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

boozercruiser

Oldbiggles wrote: »

At my local Dentist the NHS cost for a check up is now £17 and usually is all over in about 5 minutes. The fee is supposed to include a scale and polish (if found necessary).
Every time I go, at 6 months intervals, without fail, the dentist suggests that he could make an appointment for me to see the hygienist after pointing out very mild staining at the back of the front teeth. I remind him of the scale and polish agreement and he backs down and carries out the procedure himself.
In days gone by I agreed to go to the hygienist but the stains were never completely removed, so what’s the point?
If you fall for this extra money grabbing ploy every time you go, not only do you end up paying more than is necessary but it also means four appointment a year instead of two.
I don’t know about you but I’ve got more important things to do in my life than sit around in dentist waiting rooms four times a year, and let’s be truthful about this, it usually means waiting quite a while past your appointment time as these people never care about keeping to the time specified and always assume that their time is more valuable than yours.
We are all told that we should get on a dentist’s list, and there are always stories of someone having difficulty in finding one. As a consequence dentists are having a field day with us because it’s a sellers market.
Stand up for yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for what you’ve paid for.

I like your observations on this m8...I certainly agree with you when you say...

"If you fall for this extra money grabbing ploy every time you go, not only do you end up paying more than is necessary but it also means four appointment a year instead of two". and....

"Stand up for yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for what you’ve paid for."

Well said...and I second those emotions!:D

welshdent

I actually disagree with the poster. He said himself "some mild staining" Thats not included in the NHS Band 1 and the dentist is entitled to suggest a private scaling. He is probably only doing it for an easier life than fielding a complaint or moan WADR. I dont think I need to back it up as its within these 39 pages

boozercruiser

welshdent wrote: »

I actually disagree with the poster. He said himself "some mild staining" Thats not included in the NHS Band 1 and the dentist is entitled to suggest a private scaling. He is probably only doing it for an easier life than fielding a complaint or moan WADR. I dont think I need to back it up as its within these 39 pages

I agree with you Welshdent as per what I have learned here to do with your valued observations. But I still agree with poster in as per my last comments:)

boozercruiser

Has anyone any thoughts about the impact the Channel4 Dispatches prog. will have had in respect of future relationships between Dentists and Patients? I mean.....for the Dentists who have been tending to push the Patient off to Private work from Scale and Polish right up to Root Cannal and above instead of treating it under the NHS contract as they arguably should, they are going to have to think twice are they not?

I would have thought that particularly the Denticares of GB would have had to give some further direction to its Dentists?

A lot of patients will now be aware of what they are entitled to so are more likely to challenge the Dentist who says "You will have to go Private (Cross Selling/Gaming) for all or some of that".

I would have thought also that the prog. will have some effect on the trial programs which are going on right now to do with NHS Dentistry and the debate whithin it.
Particularly as new contracts are supposed to be in force by 2013.

Toothsmith

boozercruiser wrote: »

Has anyone any thoughts about the impact the Channel4 Dispatches prog. will have had in respect of future relationships between Dentists and Patients? I mean.....for the Dentists who have been tending to push the Patient off to Private work from Scale and Polish right up to Root Cannal and above instead of treating it under the NHS contract as they arguably should, they are going to have to think twice are they not?

I would have thought that particularly the Denticares of GB would have had to give some further direction to its Dentists?

A lot of patients will now be aware of what they are entitled to so are more likely to challenge the Dentist who says "You will have to go Private (Cross Selling/Gaming) for all or some of that".

I would have thought also that the prog. will have some effect on the trial programs which are going on right now to do with NHS Dentistry and the debate whithin it.
Particularly as new contracts are supposed to be in force by 2013.

Not one patient mentioned it to me yesterday!

I was looking forward to being congratulated by them for getting out of such a rubbish system!

Similar reaction from my colleagues according to dental web-sites.

It was on C4 after all, and on at the same time as Corrie and Eastenders!

brook2jack

You are very naive if you think anything is going to affect the trial contracts going on now or the next new contract. The last one was enforced despite everyone in dentistry predicting problems and pointing out it's serious flaws.

Dentistry is less than 2% of NHS budget and doesnt figure very high on PCT/lhb radar many do not even have dental leads.

The main people who watched the programme appears to be dentists and staff and all of us already know about the system backwards.
If you're bored read your local LHB minutes an read how much time is devoted to dentistry, it's illuminating.

