Dentist charges help

sopplayer · 10 September 2007 at 10:49AM

Hi I wondered if anyone could give me some advise on the following.

I have been going to the dentist regulary since I was a child and the surgery I have used has seen various dentist come and go thoughout the years.

At my last appointment the surgery has changed again, this now incorporates a few dentists (there has only been 1 previous to this) plus hygenists and therapists.

At my visit I was told that I had a fair bit of scale build up mostly on my back teeth and was told that a few visits would be needed (another 2 x half hr visits). So she descaled my bottom back teeth and it was horrific it hurt like hell,bled and my gums swelled up in the following couple of days.

I told her at the time of my discomfort and she said that next time she would numb the area.

Well after getting myself all wound up for my visit again this morning off I went (shaking like a leaf).

Now she numbed my top gums and started work (had to appply more numbing stuff cos I still felt pain). She was very nice and understanding and I got through it.

When I got to the receptionist she told me I needed to pay another £27 odd for the treatment, I was under the understanding (after reading an NHS leaflet on dental charges) that you paid for band 1 course of treatment (£15.90) which included examination,diagnosis,advise and scale and polish if needed.

I asked the receptionist if she could explain and she produced the same NHS leaflet and said "oh it doesnt say in here but its because you have to have more visits".

Can anyone offer any advise on whether I should be paying more than a band 1 course of treatment.

Thanks in advance

Toothsmith · 10 September 2007 at 12:51PM

This seems right - and very good practice.

One 'clean and polish' is included in the Band 1 charge, but multiple visit 'treatment of gum problems' is a Band 2 £43 odd. If you'd already paid the £15.60 Band 1, they are right to charge you the extra.

There are many places out there who would have told you that this could only be done privately, or even charged you the £43 on top of the 15.60.

This sounds like a good thorough practice.

sopplayer · 10 September 2007 at 1:09PM

Toothsmith wrote: »

This seems right - and very good practice.

One 'clean and polish' is included in the Band 1 charge, but multiple visit 'treatment of gum problems' is a Band 2 £43 odd. If you'd already paid the £15.60 Band 1, they are right to charge you the extra.

There are many places out there who would have told you that this could only be done privately, or even charged you the £43 on top of the 15.60.

This sounds like a good thorough practice.

Thanks for the reply.

Is a 'clean' the same as a 'scale', and does 'treatment of gum problems' mean descaling?

I'm just trying to understand the charges as I cant seem to find a definition of charges anywhere.

Toothsmith · 10 September 2007 at 1:53PM

A clean & polish is the same as a scale and polish.

The defenition is a bit woolly between a simple clean, and more advanced gum treatment, but then ptients don't always follow hard and fast rules either.

You could get a fair bit done on one patient in a simple single visit. Another patient may take several visits just to clean off a relatively small amount of gunge.

It's really up to the dentist to decide which category the patient falls into, but as a rule of thumb, multiple visits will fall into the higher category.

sopplayer · 10 September 2007 at 2:36PM

Toothsmith wrote: »

A clean & polish is the same as a scale and polish.

The defenition is a bit woolly between a simple clean, and more advanced gum treatment, but then ptients don't always follow hard and fast rules either.

You could get a fair bit done on one patient in a simple single visit. Another patient may take several visits just to clean off a relatively small amount of gunge.

It's really up to the dentist to decide which category the patient falls into, but as a rule of thumb, multiple visits will fall into the higher category.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, its just that in the leaflet they gave me is says 'All charges apply to an overall course of treatment,and not the individual items within the course of the treatment. You will only have to pay one charge for each course of treatment-even if you need to visit your dentist more than once to finish it'

And just wondered why this wasn't treated under band 1 scaling.

Also it says on the NHS website that I should have been given a form if I was gonna be charged for band 2 and informed as such, which i wasn't.

Toothsmith · 10 September 2007 at 4:17PM

I'm not 100% sure of all the NHS regulations and paperwork as I don't do any NHS stuff now.

On the old NHS contract though, it was in the regulations that dentists should give out full treatment plan forms to any patient requiring more than an examination and a clean. Whether they had to pay NHS charges or not.

Frankly, there is not enough time in the day to run an NHS practice, see all the patients you have to see, and fill in every single form that the regulations say you should.

I would content yourself with the fact you have a good NHS practice, operating within the regulations, AND looking out for all the work you need rather than glossing over the less obvious bits.

sopplayer · 10 September 2007 at 4:27PM

Thanks,

Don't get me wrong I am happy with the treatment I am receiving even now as the numbness has gone and its very sore, and I am more than happy to pay what I owe, it just seems to contradict what the NHS says I should be charged.

just found a link to the leaflet.......

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073216

Toothsmith · 10 September 2007 at 5:12PM

I am the first one to leap up and down if someone comes on and a dentist has acted incorrectly - particularly with the new NHS contract, which I think is horrible and completely unworkable.

But - in this case your dentist is right - although the actual letter of what he's saying isn't in the leaflet. That's more the error of the leaflet than the dentist.

If you ring your local PCT, and ask to speak to someone in the dental department, I'm sure they'll confirm this for you.

LondonDiva · 10 September 2007 at 5:43PM

2nd what toothsmith says.

It looks like you were charged band 2 fee, which implies that your theeth had more than simple work carried out.

You shouldn't have been given a form for band 2 work, but you should have been given a treatment plan for any work carried out. However, in routine cleaning etc, that is very rarely given and it's complex things like root canals etc that the plan is provided.

if you want a treatment plan, ask for one before hand or even just call and ask tomorrow.

Diva

sopplayer · 10 September 2007 at 5:59PM

Thanks, I was told today that the work needed doing but it could wait 12 months or so,and didnt need doing all at once, I just feel that this could have been pointed out prior to them organising me more appointments as I suspect it could have been done gradually under my 6 month visits.

Toothsmith · 10 September 2007 at 7:31PM

If you have a gum problem, it needs sorting out just like a cavity does.

You can't give the teeth a good thorough clean a little bit at a time.

The idea is to reduce the amount of bugs living in and around your gums, so that inflammation and irritation decreases, and your gums become less swollen, bleed less, and generally improve the health of your mouth.

If you only clean the teeth a little bit each time, you don't make any significant effect on the amount of bacteria in your mouth, and everything just carries on slowly getting worse.

The work could wait a while if things aren't too bad, but I don't understand the bit about doing it gradually - this seems more like what previous dentists have been doing for you - just a mild clean up each time you go. If there is a problem brewing, this sort of approach doesn't get to grips with it.

Who was it who told you? The dentist, or someone else?

Dentist charges help

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