have preferred it had he not signed it and you'd had to charge everybody (including children) for the full cost of the treatment they had?

[Toothsmith]

It would be better if more dentists refused to sign the contract, than signed it and operated it with dodges and slight of hand and in a half @rsed manner which helps no one.

Amen to that!

[mioliere]

That still does not solve the problem for people who need a dentist and can't get one when our Prime Minister promised that 'everyone would have access to an NHS dentist within two years'. What happened to that? Besides taking very desperate people on, I also had to turn many away and I hated that with all my heart. Believe you me, I have worked many many hours for nothing in the practice. NHS dentists are not exactly forthcoming about paying overtime and I was too conscientious to leave dead on 6.00 p.m when someone was still in the chair! As far as I am concerned, my employer should have been taking on patients consistently as per the contract he signed - it is not my fault that he agreed to take on then decided not to. Remember the mantra 'everyone will have access to an NHS dentist within two years'. And, for what it's worth, I left the practice because I could not reconcile how it was being run with how many people desperately needed a dentist and were being turned away. It is not fair and I could not stay and watch it happen. He tried very hard to keep me on but my conscience would not let me. He knew exactly why I was leaving. I think people should come first - after all, we all pay for these services that we currently struggle to get. As I keep having to point out, Millymoomoo would still end up having to use the NHS to put the matter right - far better to do it when the problem has just started than to wait and use even more NHS resources when it becomes worse.

[ASG]

Sorry to hijack, but how do I find a private dentist as there doesn't seem to be an NHS dentist available in my area?

[mioliere]

Phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or, alternatively, you should be able to find private dentists listed in Yellow Pages. You could also look on your PCT (the local health authority) website and I have just looked on ask.com and you can search www.bda-findadentist.org.uk - you just type in your post code and a local list will come up. Good luck!

[Toothsmith]

Sorry to hijack, but how do I find a private dentist as there doesn't seem to be an NHS dentist available in my area?

The very best way to find a good private dentist is to go by recommendation.

Ask friends/family/workmates who they go to and why they go there (If the answer is "because it's cheap" then it may be worth asking someone else, unless this is number one priority for you).

If there really is no-one you can ask, or if you get a choice of a few, then visiting a few practices might not be a bad idea.

Either with you list of recommendations, or with a list of fairly close places from the Yellow Pages, ring round and get basic information.

Are they taking on patients?
What are the practice hours?
How much is the initial appointment? And does that include any X-Rays?
What payment methods are available?
Can they send you a practice leaflet with a price guide/list?
Would they mind if you called in for a look round?

This last question can give a big indication of the level of service available at the practice.

If the answer is a very cheery "That's no problem at all - I'll show you round whenever you like" then it's likely to be a very good practice with good customer service.

I would always recommend visiting a practice before committing yourself to an appointment.

Some places can have very nice glossy adverts, but when you get there, you find a scruffy run down waiting room with a battered copy of 'Punch' from 1952! Yet the fees are right up to date!

This is because it is the advertising budget that your fees are paying.

Far better to go for the little one line entry in the phone book that spends it's fees on patient care.

Although sometimes, the little one line entries are the practices that can't be @rsed to do anything!!

A visit before committing your teeth is very important!

With a bit of work beforehand, I'm sure you'll find an excellent dentist, with fees that will suit you and a level of care that will keep your teeth in good order for years to come!

Good luck!

[catowen]

We need to find an NHS dentist (myself and 2 children, we also have an exemption certificate) but we cannot find one at all. Looked on that website, and all dentists in our area, even the Plymouth teaching hospital practices are not taking on any new NHS patients, fee paying or otherwise!!!!

[sam151266]

I have the same problem,(my dog knocked my front tooth out, the other 1 is loose, infact out of the 16 teeth I have,1 loose, 6 are filled 3 need fillings 4 are crowns, 2 are ok.) there is no Nhs dentist in my area. I have rang Nhs direct, they couldnt help me. In the end I went to my doctors because I am plagued with infections and begged him for a referral to harrogate hospital dentistry dept I have a dentist phobio and wanted all my teeth taken out and replaced with falsies. I am only 40 and this is a bad state to be in. I am depressed darent smile at anyone, in fact I avoid going out. Here is a quote from the letter I received,
Thank you for referring this patient for a dental clearance. I note that she is unable to find an NHS dentist in Ripon. Before I see this patient, it is imperative that she is assessed in the correct setting which would be within the primary care sector and she should see a dentist. I am therefore, not accepting this referral.
I have tried every avenue that I can think of and I am even more p****d off now, sick of crying in fact.

