Asked for Dental NHS Scale and Polish.Told "Go to Hygienist at £25 extra"

joewa

Bozzer cruiser , i did not view the you tube postings as i can imagine what they are.I do attend the hygeinist every three months and i dont mind paying for that. It was on the advice of my dentist and he knows what he is talking about. This is my choice and one i am happy about.Please do not start on me because you dont like what you see

Savvy_Sue

boozercruiser wrote: »

Regarding trying to save money....I have to warn you that there are one or two who visit this Forum who won't show any sympathy with that attitude.

you are being unfair. I don't doubt that JoJo and others could not afford the additional costs of the hygienist, and it does sound as if she was poorly advised and treated by her previous dentist.

however, I suspect that few of us have ever had to make the choice between paying the rent and eating, and I just think those of us who can always afford to do both, plus eg run a car / take holidays / pay for TV channels / buy clothes new rather than from charity shops / save / keep warm / buy presents for our loved ones (delete as appropriate) could at least CONSIDER whether we wouldn't in the long run SAVE money by paying privately to see the hygienist, even if we enjoy the dubious benefits of an NHS dentist.

if you can't afford to do any of the above, fair enough, but just because you're a pensioner doesn't mean you're on the breadline, even if some pensioners are.

slightly off topic: I started NHS physio this morning. I don't know how much I'll get, but trust me, if the NHS physio says "you would probably would benefit from more but that's all we can give you", I shall make private physio a priority rather than allowing my arm to seize up.

in the same way, I have an NHS hearing aid, which doesn't seem to help in the situations I find most difficult: using the phone and noisy surroundings. but I am currently having to sit in the back of the car, and I can't hear what DH is saying. Shock, horror, I have chosen to spend money on a personal listening device: money back guarantee if it doesn't help. If my hearing gets as bad as my siblings', I'll probably spend £000s on really good private aids (IF the NHS can't meet my needs), if that enables me to carry on working.

and in the same way, I shall continue to use a private dentist because I value my teeth, and having them looked after by the same person. even if the NHS contract was torn up and we went back to 'the good old days', I might well stay put.

(before I am banned for extravagance, I still use cheap 'Ready Readers' rather than getting my mild prescription glasses made up. my optician says this is fine, but I'm dreading the day they say it's not fine, because atm I can afford to have a pair everywhere I need them!)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Well, I'm back.

The majority of pits were 2-3mm deep, but there were 2 at 7mm and one at 8mm :eek:. There were also some at 0 :j: but not many.

Apparently, there was next to no calculi in the pits, so I'm off to the specialist, as she said it could be something to do with my rheumatoid arthritis or long term steroid use that's making it continue. Both conditions were declared to the previous dentist.

It does feel like I've been kicked in one side of my mouth, but the actual clean up wasn't too bad. The visible surfaces look very nice with their Osmond famiy glow .

In the meantime, I've swapped the TePe brushes for some 0.6mm longhandled ones in the hope that they work better (on her advice) and will be setting fire to my mouth twice a day with chlorhexidine.



I couldn't help being on low wages. I certainly couldn't help prioritising rent, council tax and utilities above what they called 'purely cosmetic' procedures.

However, I won't do the same with DD - although I suspect her orthodontics will be covered for NHS treatment, as they are crowding so much, her front teeth have started to knock together and twist out and her canines erupted from the upper gum - if the NHS deems this to be acceptable to live with, I shall be putting every penny towards paying for it privately. I shall also discuss whether sealing her teeth or any other preventive options are advisable.



It is, however, nice to be reminded that there are good dentists out there!

brook2jack

The commonest reason for a child to be turned down for NHS orthodontics is insufficient oral hygiene. A brace that is not kept clean is one which causes decay.

So the best investment is to buy her some disclosing tablets and make sure her oral hygiene is excellent.

You might want to ask your dentist about periostat for yourself when you next visit. It is a medicine that modifies the way your body reacts to gum disease and can be effective in the right circumstances.

boozercruiser

Originally Posted by boozercruiser
"Regarding trying to save money....I have to warn you that there are one or two who visit this Forum who won't show any sympathy with that attitude".

Savvy Sue..."you are being unfair. I don't doubt that JoJo and others could not afford the additional costs of the hygienist, and it does sound as if she was poorly advised and treated by her previous dentist".

No. I do not think that I am being unfair in the least when I say that.

Look Savvy Sue, the reason I started this thread is simply because I, and I guess thousands of other are being directed off for a totally separate fee (On top of NHS Charges) of around £30 to the Hygienist when in reality whatever is needed should be being done under the NHS Contract Regulations.
This being a Martin Lewis Money Saving Forum who's moto is 'Consumer Revenge' what I am pointing out seems a worth while goal to me?

Now then, there are some here(Not all by any means) with the vested interest of supporting that extra visit to the Hygienist (It saves them the time and cost of having to do it!) who have done nothing else but try and oppose me in respect of my bringing this item to the Forum.
Are all Dentists and Hygenist going to agree with my point of view...I don't think so!

Regarding one vested interest here who 'advises' me not to give clinical advice.........

