Private v NHS dental?

Bubby

I am toying with the idea of changing to a private dental practice. My previous dentist was private and was FANTASTIC!! I had 2 extractions (wisdom teeth) and was in and out of the practice soooooo quickly. The experience I had when I was younger and had my wisdom tooth out on the NHS was that in the end where the dentist couldn't get my tooth out she put her foot on the bed I was laying on to push herself away to yank it out (this was after half an hour roughly of pulling). I have moved address recently and signed up to a really nice dental practice but have had to have a root canal which unlike the 2 I have had done privately has never really settled. To top it off when the dentist put the rubber dam over the tooth she cut my gum with the clamp quite badly and even on my check up she managed to hurt me. My question is how different is the treatment?
It seems to me that the new dentist is more interested in getting me in and out as quick as possible whilst chatting about other staff members with the assistant. The aneasthetic doesn't seem to work as quickly and I have to have several injections when with my previous dentist only one was needed. I also opted for a white filling and it is virtually yellow and she has left black (which I think was the silver filling underneath not fully scraped out but they insist is decay) around the outside of the new filling (in a ring iyswim).
I have never been scared of the dentist but every time I go now I am petrified that I will come out with an injury or another bodge job.

alias123

I would always opt for NHS, I still have faith in them. You can get good and bad experiences with both private and NHS.

Toothsmith

'The NHS' means nothing. Especially in dentistry.

The quality of your care depends solely on the individual who is looking after you.

Their skill, their knowledge, how actively they have continued to keep up-to-date, how much time and money they invest in their building, equipment and staff training.

'The NHS' in dentistry just pays an amount depending on how many funding points are achieved, and the way this is counted these days means that complex tooth-saving treatments aren't credited anywhere near as much as simple tooth-out-and-denture-in sorts of treatment.

Even the NHSs own figures back up the fall in complex treatments and increase in extractions and dentures.

It is true that there are still some decent NHS dentists out there, but the system is very much against them, and geared towards the big chain practices who import dentists from all over, and where you're very unlikely to see the same one twice.

Go private.

Make sure it's a decent place where you actually get the time and care you're paying for - and one way to check this out is to VISIT the potential practice before booking yourself in. Never just ring up a new place and book in unseen (unless you've had some good recommendations from others you trust).

Anyone still with an NHS dentist, who they like and trust - fair enough. But be aware that more and more committed and good NHS dentists are leaving every day.

DON'T just jump ship because they can't hang on any longer.

As you chase the last NHS dental place in the country, the quality of care you experience will go down and down.

At some point you need to put keeping your teeth above saving a few quid.

Bubby

Do you know if private dentists in the UK take children under 18 as patients if their parents are on their books?
We need to look at dental insurance in case we get a big bill that tbh we wouldn't be able to pay before moving from our existing dentist.
I really miss our old dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Katie-Kat-Kins

Our private dentist will treat children on the NHS I think, but I believe it is up to the individual dentist.

I would say go private too, the problem is that there are sooooo few NHS dentists out there that they really don't have to worry about quality of care and retaining business like a private dentist. There are some good ones out there, but I've had a bad experience with an NHS dentist.

I had to stop seeing my private dentist when I turned 19, as he didn't treat adults on the NHS and as a student I couldn't afford private treatment.

The NHS practice was horrid, the waiting room felt dirty and was beyond scruffy, having a gaping hole in the plaster board, old plastic chairs like you get in school classrooms some of which were broken and a selection of ripped colour suppliments to read. Not quite the leather sofa and copy of country life that I was used to!

The receptionist wore hospital type scrubs that didn't look very clean, had huge creole earrings (about three pairs) an essex face lift, nicotine stained fingers and could barely string a sentance together, she was no more than 18.

The consultation room was a sectioned off bit of hallway and part of the understairs cupboard, the chair barely left room for the dentist to get around, it was badly lit and dingy.

The dentist hardly spoke any english and I was unsure what she was about to do.

She did a check up and then I was informed that she couldn't do a scale and polish because the machine was broken and I would have to come back. That was all I needed doing, but there was no feedback on the condition of my teeth. I wasn't impressed that they hadn't told me that the scale and polish machine was broken because I had had to take time off work and pay to park to go and would have to do this again for the scale and polish.