Regards,
Sam

[Toothsmith]

Harrogate has an oral surgery department, not a 'dentistry' department.

They could do the G.A. extractions if they considered it appropriate, but they don't then provide a denture.

The Oral surgeon did exactly the right thing. Unless you have a dentist to make the dentures afterwards, there is no way that the treatment can be completed.

I think your main problem is your phobia.

Have you been in touch with North Yorkshire PCT? What was their response?

[mioliere]

You should get in touch with your PCT (the Primary Care Trust -the local health authority) and ask them what you can do. According to the new dental contract which came into force last April, NHS dentists are supposed to be taking on patients consistently so ask the PCT to find you one. If they do not help - even though they should - you should keep trying the local dentists; it's worth phoning various NHS dentists once a week - I know it's time consuming - but, with any luck, you'll find one that happens to have a few spaces on their list. When I was a dental nurse, every so often we would open up our lists because some patients had left the practice for one reason or another. Good luck - I hope you find one soon! No-one should have to go without proper dental treatment considering we are supposed to be the fourth largest economy in the world.

[sam151266]

Thanks for your replies I will get in touch with the PCT.

[sam151266]

I have just sent an email to the PCT told them everthing. I will let you know what happens. Thanks for your support.

[LondonDiva]

We need to find an NHS dentist (myself and 2 children, we also have an exemption certificate) but we cannot find one at all. Looked on that website, and all dentists in our area, even the Plymouth teaching hospital practices are not taking on any new NHS patients, fee paying or otherwise!!!!
outside M25 Geography is not one of my strong points, so not sure if you are in plymouth http://www.plymouth-pct.nhs.uk/, torbay http://www.torbaycaretrust.nhs.uk/ or Teignbridge http://www.devonpct.nhs.uk/

If it's Plymouth there seems to be a shortage (info not updated since Jan last year though) and they have a contact:

The PCT runs a service for patients who do not have a regular dentist and are in pain at the Dental Access Centre, 1a Baring Street, Plymouth. PL4 8NF. Appointments can be made by telephoning 0845 155 8070.

People wishing to be placed on the PCTs dental database for patients wanting to access an NHS dentist should write to the following FREEPOST address giving their name, address and postcode, daytime telephone number and date of birth:

Plymouth PCT
FREEPOST
NAT 22278
Plymouth
PL6 5ZQ

Plymouth PCT will write to you when a place with an NHS dentist becomes available. We are unable to give you an exact timescale as to when this will be but it is hoped that places will be allocated within the next 12 months. All places will be allocated through the PCT on a first come, first served basis.

Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) details fo rthe PCT is: 01752 211818

You can also do a search on http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/NearestSearch.aspx with your postcode and ring the practices identified. Bear in mind that they may not have updated the list either side so ring the PCT there are any problems.

[Toothsmith]

I have just sent an email to the PCT told them everthing. I will let you know what happens. Thanks for your support.

A good first step, but bear in mind it's Easter, and answering emails may not be the top priority at the moment!

Ringing them up might have been a better idea, but it's often the behaviour of the phobic - either consciously or unconciously - to go for the option that is least likely to get a response.

If you've not heard from them by the middle of next week, then get on the phone.

Don't be tempted to talk yourself into the idea that "I contacted the PCT but they couldn't help me" just because they didn't reply to your email.

Good luck.

[catowen]

Thank you, LondonDiva - yes we are in Plymouth area, so i will def be writing to them.

[LondonDiva]

Thank you, LondonDiva - yes we are in Plymouth area, so i will def be writing to them.

Give their PALS or the dental team a call on the above numbers and see what the situation is like now... you may want to gently ask them to update the website with any new info.

[buddingdentist]

For anyone in the Plymouth area without a dentist.... The Peninsula Medical School is starting up a dental school in September this year. Once the students there progress to treating patients themselves there should be opportunity for NHS treatment from them. It will develop more from around this time next year onwards so keep it in mind!

[mioliere]

Just thought I'd let everyone know that, apparently, NHS charges for dental treatment will go up by 3% in April! Let's hope it provides some more dentists for those who still can't get one!

[Toothsmith]

How will it do that?

[mioliere]

More money in the kitty I hope! I read on here yesterday - from buddingdentist - that there is a new dental school opening in Plymouth. We have one in my area that opened a couple of years ago.

