Dental Insurance Cost Cutting Plan Article Discussion Area

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

That really is quite an astonishing policy Savvy Sue!

I'm actually trying to think of what it COULD cover! Is £1000 per year for everybody, or £1000 each person?

I am guessing it is £1000 for everybody, at that price! Take all your other comments on board. The website details seem to contradicty themselves about routine checkups and cleans I think I will have to phone them tomorrow.

DH and I have one crown each, and the 3 boys one filling between them, which can't be bad for them as they have a combined age of 48! But I know my crowned tooth is doomed, I keep getting infection in the gum which so far hasn't caused serious problems, and the dentist says we either take it out or leave it ... and chicken that I am I've opted for leaving it! He hasn't really explained what the implications of either are: I read elsewhere - don't think it was you but what someone else's dentist had said - that if I just leave the gap then the gum will shrink, so will that affect the surrounding teeth? Doubt I'd want to fuss with an implant, don't know what's involved with a bridge, think a hole would annoy me but it's not going to be visible so maybe I'd just get used to it? Unless that would cause the others to fall out over time ...

But that's why I want to change dentist, I don't really feel I've ever had anything explained to me. Just don't want to end up somewhere where they think they have to re-do everything that's not perfect, or somewhere they think we all want glowing white gnashers. :rotfl:

Toothsmith

Savvy_Sue wrote:

Just don't want to end up somewhere where they think they have to re-do everything that's not perfect, or somewhere they think we all want glowing white gnashers. :rotfl:

That's really quite unlikely.

I would get that tooth sorted though. Having a chronic infection gurgling on doesn't do you any good.

By visiting a few places before you decide where to book, and even see if you can chat to the dentist - but don't be too put off if you can't, you will get a good feel for a place.

If anyone recommends a total rebuild, get another opinion.

If it's a place that worships the 'American Smile' they will advertise the fact in neon signs from the rooftops.

I too would avoid such places, but there is a market for it - hence they wouldn't keep it a secret!

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

By visiting a few places before you decide where to book, and even see if you can chat to the dentist - but don't be too put off if you can't, you will get a good feel for a place.

I did call into a couple of places a while back. The 'mixed' practice seemed keen to assure me that they were still taking NHS patients, and the private practice seemed keen to assure me that they were very good with nervous patients. Since I'm keen to go private, and I don't consider myself a nervous patient, I didn't know where to go from there. Then I phoned my current practice and asked if they were staying NHS, which they are: there is one wholly private dentist there but I'm fairly sure he must be coming up to retirement, and one of the things I feel frustrated by is that through no fault of my own I have rarely had the same dentist for more than 2 years at a time!

I had quite a chat with the receptionist about the new contract, she tried telling me I could have my checkups on the NHS and any treatment privately, and I said I didn't feel any happier with that, because I couldn't see how the dentist could provide a good checkup if we didn't need treatment! Plus I said that getting me and 3 boys in and out in 20 minutes seemed a bit rushed ... Then she said I could go private with current dentist, he does have a few private patients. TBH if I thought I'd had very good care from him I would consider that, but I wouldn't describe it as more than adequate ...

Ho hum. I think I need to book a day off and book some 'tours of your facilities' with the local dentists ... actually maybe better going slightly further afield as we live in a fairly 'aspirational' area! :rotfl:

But really, I've just got do do SOMETHING, haven't I? Almost anything would be better than waiting for my gum to explode ... :rotfl:

Mental_Mentor

Hi everyone

Have been with my NHS dentist for a few years now. Normally I have 2 x 6-monthly check-ups & 2 x scale & polish per year. I usually pay about £20 each time I visit.

Now have just received a letter stating that I am no longer registered. However, they have offered me a plan costing £9.50 per month. For this I get:

1. Registration
2. A 6-monthly check-up
3. A scale & polish twice per year
4. 20% off any additional treatment.

So am now being asked to pay £114 per year as opposed to about £40-£50.:mad:

Questions?

1. Does this represent a good deal?
2. If I get my own dental plan, can I still be registered at the same dentist or will I have to find another one?

Does anyone have any experience of this that can help me out?

Many thanks
Mental Mentor

David_Mee

Ah but you can't get the £40-50 any more so moot point!

Only you can judge if £9.50 a month is too much to ensure your dental health.

How much do people spend getting car serviced? How much do they spend on hairdressing? How much do they spend on vet bills? etc etc.... sure on this web site they will be the cheapest prices but I would love to see how much solicitors time you could get for £2.20 a week!

Toothsmith

Mental_Mentor wrote:

2. If I get my own dental plan, can I still be registered at the same dentist or will I have to find another one?

Most dentists still offer a 'fee per item' private service, as some of their patients may well have insurance cover through their work.

In this case, you will just pay the dentist the appropriate fee, and you will then be responsible for claiming it back off your scheme provider.