When I went back to have the scale and polish I was surprised to find that it actually hurt! I had never been hurt by the dentist before, and had never found a scale and polish uncomfortable. I came out and found my gums to be bleeding in several places, my gums are in good health and never normally bleed.

For the price I paid I wasn't keen to go back, so six months later I went back to my private dentist. It costs a bit more but I get a dentist who speaks to me and who I understand, in pleasant surroundings with polite staff. I have never been hurt, he only does necessary treatement and discusses options with me. Since I only have one set of teeth and they have to last me a lifetime I think it is worth it.

I would buy insurance but as I have a denture (not due to poor dental hygene or disease though) it makes it very expensive so I decided to budget in for paying for my check ups and if I need any additional treatment then I will just have to use a credit card or overdraft. I think necessary dental treatment is one of the few things that are actually worth getting into debt for.

Incidentally my private dentist is quite happy for me to have annual rather than six monthly check ups and doesn't threaten to deregister me either! Strangely several private dentists seem to think annual check ups are fine if your teeth are generally healthy but the NHS practices will deregister you if you don't attend for six monthly check ups!

Toothsmith

Bubby wrote: »

Do you know if private dentists in the UK take children under 18 as patients if their parents are on their books?
We need to look at dental insurance in case we get a big bill that tbh we wouldn't be able to pay before moving from our existing dentist.
I really miss our old dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They used to - and there may be some that still can.

This, however is one of the things the new NHS contract is 'cracking down' on.

Dentists used to 'go private' but subsidise the cost of still seeing the kids of the newly private patients on the NHS.

'Oh no you don't' said the DoH with the new contract - 'if you have an NHS contract, you will see anybody on the NHS, not just the kids of your 'wealthy' private patients'

(For 'wealthy' read ordinary taxpayers and even some people on benefits who just happen to think decent dental care is worth having before Sky Sports)

So - if you see a dentit privately now, and want your kids to have decent care too, the only option many dentists have is to charge for that too.

What I, and many like me do though, is price kids services quite low, and even take a bit of a loss on them as we used to when we were 'allowed' to see them on the NHS.

miamoo

Toothsmith where is your dental practice located if you dont mind me asking. I am desperate for a GOOD dentist, I had to ring the dental helpline and see the emergency dentist a few towns away yesterday It was awfull. He huffed and moaned all the way through the treatment, I couldnt understand his english, he seemed bored and I honestly had no idea what he was going to do. Turned out he gave me 2 fillings.
The only dentists where I live that take on NHS are the dentists that no one wants to go to, beggars cant be choosers I suppose, so I will register with one of those, but I would love to go private, what do private dentists charge for basic treatments?

Toothsmith

It's easier for me to give honest advice if people don't generally know who or where I am.

I don't do this to get patients.

I also am not a big fan of people having to travel very far to see their dentist - be it in the UK or going abroad. It's OK for routine stuff, but if emergencies strike then it is very inconvienient.

If you had a look round the private dentists in your area, I'm sure you'd find quite a variation in price, and you could pick somewhere that suited.

The way it should work though is that the more expensive places will have the most time and be the easiest to book in with. As price goes down, the dentist has to see more patients to cover the overheads. Right down to NHS level where your bottom hardly touches the chair!

Somewhere along the scale though, you should find the right cost/service balance to suit you.

miamoo

Yes Toothsmith I see your point, and I will check a few out thanks

yorkie121

i was forced to leave my practice by the practice going totally private, after being unable to find nhs dentist willing to take me i contacted a previous dentist who was always excellent (i had moved away), he agreed to take me on as a private patient, since then the local health trust have created further places on nhs, but on reading the contract, chose to stay private with a dentist i trust and rate highly, apparently nhs are willing to treat you for procedures THEY think are NECESSARY, anything else they will offer you as a private patient! having previously been advised to stop running altogether when i had a knee injury i fear dental advice may be similar under nhs! check ups are not much dearer going private, and other work may not be available anyway under nhs so decision was quity easy!

**Juice**

Our dentist were NHS but are now private - they're really good but so expensive, even by private dentistry standards.