Emergency dental treatment and the NHS

tiff

On Sunday I cracked a tooth and the filling fell out leaving a large cavity. I could feel part of the tooth moving and a dull ache but pain wasnt too bad at this stage.

I called my private dentist who I havent seen for maybe 2 years. They are closed until 4th Jan, so I rang the emergency number and spoke to a dentist who advised it would be a £110 call out fee plus the cost of treatment. He advised me to have a think about it and call back. He did mention the NHS direct.

Next I called the NHS number for emergency treatment. They couldnt give me an appointment yesterday and advised to call back today at 9am, when I was given the third degree on the phone and eventually given an appointment at 11am.

Arrived at the NHS surgery to a frosty receptionist who in conversation said they were very busy but she had no patience for these people who dont go to a dentist as there are plenty of NHS ones around, also no patience with people who couldnt deal with toothache. She said they were fully booked until 5pm and if you looked at each case you would find very few real emergencies. Obviously I felt most welcome at this stage!

I went on to see the dentist, had an x ray which resulted in having to have the tooth removed.

So, was I considered a dental emergency? Why are people being made to feel bad for using this service when its something that most people pay for in their contributions? Just as well doctors in A&E dont have this attitude to patients with injuries that could have been avoided, its the same thing.

Toothsmith

I don't quite understand your question.

Were you considered a dental emergency? - Yes, or you wouldn't have been there.

Does a receptionist have the right to be a bit peed off because she has to work on a Sunday, in the middle of an Xmas holiday? Seeing people who probably wouldn't have needed to be there had they been a bit more responsible towards their own dental health?

We're all human.

maysmummy

Hi Tiff
I lead a service for OOH dental care and we have very strict criteria for what counts as a dental urgency- a true emergency being very rare and necessitating a visit to A&E. A 'dull ache', not having taken painkillers would not qualify on our triage system.

brook2jack

According to our health authority tooth ache no matter how bad is not an emergency. Only bleeding swelling or trauma. Hence our local emergency nhs clinics will only see the first 20 people on a Sunday morning .If you are not there to queue up at 8.30 then tough.

If you are a private patient registered with denplan,practice plan etc you normally only have to pay £15 to£25 for a emergency call out. Many dental insurances will also cover most of cost of call out.

The new contract of 2006 made emergencies the pcts responsibility and so the difficulties of getting adaquate care.

That being said when I used to do nhs call outs 80 per cent of call outs were easily preventable (tooth broke 6 weeks ago and left it till starting hurting) or not true emergencies (sharp bit of tooth feels rough on my toungue). however equally we did used to get some folks with real problems not calling us out when they should have because they didn't want to disturb us. Unfortunately that tends to make staff very cynical sometimes.

Since we now treat private patients we get very few call outs since people keep regular checkups and get things sorted before they become an emergency.

Get yourself

tiff

Toothsmith wrote: »

I don't quite understand your question.

Were you considered a dental emergency? - Yes, or you wouldn't have been there.

Does a receptionist have the right to be a bit peed off because she has to work on a Sunday, in the middle of an Xmas holiday? Seeing people who probably wouldn't have needed to be there had they been a bit more responsible towards their own dental health?

We're all human.

It was today I saw the dentist, not Sunday. I cracked the tooth on Sunday, called yesterday and got an appointment today. I understand that toothache is not an emergency but my tooth was cracked, when I run my tongue over it part of the tooth was moving. I couldnt eat on that side. The dentist told me it had broken away and the root was infected so I have antibiotics.

My point was the receptionists/dentists? attitude to those needing an emergency dentist. I dont think its acceptable to be that way towards patients, if it was any other business it wouldnt happen.

McKneff

To be honest, she shouldnt have spoken to you like that and i personally would send a letter of complaint. I am a receptionist and if i spoke to any one like that i would be on disciplinary within 24 hours. I'm surprised at her attitude, people like that should not be dealing with the public.

Toothsmith

tiff wrote: »

It was today I saw the dentist, not Sunday. I cracked the tooth on Sunday, called yesterday and got an appointment today. I understand that toothache is not an emergency but my tooth was cracked, when I run my tongue over it part of the tooth was moving. I couldnt eat on that side. The dentist told me it had broken away and the root was infected so I have antibiotics.

My point was the receptionists/dentists? attitude to those needing an emergency dentist. I dont think its acceptable to be that way towards patients, if it was any other business it wouldnt happen.

Oh - fair enough! I misread your post.

Today is a working day, and they're there to see people. No excuse for attitude!

alison999

Theres no excuse for the receptionists attitude, she may feel that way but certainly shouldnt be saying it out loud!

But it was NOT real emergency.

tiff

Why was it not a real emergency Alison? How do you know that?

alison999

tiff wrote: »

Why was it not a real emergency Alison? How do you know that?

The fact that you even have to question whether it was a emergency or not says a lot.

rose28454

tiff wrote: »

It was today I saw the dentist, not Sunday. I cracked the tooth on Sunday, called yesterday and got an appointment today. I understand that toothache is not an emergency but my tooth was cracked, when I run my tongue over it part of the tooth was moving. I couldnt eat on that side. The dentist told me it had broken away and the root was infected so I have antibiotics.

My point was the receptionists/dentists? attitude to those needing an emergency dentist. I dont think its acceptable to be that way towards patients, if it was any other business it wouldnt happen.

I had a bad abcess 4 weeks ago and went to my dentist who drained it and gave me some antibiotics which he told me to take for only 3 days. This he did and the swelling went down but then as soon as I stopped taking them it came back. I knew he was on holiday by then but popped into the surgery to ask if his partner could ha ve a look as I was going away working the next day for 2 weeks. The receptionist went out the back where he was sitting and asked him to see me. He proceeded to give her a stern lecture about patients coming in before 10.00 or they would not be seen that day. He was quite rude but finally said he would see me. She came back to the desk so I said that I had heard all he had said but I had only just got the symptons again however I did not want to be a nuisance and said I would not bother and when my dentist came back I would be leaving the practice and seking another practice. With that I turned and left in tears as I was in quite a lot of pain but did not see why he should be rude to a private patient.
I got to the car and he came running out and apologised profusely and asked me to come back in. I did and he did and excellent job of draining the abcess and putting in antiseptic and told me to take more antiobiotics. I returned 2 weeks later for a root canal filling which sorted the problem.
However I developed another problem just before Xmas as I developed bad toothace in another part of my mouth. My dentist saw me and said it was another abcess under a cracked tooth. He drained it and again gave me antibiotics which he told me to only take if my face swelled up. I did however tak them over Xmas and I am still in pain and am going back tommorow for him to re-dress it with a view to another root canal in a couple of weeks. However I may ask for an extraction as I cannot bear the thought of more pain.
My point is toothache is one of the worse pains you can get ( I would place it above childbirth even!) and people employed as receptionists should do their job and keep their opinions to themselves!