Paying for dental care - help!

Miffi_2

I'm skint, but I need some dental work done. My dentist charges are outragous, but have been with them for ages and don't really want to change - anyway, the nhs dentists in our area have a full patient list so will have to be private anyway.:mad:

I've looked into Denplan which totally confused me, but one of my friends has recommend HSA as I can get money back. I notice that it doesn't cover for treatment required in the first three months of the plan (this is HSA) which means my hygienist appointment, 2 fillings and replacement veneer wont be covered as these all happen in the next two months and can't really put them off.:mad:

I'm hoping that this mega expensive period for my dental care is a one off, but have been thinking that maybe I should put something in place for the future.

Can some one recommend a dental plan? The awful thing is, this treatment I've got coming up is going to have to go on the credit card :mad: which means I put myself further away from being debt free :mad: !

Dolly_Smith

don't know if you can still do this but didn't you used to be able to get cheaper treatment at dentistry colleges?

like how you can get free beauty treatments if you let students loose on yr hair and stuff

Teerah

You usually have to be referred to dental schools for treatment. They only see emergency care on a walk-in basis. At least thats how it works over here.

Read this thread for info on dental plans http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=185001&highlight=dental+plan

laurajayne

I suppose it depends how well you know your dentists but...

I needed serious dental treatment (root canal, crown, and 2 fillings...then a nightguard for the TMJ problem I've had :mad:) and I just spoke to the practice manager, and said I needed this work done, but as it was about £1k I couldn't afford it all in one chunk, as I don't 'do' credit cards....I came to them with a payment arrangement, and they've let me pay monthly to pay it off...interest free :j

I joined HSA about 3 months ago...and the only 'waiting' time I had was for maternity payment...infact I told the nice lady on the end of the phone that I needed dental work right now, and she said, go for it....you're now covered'. I like HSA...they don't like me much though. I've paid them £70 in premiums, and with dental, optical and my hospital stay, I've netted over £200! (Plus M&S vouchers) Hmmmm...might cancel now lol

It may or may not work....worth a try though

Good Luck

Toothsmith

There are a fair few dental practices now that offer interest free/low APR loans for dental treatment. I would ask your practice about this to see if they do. It would be cheaper than the CC, unless that's interest free on purchases too, or you intend to transfer the balance to an interest free deal.

Denplan is something you join when you are dentally fit, and the payments are more like a maintenance plan to keep your mouth healthy.

rog2

I think it is unfair that we have to consider dental insurance in the first place. The teeth are one of the fundamental indicators of good health, with so many other conditions being linked to our dental state.
I was dropped from the NHS register at my local dentist's, because I had not been for a year. It cost me £650.00 in dental treatment (5 years ago) in order to be declared 'Dentally Fit'! Because of the cost, I could not, then, afford to take out dental insurance. Now I am faced with a similar situation, except that this time I can not afford to pay for the treatment.
The situation, regarding availability of NHS dentists in this country, stinks.

Toothsmith

rog2 wrote:

I think it is unfair that we have to consider dental insurance in the first place. The teeth are one of the fundamental indicators of good health, with so many other conditions being linked to our dental state.
I was dropped from the NHS register at my local dentist's, because I had not been for a year. It cost me £650.00 in dental treatment (5 years ago) in order to be declared 'Dentally Fit'! Because of the cost, I could not, then, afford to take out dental insurance. Now I am faced with a similar situation, except that this time I can not afford to pay for the treatment.
The situation, regarding availability of NHS dentists in this country, stinks.

Yes, yes, yes,

Totally agree with you.

Your choice is do something that will change the mind of the Department of Health so that they make dentistry a bigger priority in the grand scheme of things (Something dentists have been trying to do for at least the number of years that I've been qualified without success)

Or :-

Change your budgeting priorities so that they fit with the new reality of having to pay for your dental care.

seraphina

If your teeth are in overall good shape, you may not want to consider a dental plan. I looked into Denplan which would have cost £20/month for both of us, but my dentist said that my teeth were in good shape and a check up and clean once a year would be fine at the moment (which would cost £50 each).

DH lost a front tooth in an accident a year ago, which cost us £2000 for a permanent replacement. This is the kind of thing that I would like to insure against (and do normal fillings etc from household savings) but I can't find an economical way to insure against accidental tooth damage:mad:

Toothsmith

seraphina wrote:

DH lost a front tooth in an accident a year ago, which cost us £2000 for a permanent replacement. This is the kind of thing that I would like to insure against (and do normal fillings etc from household savings) but I can't find an economical way to insure against accidental tooth damage:mad:

This is included in your Denplan monthly payments.

So all routine dental work is covered PLUS insurance for accidental damage, PLUS insurance for any dental emergencies whilst away from home, either somewhere else in this country or abroad.

It is quite a good deal really.

goody2shoes_2

We have Denplan. So far have never had any problems with them. They've always paid for what they said they'd pay. Quite quickly too. Touch wood now