How much for an NHS Dental check up

mandi

My son is an NHS patient in a mostly private practice and has been advised that because he is now working he has to pay £25.00 for his check up & £34.00 for the hygienist.

Does any one know the cost of an NHS check up please ?. I have a feeling they are charging him private fees now he's working . If so can they automatically change him from NHS to private without his consent .?


Thank you .

wilkies5

Yes, it's a great surprise to most people when they find an NHS dentist and pay £12.50 for a routine check up!
More of us get pressurised into private dental fees - every 6 months - when NHS fees are so much more affordable.

You may have to travel further for treatment, mind you, but it is worth it.

No, private clinics do not need notice of you moving on....consider them lucky to have had your money for so long up to now!!

Good Luck in finding an NHS dentist in your area.

mandi

wilkies5 wrote: »

Yes, it's a great surprise to most people when they find an NHS dentist and pay £12.50 for a routine check up!
More of us get pressurised into private dental fees - every 6 months - when NHS fees are so much more affordable.

You may have to travel further for treatment, mind you, but it is worth it.

No, private clinics do not need notice of you moving on....consider them lucky to have had your money for so long up to now!!

Good Luck in finding an NHS dentist in your area.

The practice would prefer all of their patients to be private . I think £59.00 is an extortionate amount to pay considering its 20 mins max work . :mad:

suki1964

All depends on where you live

England and its 17.50 - first band

Scotland - check ups are free - scale and polish - 10.10

According to their NHS sites

Toothsmith

wilkies5 wrote: »

Yes, it's a great surprise to most people when they find an NHS dentist and pay £12.50 for a routine check up!

£12.50 isn't an English NHS fee?

Are you sure you're not being seen privately? It would be £17.50 on the NHS in England.

Toothsmith

mandi wrote: »

The practice would prefer all of their patients to be private . I think £59.00 is an extortionate amount to pay considering its 20 mins max work . :mad:

If it's the dentist and a hygienist, then for one thing it's 2 appointments.

Dont know how long they take though, that's variable, but a hygienist appointment would be 20mins at least on it's own I would think.

My patients pay £45 for a check up with me (usually 15-20mins) and the £63 for 30 mins with the hygienist.

There is an NHS place taking on NHS patients just down the road from me. Set up in 2005 with huge amounts of taxpayers money.

Most of my new patients come to me after trying there! It's been the best recruiting tool ever!


EDIT

Sorry, I didn't answer your original point.

If he's going there because he wants to be an NHS patient, then they should have told him explicitly that they wouldn't be seeing him as an NHS patient, and that he would only be seen privately. He shouldn't be in any doubt about whether he's being seen on the NHS or not.

Also, there is a clause in the NHS contract that says that they shouldn't discriminate about who they offer NHS treatment to. So it might be that they are falling foul of something or other in their contract, unless they have a specific contract for kids.

wilkies5

Quote:
Originally Posted by wilkies5
Yes, it's a great surprise to most people when they find an NHS dentist and pay £12.50 for a routine check up!

£12.50 isn't an English NHS fee?

Are you sure you're not being seen privately? It would be £17.50 on the NHS in England

Yes, sorry, you're absolutely right. Just checked my last bill!

Apologies

mandi

Thanks for the replies guys .

Toothsmith I just knew you would answer .


The thing is that your patients seem to at least get some value for money, a check up with his dentist honestly lasts less than three minutes.

The question is can the dentist actually force him to go private when he is an NHS patient though ?

Edit just seen your edit Toothsmith . Thank you .

Toothsmith

mandi wrote: »

The question is can the dentist actually force him to go private when he is an NHS patient though ?

Nobody is 'an NHS patient' until they've been accepted as one for that course of treatment. The old days of being a 'registered' patient ended in England and Wales is 2006.

The dentist can't 'force' anyone to be private any more than they can 'force' a patient to do anything.

They can 'not accept' them as an NHS patient though if they don't have the capacity to treat them on the NHS.

Toothfairy4

It may be that if it is a mostly private practice that they only see children on the NHS?

mandi

Thanks again for your replies. Sorry for all the questions .:o

The thing is when the appointment was made six months ago my son was unemployed and not claiming benefits ( he's 21)

Any treatment he had while not working was charged as NHS rates .

It's only when I rang to confirm the appointment date and mentioned that he is now working that the receptionist said he would have to pay what I now know are private fees ?

Edit I am an NHS patient in the same practice and pay NHS fees . Our appointments are with the same dentist, five minutes apart on the same day .