Lying dentist - what to do?

sofietrouble

I went to the dentist whilst pregnant (under the maternity exemption so didn't have to pay.) The dentist said that I needed four filings, but as I was pregnant I would have to pay to have white fillings done privately as the mercury in normal fillings would be dangerous for the baby.

I was quite shocked as I've never had a filling in my life, and take great care of my teeth, even more so whilst pregnant as I knew pregnancy can have a bad effect on teeth and gums.

I said that I would wait until after the baby was born and just have normal fillings on the NHS, especially as the teeth concerned were top teeth and the fillings wouldn't be very visible.

The dentist didn't seem happy about this and tried to pressurize me into booking the treatment right away, but I didn't feel comfortable with that and left it at that.

I've since registered with another dental surgery as I really didn't like the other dentist I saw, and went for a check up now that the baby is born and to see what I should do about these fillings.

I was shocked to be told by the new dentist that my teeth are perfect and I have no cavities that need fillings whatsoever.

I'm quite furious that this other dentist lied to me and tried to make me get unecessary work done on my teeth - I now know that he said they were upper teeth as it would be difficult for me to see the cavities myself and he was just trying to make £400 out of me which is how much four white fillings would have been. What can I do about it?? Should I go back to the original dentist and accuse him of lying? I wonder how many other people he's scammed like this.

aimee21j

I wouldn't go back as it would just cause a row. Maybe get the regulating body to investigate. http://www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk/

sofietrouble

Thank you for that, that's an interesting link but it's just for private patients not NHS. I will do a google search and see if there's an NHS version...

bank_of_slate

For NHS you either use the practice's in house complaints procedure or contact the PALS office at your local PCT.
(The PCT commission NHS dental services from practices)
...Linda xx

aimee21j

sofietrouble wrote: »

Thank you for that, that's an interesting link but it's just for private patients not NHS. I will do a google search and see if there's an NHS version...

Sorry. Hope you manage to find the right one lol

netty1_2

Hi,

Before you decide as to whether you make a complaint about the first Dentist it is always worth bearing in mind that just because he said you didnt need any fillings doesn't mean he is right. All dentist have difference in opinion and you get can over treatment (for financial gain for example) and undertreatment for example due to lack of time (maybe on the NHS)?

It would be interesting to see if the second dentist did any x rays? However it does seem that the first dentist may have been pushing too hard for treatment. Even if you did need fillings and you didn't want to have the silver fillings during pregnanay you would have cleaned out the decay and used a interim filling material , then when baby was born placed silver (amalgam) in them and this should have been an NHS option.

Hope this helps?

Best wishes.

Toothsmith

It is human nature to believe the Dr or dentist who tells us what we want to hear.

So if you want to think you have no cavities, you believe the dentist who tells you this. If you feel you are ill, you'd believe the whacky tree hugger who tells you your yin and yan are unbalanced over the Dr who tells you there's nothing wrong with you!

It doesn't always mean the person telling you the thing you don't want to hear is wrong!

Having said that though, I really don't like how it would appear dentist 1 has operated.

Although there is a rather wooly recommendation that pregnant women avoid having amalgam fillings, it is not based on any evidence of 'harm' to the baby.

If this were the truth, then 'all necessary treatment' is available for an NHS patient on the NHS - so if he felt you NEEDED white filling, then he would be obliged to offer them to you on the NHS. If not, then he ould have done what netty1 suggested and done a temporary fix until such time as he could do amalgam fillings.

It may be worth making a complaint to the practice's own in-house complaints system, but with an idea to complain to the local Primay Care Trust if you get nowhere with that.

The treatment he offered WAS private - even though you were an NHS patient, so really you could complain to that service mentioned above.

Either way, you probably should report this. I would suggest that you would not be the only person he is doing this to.

sofietrouble

Thanks so much for your replies. Very true that you tend to believe the person who tells you what you want to hear! At least now I've had the baby I can have an x ray which should show any cavities, so I can see who is telling the truth?