Bear in mind though if you require anything more than a receipt - e.g. if the dentist has to fill in and sign a form for your company - he may well charge you a fee for doing this. (As it can be a right pain in the butt! - the companies often follow up the claims with a call to the dentist which takes even more time.)

So, ask you dentist if it is OK, get a price list if he has one (He should) and really make sure that any claim limits on your chosen policy will cover what you are likely to be paying each time. Also check that there is cover should anything unforseen happens. About twice a year I have to do major work on patients who have had silly accidents.

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

get a price list if he has one (He should)

This is the one thing that the dentists I've been popping in to have been remarkably reticent about! ONE practice out of the 3 I've been to has been able to give me a leaflet to take away, and that didn't have any prices on it. (It also has a large shiny smile on the fascia above the shop, and it's the only one to specifically mention 'cosmetic' dentistry, so probably not the place for me!)

The only thing anyone wants to tell me up front is what my very first checkup would cost. The one I popped into yesterday said if I cared to hang around for 40 minutes I could talk to the dentist herself, but I just needed to get home!

Toothsmith

It can be a very hard thing to produce, because doing the same thing to different people can take a different amount of time.

It is recommended that we should have some sort of price guide though.

The Guide I have in my practice leaflet is by no means a full & comprehensive list of my charges, but it is designed to give the patient an idea of what 'ballpark' I'm in!

You could try going in with a list of specific things.

Initial examination - and what is included in that price (Are X-rays extra or included)

Normal 6 monthly examination.

Hygienist visit - and how long is a hygienist appointment (Or how much is a cleaning with the dentist if there is no hygienist)

Small white filling at the front of the mouth.

Gold crown on a back tooth.

If you ask about these quite specific things, they should be able to give an answer. It may also be worth asking how long would be booked for each item.

This should give you an idea of the likely hourly rate of the practice, and then you'd get a feel for the costs in your area.

My practice hourly rate is about £165. I'd say that was pretty average for a private practice in this country.

I like the last one you spoke about - it's always good if they offer to let you speak to the dentist. maybe if you rang them again and asked if you could pop in for a chat at a quiet time sometime soon.

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

It can be a very hard thing to produce, because doing the same thing to different people can take a different amount of time.

yes, I appreciate that, and I've got the impression from you that you charge different people different rates for the same job, depending on whether they can sit still or not! :rotfl: But it seems ridiculous to me that they don't ALL have a practice leaflet available - GPs seem to these days, and they don't have to make money in the same way dentists do!

But asking about specific things would be good. I have never seen a hygienist, but I can't remember when my dentist last did what felt like a 'proper' clean. When you get me and three boys in and out in less than half an hour ...

Toothsmith wrote:

I like the last one you spoke about - it's always good if they offer to let you speak to the dentist. maybe if you rang them again and asked if you could pop in for a chat at a quiet time sometime soon.

To be fair, the practice with the huge smile on the fascia said I could do that too, but again it was late in the day and I was at that stage just trying to gather phone nos. etc from the surgeries I pass on a regular basis. The 'other' practice I went into around then seemed to assume I was only interested in an NHS dentist, although they do both.

I'm wondering if I'd be happier in an all-private practice rather than a hybrid. I think there's one more within (a fair) walking distance of home, then it's onto the next 'suburb' up. It would probably be worth finding out what's up there, because I do live in a rather 'aspirational' area, with prices to match for some services!

grinner1_2

Please excuse my confusion,here follows my experience,

I went to a new dentist today who accepts NHS Patients.
I wanted a NHS check up, which I believe should include a scale and clean under band 1.
I did not get a scale and clean, just exam and 3 xrays. £15.50. He told me I needed 1 small filling.
Also, I have a badly broken back molar, and the first advise was pull it out.
I said I was considering a private cap, white.
At first the receptionist suggested that the filling would be charged at band 2 and a NHS Cap the extra charge at band 3.
Later on the phone she corrected herself and agreed that the band 3 cap would cover the cost of the band 2 filling!
However, the NHS capped tooth would require root work and a post, but those were not covered under band 2 and band three. She told me that dentists could opt out of items under the bandings and essentially charge private for them!
So here are my queries..
1/ I have had 1 NHS Exam for £15.50, however I am not happy with the quotes for the further work, whether private or NHS options.
Can I now go get a second exam from another NHS Dentist, again paying a£15.50 fee, or can I now only have a private exam? Having a second exam seems to be the only way of getting another quote for the same work.
2/ Can registered NHS Dentists opt out from items in the band lists, in this case it was root work in band 2? Essentially, whilst a metal CAP could be done in the £189 band, the root work was an additional £140, and the post £75.00!
I hope some of you guys pick up this post, I apologise it may not quite have followed the thread, but I am struggling to get this advice elsewhere.