(My...OPINION is that four visits to the Hygienist under MOST circumstances is overkill to me....BUT a Hygienist would say "Oh! Lovely" of course).

I reckon that my so called clinical advice....I call it OPINION) has to be better than the particular Dentist of Tightfisted who as you say "And it does sound as if she was poorly advised and treated by her previous Dentist.

Lots and lots and lots of good CLINICAL advice there was there not?!

brook2jack

Anyone reading this thread should make up your own mind as to whose clinical advice to listen to. A professional who can see you ,has taken a full medical history and has studied many years to understand the complexities of dental health or ........

welshdent

BC why do you think that recommending hygiene visits 4 times a year is over kill in most circumstances?? I can not see how on earth you can make a statment like that as it is not based on any grounding whatsoever. I am NOT referring to seeing the hygienist specificially I am referring to treatment for gum problems. The ONLY people qualified to make that assessment is a dentist. That assessment would be based upon need for the individual. In a person with spotless oral hygiene then yes it is overkill. But in a 21 year old with aggressive periodontitis it probably isnt enough. I have many patients that I see every 3 months for a deep clean. Its far from overkill. Its treating patients appropriately. Peridontal disease is very difficult to treat and can take months or even years to get it under control. for you to come out with statements such as that is I am sorry to say quite ignorant and I know you are not trying to be. I do agree with you that those that seek to lie and tell you a clinically necessary scale and polish is not available on the NHS are utterly wrong. However if someone is recommended periodontal treatment every 3 months then its probably because it IS needed and not because someone is trying to screw a few pennies out of you. Look at that last case I linked a pic to in the post before. There is NO way that would be manageable with 1 visit. That would require long term management to clean and then maintain... assuming the patient was motiviated to TRY and sort it out. I would say it would be neglectful NOT to see them every 3 months for a clean up ... in a motvated patient ... at least until they started to show signs of improvement.

P2TKL

Just stumbled on this thread by accident but I am visiting a new dentist in Jan and have discovered he is a EU trained guy. I have previously visited my dentist regularly for the last 45 years...I was saddened when he told me he was retiring but I knew the day would come.

My intro letter asked me to bring the amount of money for band 2 payment...around £46 I think although I may not be required to pay this amount.

I`m now wondering if I should be a little wary especially after reading these boards. Any advice welcome. Thanks

boozercruiser

welshdent wrote: »

BC why do you think that recommending hygiene visits 4 times a year is over kill in most circumstances?? I can not see how on earth you can make a statment like that as it is not based on any grounding whatsoever. I am NOT referring to seeing the hygienist specificially I am referring to treatment for gum problems. The ONLY people qualified to make that assessment is a dentist. That assessment would be based upon need for the individual. In a person with spotless oral hygiene then yes it is overkill. But in a 21 year old with aggressive periodontitis it probably isnt enough. I have many patients that I see every 3 months for a deep clean. Its far from overkill. Its treating patients appropriately. Peridontal disease is very difficult to treat and can take months or even years to get it under control. for you to come out with statements such as that is I am sorry to say quite ignorant and I know you are not trying to be. I do agree with you that those that seek to lie and tell you a clinically necessary scale and polish is not available on the NHS are utterly wrong. However if someone is recommended periodontal treatment every 3 months then its probably because it IS needed and not because someone is trying to screw a few pennies out of you. Look at that last case I linked a pic to in the post before. There is NO way that would be manageable with 1 visit. That would require long term management to clean and then maintain... assuming the patient was motiviated to TRY and sort it out. I would say it would be neglectful NOT to see them every 3 months for a clean up ... in a motvated patient ... at least until they started to show signs of improvement.

O.K. Welshdent, I can see that there are particular circumstances where periodontal treatment would be required every three months....inside the NHS in a lot of circumstances.

Now then, that is why I was very carefull to say in MOST circumstances. MOST circumstances to me means over 50% of Patients would NOT need to see the hygenist 4 times a year..And I stand by that...ignorant or not.

"My...OPINION is that four visits to the Hygienist under MOST circumstances is overkill to me".

Me know nothing and am ignorant about Dental Treatment, though thanks to you guys I have learned quite a lot here. But are you saying that OVER 50% either are or SHOULD be receiving gum problem treatment either on the NHS at the rate of FOUR times a year or through the Hygenist? If you can say that....then you are right and I am a know all know nothing.

But then...if you are not...then I am right.....ignorant or not!

Now to me for a moment....I have my treatments for 2 fillings and an extraction in January 2011.

The Dentist has told me I have Gum Disease....and I expect that treatment under my Band 2 Payment. The NHS Regulations and Contract for Dentists give a wide range of treatments for that.

And I WILL NOT be pushed onto a Hygienist at extra cost.

brook2jack

P2TKL wrote: »

My intro letter asked me to bring the amount of money for band 2 payment...around £46 I think although I may not be required to pay this amount.

I`m now wondering if I should be a little wary especially after reading these boards. Any advice welcome. Thanks

Under NHS regulations a dentist is entitled to obtain full payment for all treatment at the first visit. However if you do need a band 2 treatment you should get a fp17 dc form detailing the costs and details of your treatment.

It is a sensible idea if it's your first visit.