Yes, I read about 'all necessary treatment' needing to be available on the NHS. So technically if he felt the white fillings were necessary to me at that point in time they should have been on the NHS.

He did say that x rays could not be done whilst pregnant (I knew this, even though the amount of x ray is tiny and miles away from the baby) and he also said that NHS fillings contain mercury which is dangerous for the baby also. He also went on to lecture me about not eating fish whilst pregnant either which I thought was really weird as he's a dentist and not my midwife!!

He also said that I needed to see a hygenist for a clean at a cost of £55 and this was not available on the NHS either, and I declined that also, much to his annoyance. (I floss my teeth every day and use a really good electric toothbrush - my mum has terrible gum disease and I have been so scared of getting it also I am practically obsessive about how much care I take over my teeth!! So I really didn't feel the need to see a hygenist either.)

I've had a reminder to book my check up with them - would it be a good idea to book it with him, get an x ray done now so I know for sure if I have cavities or not then challenge him about the fillings?

Do NHS dentists get paid extra if they 'sell' extra private services to NHS patients also? I don't know how it works but that would appear to be why he was trying to get me to have four white fillings and a hygenist appointment!

Xh2oX

I had a 'normal' fillling done when i was pregnant......ok this was nearly 16 years ago :rolleyes: so not sure if rules have changed now!!!!

Katie-Kat-Kins

Do make a complaint. At the very least the pressure he has applied and his failure to talk you through all the available options is unprofessional and he should receive remedial training. On the otherhand maybe something worse is going on, either way his employers and governing body need to be informed about this.

jugglebug

sofietrouble wrote: »

Thanks so much for your replies. Very true that you tend to believe the person who tells you what you want to hear! At least now I've had the baby I can have an x ray which should show any cavities, so I can see who is telling the truth?

Yes, I read about 'all necessary treatment' needing to be available on the NHS. So technically if he felt the white fillings were necessary to me at that point in time they should have been on the NHS.

He did say that x rays could not be done whilst pregnant (I knew this, even though the amount of x ray is tiny and miles away from the baby) and he also said that NHS fillings contain mercury which is dangerous for the baby also. He also went on to lecture me about not eating fish whilst pregnant either which I thought was really weird as he's a dentist and not my midwife!!

He also said that I needed to see a hygenist for a clean at a cost of £55 and this was not available on the NHS either, and I declined that also, much to his annoyance. (I floss my teeth every day and use a really good electric toothbrush - my mum has terrible gum disease and I have been so scared of getting it also I am practically obsessive about how much care I take over my teeth!! So I really didn't feel the need to see a hygenist either.)

I've had a reminder to book my check up with them - would it be a good idea to book it with him, get an x ray done now so I know for sure if I have cavities or not then challenge him about the fillings?

Do NHS dentists get paid extra if they 'sell' extra private services to NHS patients also? I don't know how it works but that would appear to be why he was trying to get me to have four white fillings and a hygenist appointment!

Dental Xrays during pregnacy are safe, we just avoid them as people are understandably concerned about the risks. If there is no immediate need most dentist will delay for that reason.
The no amalgam fillings advice is maybe 10 years old, and again is based on "just in case" feelings amongst the great and the good rather than hard evidence. But the evidence will never happen as experimenting on unborn babies is generally seen to be a bad idea.
Some fish have high levels of mercury, more so than fillings I think was what he was getting at.
If you *need* a scaling then it is available on the NHS, however it is allowed that the Hygienist is private only. However that means that any scaling you then *need* should be carried out by him.

And yes any treatment provided privately would amount to money greater than what the NHS would provide. The NHS pays the same for 1 filling as it would for 4 which means after the 2nd he would be effectively working for free, and ultimately losing money.
this is not an excuse for his behaviour it is a broken system which encourages folks to behave in a manner unbecoming to them