Nhs dental scale & polish/checkup

NurseMoneySaver1122 · 4 October 2011 at 5:14PM

I'm wondering if anyone can help.

My last visit to the dentist was about 4 years ago (eeeekkkk) where I had an Inlay and a scale and polish on the NHS...I have a huuuuuuge fear of any kind of dental treatment! Unsuprisingly, I now have quite a bad build up of calculus on the back of my bottom teeth. So I wanted to get a scale and polish with an NHS dentist.

So I called the dentist where I had my last visit (who are private and NHS) and explained this to her. She stated I would receive a scale and polish as part of my check up (which of course fits into NHS Band 1 course of treatment @ £17). However, she then explained that the dentist may send me for a hygiene clean if needed, which would cost £44 as it's private. She went on to say I would still get a scale and polish as part of my check up, but that the dentist may decide to additionally send me for the hygiene clean.

I asked her the difference between a scale and polish and a hygiene clean, and she replied, and I quote..."It's more advanced 'coz it deals with veins and stuff". Thats explains it! I'm totally confused :huh:

Firstly, what is the difference between a scale and polish and a hygiene clean? (apart from "dealing with veins and stuff"):rotfl:I mean, why would I pay BAND 1 NHS, for them to send me private anyway where I have to pay again. Surely in that case, it makes sense for me to just go private in the first place, no??

Secondly, are dentists really allowed to do this. It appears to be the 'common dodge on the new NHS contract' discussed in a similar MSE forum, where somene says.....

"This is a common dodge on the new NHS contract, as dentists get paid a fixed amount for an open ended amount of work. Which is completely unsustainable. Rather than just not signing the contract and going private though, some dentists stayed with the NHS, but now try to limit what a patient is entitled to in a way that is totally against the document that they have signed. If you are an NHS patient, and you NEED some treatment, you are entitled to it on the NHS".

I just want to know if I'm being 'tricked' so to speak or whether this is just the way things are

Thanks all!

McKneff · 4 October 2011 at 5:18PM

I suppose you could liken it to a lick and a promise HNS and a deep clean Private. To put it simply and no offence to any of the dentists on here.

Dont know where the 'veins' things come in to be honest.

Happytogetdebtfree · 4 October 2011 at 5:41PM

Hi band 1 sounds right at £17, the only thing is my oh is back again in 3 months but that will coincide with our checkup so again only 17, i would maybe ring up again and clarify and get booked in

x

Koicarp · 4 October 2011 at 5:46PM

Your NHS Dentist cannot SEND you for private treatment, but he can ADVISE you to go for treatment, you can then either follow the advice or choose not to do so.

McKneff · 4 October 2011 at 6:04PM

Happytogetdebtfree wrote: »

Hi band 1 sounds right at £17, the only thing is my oh is back again in 3 months but that will coincide with our checkup so again only 17, i would maybe ring up again and clarify and get booked in x

If he finds you need a filling(s) or any treatment like you go up into the next band, I think its about £47 then.

NurseMoneySaver1122 · 5 October 2011 at 1:48PM

McKneff wrote: »

I suppose you could liken it to a lick and a promise HNS and a deep clean Private. To put it simply and no offence to any of the dentists on here.

Dont know where the 'veins' things come in to be honest.

Thankyou for your reply.

I'm just trying to understand the point really...I mean for me to pay my NHS dentist £17 for the check up and scale,polish etc and then be sent for the hygiene clean to pay another £44.

Surely I should just go straight for the hygiene clean and end up with a £44 bill, as opposed to additional £17?

robsmum_2 · 5 October 2011 at 2:00PM

As I understand it a scale and a polish is on the surface of the teeth and a hygenist clean is to get all the bits from under the gum edge.
Hygenists are employed privately by NHS dentists and can charge what they like for their services.
I had a similar problem and changed my dentist to one who doesn't have a hygenist and all work is done on the NHS.

kdenty · 5 October 2011 at 2:10PM

The NHS will only pay for treatment to make you 'dentally healthy' not 'cosmetically beautiful' so a scale and polish can be done if your gums are in poor health to remove plaque under band 1 (£17)

However if you smoke and drink tea and just have stains then that is cosmetic and not available NHS. Hence why you might see a hygienist.

I don't know anything about veins being cleaned???

Some dentist would rather the hygienst do the more intense cleaning if your gums are very bad. Think of the hygienst as a fully trained gum cleaning expert. A bit like seeing your doctor for a general health problem but being refered to a specialist for something more specific. Unfortunately £17 to see a specialist hardly covers the surgery costs!!!! Hence the private charge. The NHS wont fund the specialist treatment properly.

A hygienst can only work under the instruction of a dentist (a dentist must diagnose the problem and then send a referral to the hygienist). Hence you can't just see the hygienist. That is down to the law not the hygienist or dentist at the surgery! It's not a trick!!

The hyginist I work with has a 'prophyjet' machine (think sandblaster but with dental polish - it leaves your teeth feeling very clean and white, its much better at removing stains than the dentist can do with one of those little rotating brushes and some gritty toothpaste) and some better tools for cleaning your teeth more efficiently. She gets more time with the patients than the dentists do for a check up (with clean)

kerrirobberts · 5 October 2011 at 2:31PM

Last month I was wondering about the whole scale & polish vs hygenist conundrum. My dentist gave me a routine check up and told me I needed to go to the hygenist and that would be an extra £65 on top of the £17 I'd just paid him.

I checked the nhs choices website and it said I could have a scale and polish included with my £17. I called them up and they then said that the dentist could do that for me. It involved him running a tool down each side of my tooth to pull out the tartar (mineral build up), then he used a bit of paste and rotating brush type tool to shine my teeth up. It wasn't painful although it did make my gums bleed a little bit. I'd never had one done before, nor knew I could have one.

The hygenist, so my OH says, will use the first tool to go under the gums and scrape away any tartar (mineral) build up. It's a lot more thorough and I intend on going to the hygenist when I can afford it, but then I will just keep up with brushing regularly and getting a checkup + scale & polish from the dentist every 6 months.

Aytoun27 · 5 October 2011 at 4:19PM

Koicarp wrote: »

Your NHS Dentist cannot SEND you for private treatment, but he can ADVISE you to go for treatment, you can then either follow the advice or choose not to do so.

Koicarp's quite right about this. For a long time my dentist insisted that NHS patients see the private hygenist after their check-up and before he would undertake any treatment. He also refused to do a scale & polish on NHS patients, most didn't realise they were entitled to it anyway. Then someone complained to the PCT, who gave him a rap over the knuckles. He now advises NHS patients to see the hygenist, but states that he can't insist and offers a scale & polish. So it is worth complaining if your NHS dentist insists that you have private treatment.

gracesophia · 5 October 2011 at 11:09PM

NHS dentists are required to do a check up and give you a scale and polish as part of one appointment at the basic rate, but they often try and scam you and make you come back for a separate appointment with a hygienist. You just need to stand up to them and say that you want it all in one go (but I know that's easier said than done - I'm lucky to have finally found a good dentist!)

Nhs dental scale & polish/checkup

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