Most of all recall the final message in the programme , the ringfenced funding for dentistry has been removed so funding can be diverted to other nhs resources. The next few years will see widespread cuts.

Ps our practice saw over 100 patients yesterday. Not one had watched the programme , but then we had explained our reasons for going mostly private in 2006.

Softstuff

With talk about nervous patients causing stress and anxiety to their dentists, I feel that my dentist may well qualified for sainthood. He took me on when I could barely speak to him, trying not to quiver in his chair and has repaired poor previous dentistry to a much more cosmetic outcome (without the agony that used to accompany my dentists visits). He's even given me a painless root canal. Thanks to his constant reassurance, excellent skills with anesthetic and great care I don't quiver now. Heck, I even had a laugh and joke with him last visit, despite having to book back in with him for a wisdom tooth extraction.

I thank him each time I'm there, and he knows how highly I regard him, especially given how poor my previous dentist was. If you have a good dentist do the same.

welshdent

No one has mentioned the program to me so far but I dont expect it to be an issue as we only "cross sell" ceramic crowns and white fillings directly. I get some private referrals from my principal for root fillings but they are few and far between and there is a full consent process.

boozercruiser

Toothsmith wrote: »

Not one patient mentioned it to me yesterday!

I was looking forward to being congratulated by them for getting out of such a rubbish system!

Similar reaction from my colleagues according to dental web-sites.

It was on C4 after all, and on at the same time as Corrie and Eastenders!

Hello Toothsmith...nice to see a post from you!
I see that the viewing figures for the Dispatches prog. on the Railways last month was 1.6 Million viewers. A few hunded thousand more watched it on 4+1 and then there where the people who recorded it.
O.K....so lets just be rather conservative and say that there where a MILLION viewers. That is a million people who wanted to watch that particular program on that particular subject.

And EVERY ONE of them will be a visitor to either a Private or NHS Dentists, probably in the not too distant future.

EVERY single one of them will have family members and friends who they may talk to about the prog. who can in turn look at the prob on catch up tv.

With the rip off shown in the Prog. of people being shunted off to private services when the Dentist SHOULD be treating it under his/her NHS Contract as was said in the prog. this is all about raising public awareness.

Just like I have been trying to do in my own small tiny way for over two years on this Forum to the angst of some.

O.K. no one appears to be going to you and mentioning the prog?
So how many people are going to go into the Dentist, pariculary an NHS one and say........

"Hello, Good Morning, Did you see the program on NHS Dentistry last night? Isn't it awfull what is going on sometimes with some NHS Dentists? Oh! by the way, why have you been sending me to that Hygienist for the past few years when YOU should have been doing that work? Oh! and what about that root canal work you sent me for costing £800 when YOU should done the decent thing and carried out the work under your NHS contract for £198?

Lets face it Toothsmith, when most people go into that surgery all they want is to get the whole thing over with as quick as possible and scoot to the outside world. Hopefully after being treated properly for whatever on NHS charges.

(Not all Private Dentists are squeeky clean either I guess in respect of charging for work that is not really needed. I bet a Private Dentist isn't going to do the opposite and say "This is lovely your NHS Dentist sending you to me (or perhaps to himself) at a cost £900 but of course the NHS Dentist who would have, could have, should have done this work it for £198! I am of course talking about a minority ...certainly not you, and no offence is meant)

Them patients don't want to discuss the rather touch subject of Dodgy Dentists shown in that prog. with someone who is with the best will in the world probably already going to inflict some discomfort and pain on them.

On reflection...the program was quite poor.....but I am still pleased that it went out.:D

Brook2Jack "The main people who watched the programme appears to be dentists and staff and all of us already know about the system backwards". So there are between 1 and 2 MILLION of you are there M8?

welshdent

booze approx 132 patients have attended at my practice in the last 2 days to this point and not one has mentioned the programme. I must admit I was expecting people to ask but so far there nothing.

Actually private dentists HAVE suggested NHS treatment but usually people we refer to for opinions etc. Why would another private practitioner advise their own patients to seek an NHS service? IF the patients wanted it they would have found it themselves. Most private practitioners have gone private because they can not deliver the standard of care they would wish to and as such believe they have a superior set of treatment options. A patient is quite at liberty to seek alternatives. No one ties them down and forces it on them. I wouldnt have NHS treatment in general practice and I provide it