[Toothsmith]

The charges going up just affect what people pay.

That money goes straight back to the PCTs who take it off the dentist's monthly NHS cheque.

Even if it did mean more money in the kitty, 3% is hardly going to solve all the ills of NHS dentistry.

Especially when cost increases in Dental practices has been running at between 5 and 7% each year for the last 10 years.

A 3 % increase is still a 2-4% CUT in real terms!

[Let's Bite Back]

Hi,

I understand your problem of not being able to find a NHS dentist - it is a common one.

Access to a NHS dentist is absolutely appalling for anyone living in the Rotherham area. One year after the introduction of the new dental contract all dentists in the area still have closed books.

I invite you to sign my online petition sent to the Prime Minister via the 10 Downing Street website. The process is quite simple using the link below:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Dentistry-NHS/

If you are interested yourself, perhaps you will know other people who have been affected by the problems and might also be interested in adding their names to my petition.

Thank you in advance for taking a little of your time to consider this matter.

[rubberjonnie]

I have recently undergone some pretty tough cosmetic dentistry as although always having soft teeth the crowns i had gave up the ghost. After 1 year of torture I have now been presented with the bill for in excess of £14,000 yes that right..!

This is more than 100% of the original quote and the dentist concerned is palming me off saying well the initial figure was only a quote.

Has anybody got any advice on how i should complain about this astro bill or any previous sucess stories.

Thanx
Pennyless in Oxford.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[rubberjonnie]

I have recently undergone some pretty tough cosmetic dentistry as although always having soft teeth the crowns i had gave up the ghost. After 1 year of torture I have now been presented with the bill for in excess of £14,000 yes that right..!

This is more than 100% of the original quote and the dentist concerned is palming me off saying well the initial figure was only a quote.

Has anybody got any advice on how i should complain about this astro bill or any previous sucess stories.

Thanx
Pennyless in Oxford.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Toothsmith]

Often when I hear stories like this, it often boils down to a breakdown in communication between dentist and patient.

So - bearing in mind there will be the dentist's side to this story as well, I have the following comments.

1. I would NEVER let a patient be £14 000 in debt to me. It's simply too much money to trust to the patient's goodwill. Have you not paid anything as you went along? I generally get the patient to pay for treatment as we go along, that way, the patient gets a better idea of what each and every treatment item has cost.

2. Written 'quotes'.

You can never be sure that a treatment plan is going to go exactly to plan. In fact they very rarely do. It's a bit like renovating an old building - you peel off one layer to find loads more problems underneath. Occasionally, you have no choice but to do something different there and then (You can't let the patient walk out with a half finished job), and explain the differences in cost afterwards.

Over the time span of a year though, you really should have been kept up to date with the way the work was progressing and the extra costs that were adding up.

3. Complaining.

The first port of call should be the practice's own complaint proceedure. Write down your complaint, and back it up with the factual evidence you have. Do you have any written signed estimates or was it all verbal? If it was all verbal, then it could well be that the dentist is on a sticky wicket. He really should have everything down in writing if he is to mount a defence against your claims.

Don't dismiss the practice's own complaints proceedure. It won't automatically find in the dentist's favour.

Dentists rely on goodwill and recommendation from existing patients in order to get new patients. Having a patient out ther who is unhappy and telling other people will not do the practice any good in the long run.

If you can politly but assertively put your side of the story, then maybe some arrangement could be reached.

You don't say if you're happy with the work or not. If you are, I would suggest that the best person to care for it in the future would be the dentist who did it. It would be sad to loose the services of a dentist you like because of a dispute that might have been settled if you just talked openly and honestly between you.

I take it that you would have been happy to have paid the £7000 of the original estimate? Maybe if the dentist explained the difficulties and changes that had to be made to the treatment plan, you would go some way towards paying the extra, with him reducing the bill somewhat to account for the fact that he didn't keep you fully informed of the changes?

Certainly worth a try.

It might be worth putting down in the letter what you would consider to be a satisfactory outcome as well.

If you write a letter of complaint, then the dentist should acknowledge it's receipt within a few days, and give you a fuller response (and hopefully some offer of compromise) within a couple of weeks.

At the end of the letter should be a list of other organisations you can contact if you are not satisfied. One of those organisations should be the General Dental Council, who have recently started a private practice complaints handling proceedure. This would be the way I would recommend you to go if you get no satisfaction from the practice itself.

