An urgent(ish) dental question - dentist advice appreciated please

ClaireLR

Toothsmith wrote: »

and I've also made a hash of one or two as well (But painlessly!)

Why oh why did you have to say that :eek::eek::eek:

So do NHS dentists (as in my dentist) get paid per patient??

jugglebug

ClaireLR wrote: »

Why oh why did you have to say that :eek::eek::eek:

So do NHS dentists (as in my dentist) get paid per patient??

NHS dentists get paid per course of treatment.
The flaw is that the amount they are paid bears little resemblance to the amount of treatment done in that course.
IE 1 filling = same amount received as for 32 fillings. There comes a point where treating a patient becomes a drain on the practice. If you have too much that needs doing the dentist has to rush to fit you in the time constraints, use cheaper labs to make his crowns (some even send off to china, who knows whats coming back in those metals when you look at all the lead in kids toys scandals that have been reported) and buy cheaper filling materials ( there are even different qualities of Amalgam and that is seen as the most basic of all)

My practice is about 1/3 NHS and that is only possible because the private patients basically subsidise the NHS. Not a fair system and I could actually drop fees if I ditched the NHS completely but then the local press would run the typical money grabbing dentist piece and I would lose several families from the place, and it is actually one of the nice parts of the job following the youngsters as they grow up. The place where I work has been going for over 40 years and we treat several generations of the same familys.

McKneff

Toothsmith wrote: »

If teeth out and dentures is what you want - then the NHS can deliver it as well as anybody. It's what it does best these days.

It wasnt what i wanted, my health dictated it.

ClaireLR

Can I ask, just out of interest (and the possibility that in future I might go and find a decent private dentist) what kind of prices private dentists charge? For the basics, so how much for a check up/scrape and polish, how much for one filling, and how much for an extraction.

It is something I would look into because we had a lovely (NHS) dentist when we were kids but he retired when I was about 16, since then I've never seen the same dentist for more than one course of treatment.

Also, these dental plans that are around, are they worth paying for?

Toothsmith

Dental plans can make it much more affordable, but you generally need to be dentally fit to join - that is no outstanding work needing doing.

As to how much - it's a bit like asking 'How much is it to eat out - say for a Bit of haddock, some veg and potatoes?'

It depends whether it's your local Brewers Fayre, the nice cafe on your town High Street, the posh resturant in the city or Gordon Ramsay's resturant in Claridge's Hotel!!

The prices really can vary that much, and your best bet is just to get out there in your locality and have a look.

Toothsmith

McKneff wrote: »

It wasnt what i wanted, my health dictated it.

THis just worries me a little.

I have never taken a tooth out 'due to osteoporosis'. And I have several ladies with varying degrees of this problem.

I have taken many teeth out due to gum disease, which is a seperate problem, and can often be treated.

But if I have a patient with gum disease I tell them it's gum disease, and I try to treat it before giving up and taking stuff out. Especially if they've been treated with Bisphosphonate drugs - which can make serious complications for tooth extraction.

It may well be that your teeth have been lost due to osteoporosis - I obviously haven't seen you. But if you were a relative of mine, I'd be urging you to ask a few more questions of the dentist.

McKneff

Yes, my osteoporosis was definitely the cause of it. They kept coming loose and because i have major bone loss they just had to come out, the front ones seemed to loosen overnight and i kept them for a few weeks when the dentist tried to save them , then they got so painful but the dentist did go into it all and explained as to why, and even showed me the bone loss on an x ray. I dont miss them really, i certainly dont miss the pain. But i still go to brush the front ones now and again.:rotfl::rotfl:

Eliza1001

Toothsmith wrote: »

If a member of your family in a different part of the country needed a dentist would you recommend they sought out an NHS one?

I sure as heck wouldn't. (Unless they were lucky enough to have special needs and could be referred into a salaried service like yours.)

In many of my posts, if people seem to have good thorough NHS dentists who are applying the terms of their NHS contract correctly and not badgering people into 'paying extra' (I will not say 'pay privately' here as it isn't private dentistry they'll be paying for) I will tell them to stay with that dentist.

The problem is, in the last few years since the new contract, the number of people posting on this board who seem to have decent NHS dentists is getting fewer by the month.

The NHS' own figures has shown a staggering drop in complex treatments over the last couple of years and a huge increase in extractions and simple dentures. Surely you too must have read that over and over again in all the journals that drop through our doors? How can you still hold onto the 'wonderful NHS dental service' idea when the figures are there in front of you?

I agree with you Toothsmith, that NHS dentistry has been brought to its knees by successive governments over the years, the latest of which will probably turn out to be the nail in the coffin.

None of my family have special needs, and as such I am not allowed to provide dental treatment for them. They attend a mixed NHS/private practice, and receive a good level of care. Their dentist will provide all necessary treatment on the NHS, and I am satisfied that it would be of good quality.

However, there are plenty of practices locally both NHS and private that I would not let them near. Admittedly there are far more NHS practices to avoid than private ones. But I think it is important to point out that just because a dentist only provides treatment on a private basis, it doesn't make them a good dentist!

I know of a private dentist that decides how much to charge the patient once he's seen what car they drive!

But I shouldn't tar all private dentists with the same brush should I!!!!!!!!!;)

ClaireLR

Well the tooth is gone.....am ashamed to admit that I cried while I was in the chair :o:o and again afterwards. Didn't feel any pain but just the sound when he was removing it............:eek::eek::eek: The gum is swollen (I had it removed on Saturday) but is going down.

There was no charge in the end :T rang the dentist beforehand to sort this out as I didn't want to be arguing my case with a mouthfull of gauze/blood, at first he said no charge but then he said there would be as I'd seen a different dentist! I told him I hadn't asked him to see another dentist and didn't even know I was seeing a different one until I got there, and then he agreed that there would be no charge