Do they unemployed get free dental care ?

ash213 · 18 September 2008 at 12:40PM

Currently unemployed, have been for 3 weeks.

Went to the doctors the other day for prescription and managed to get it free due to 'signing on'

Just wondered if its similar with dentists, am i entitled to a discount or free dentist check up ? Havent been for a few years and might aswell make an appointment whilst im out of work.

Thanks

Trix · 18 September 2008 at 12:43PM

From HERE:

While you are claiming Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance, you will also be eligible for the following benefits:

Free NHS Prescriptions
Free NHS dental treatment
Free NHS sight tests
Vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses

You will also be able to reclaim the cost of travelling to and from hospital for necessary NHS treatment, should you need it.

ash213 · 18 September 2008 at 12:53PM

Trix wrote: »

From HERE:

cheers:p:p:p

Trix · 18 September 2008 at 12:57PM

Who you sticking your tongue out at?

Hope you manage to find a dentist that will take on a new NHS patient (some areas are worse than others) And sorry to hear you're newly out of work - hope it's not for too long

alison999 · 18 September 2008 at 1:14PM

only on the NHS. If your dentist is private, you will still have to pay.

dag_2 · 18 September 2008 at 4:01PM

I have a question about this. A dental practice which I registered with, thinking it was an NHS practice, turns out to be a mixed NHS and private practice. Some time ago I was unemployed and on income-based Jobseekers, and I had a check-up. That was free on the NHS. However, I had to make a separate appointment for a hygienist clean, which wasn't available on the NHS, and which I had to pay £45-ish for.

This surprised me, because before I moved house, check-ups and hygienist cleans had always been performed in the same appointment; indeed, I'd never have to ask separately for a hygienist clean; whenever I made an appointment for a check-up, it was always assumed that a hygienist clean would occur during the same appointment.

This practice that I registered with after moving house was the first dental practice I had been with where you had to have two separate appointments.

Does anyone know what's going on with this? Thanks.

dmg24 · 18 September 2008 at 4:18PM

ash213, you can only get free prescriptions and other NHS treatment if you are on income based JSA. If you claim to be exempt and are not, you are opening yourself up to a fine and/ or criminal charges for fraud.

dag, my dentist also operates on this basis, that the hygienist is private only. You should have been informed of this before you saw them?

dag_2 · 18 September 2008 at 5:23PM

Thanks for that dmg, it's possible that they may have informed me, but that I didn't really fully understand the consequences of what they were telling me. I'm actually quite pleased with the practice, because they did manage to charge to the NHS some dental repair work that dentists from my previous practices had considered cosmetic.

Still, I'm not unemployed anymore, and anyway, I've had an inheritance since then which completely disqualifies me from any means-tested benefits. How much does it cost on the NHS for a hygienist clean anyway, does anyone know? Or a combined check-up and hygienist clean? Thanks.

alison999 · 18 September 2008 at 7:25PM

dag wrote: »

Thanks for that dmg, it's possible that they may have informed me, but that I didn't really fully understand the consequences of what they were telling me. .

??? i dont understand this at all.... how could you not understand that you had to pay for the hygienist, that it was seperate from the NHS if you normally get NHS work free?

Its £16.20 for a scale and polish if done at the same time as a exam, you just pay the £16.20 once on the NHS.

Do they unemployed get free dental care ?

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