With a bit of give and take on both sides though, I doubt you will need to go much further.

[sistersis]

I had a bridge at the bottom right hand side and one of the teeth cracked.
My dentist took this out and has fitted me with dentures!!
I was so shocked as I didn't realise I was going to have thse.
Anyway I went home with them and found that I just could not have this grat big gum shie/plate thing in my mouth so went back and told hom.
He then made this smaller and am gong to pick it up this week.
My first question is do I actually need them as I have teeth at the top but he did say that these would eventually grow down to meet the gum at the bottom as there is nothing there to bite on!
How long would that take and if I could have inplants how much would this cost.
I have heard you can go abroad but what do other people feel about this.
I have 3 children so im not rich but would like to be confident when tallkkng and smiling
Any help would be gladly received

[~Chameleon~]

I desparately need to see a dentist as the majority of my back teeth are either cracked or broken, some almost down to nothing but the root, but have been unable to find an NHS dentist to take me on for over 5 years now :mad:

A few months ago I saw a dentist advertising in the local paper that they were taking on NHS patients so I called them and they asked me to call in and pick up an application form, which I did the very next day, only to be told that I then needed to call a mobile phone number (between 5-6pm on a Wednesday) to make an appointment and to bring in the completed application form.

I tried to call this number numerous times, for several weeks, only to find the mobile phone was actually switched off, and calling the surgery itself was no use as they said I need to call this mobile number!

Is this normal practice?

I've now found the surgery has closed it's list again but I wonder whether they actually did take on any patients!!! :mad:

[Toothsmith]

I had a bridge at the bottom right hand side and one of the teeth cracked.
My dentist took this out and has fitted me with dentures!!
I was so shocked as I didn't realise I was going to have thse.
Anyway I went home with them and found that I just could not have this grat big gum shie/plate thing in my mouth so went back and told hom.
He then made this smaller and am gong to pick it up this week.
My first question is do I actually need them as I have teeth at the top but he did say that these would eventually grow down to meet the gum at the bottom as there is nothing there to bite on!
How long would that take and if I could have inplants how much would this cost.
I have heard you can go abroad but what do other people feel about this.
I have 3 children so im not rich but would like to be confident when tallkkng and smiling
Any help would be gladly received

Your dentist shouldn't do anything without your 'informed consent'. You should always know exactly what treatment you are having.

Unfortunately, NHS dentistry generally has to be provided at 100mph and little details do get left by the wayside.

Implants generally work out at about £2000 per tooth. Yes you can get them done abroad - but this is quite involved surgery we are talking about here, and like anything when dealing with people, it doesn't go 100% right 100% of the time. Not in any country. And who would look after it when it's done? The 100mph NHS dentist? Regular trips back to the original country? A private dentist in this country may not wish to take over the responsibility for it - especially if it's an implant system no popular or licensed in this country.

Going abroad may cause more problems than it solves.

I would find a dentist in this country that you are happy with and talk about all the possible treatment options available to you.

[Toothsmith]

I desparately need to see a dentist as the majority of my back teeth are either cracked or broken, some almost down to nothing but the root, but have been unable to find an NHS dentist to take me on for over 5 years now :mad:

A few months ago I saw a dentist advertising in the local paper that they were taking on NHS patients so I called them and they asked me to call in and pick up an application form, which I did the very next day, only to be told that I then needed to call a mobile phone number (between 5-6pm on a Wednesday) to make an appointment and to bring in the completed application form.

I tried to call this number numerous times, for several weeks, only to find the mobile phone was actually switched off, and calling the surgery itself was no use as they said I need to call this mobile number!

Is this normal practice?

I've now found the surgery has closed it's list again but I wonder whether they actually did take on any patients!!! :mad:

PCTs are in fear of the wrath of Downing Street if a 'queue' for a dentist appears on their patch.

Therefore they do whatever they can to prevent loads of patients turning up at dental practices to sign on!

It does get quite ridiculous at times.

The dentist is probably fed up of the beaurocratic control the PCT has over who and who can't come and see him (After all, it is his business, and it's his name on the bank loans!) and so set up that little mobile phone dodge.

The best way to get on the list of an NHS dentist is to go via the PCT.

Ring up your local PCT and ask where you can get NHS dentistry.

Alternatively, look around the private sector. There are dental practices operating at all sorts of price points. Some not that much more than NHS prices.

Worth looking around, and having a direct relationship with the service provider rather than all this secret squirrel boll*cks!