Is my dentist ripping me off? nhs -private treatment

Pilot_Riaz

Hi,

I think my dentist may be ripping me off.
I had a checkup, scale & polish and 1 composite filling)
He charged me £207

I've read NHS band 1 treatment is £17 and this includes scale & polish.
I think fillings was band 2 treatment at £47

My dentist charging me £125 for Composite filling.
£65 for scale & polish
£17 for nhs
Total = £207

What do you think? I am being overcharged right?

regards, Riaz

brook2jack

You should have been given a fp17 dc form which details which treatment is nhs, which treatment is private , the costs of both and your signature is needed on the form. If the dentist has not had this form signed and has done both nhs and private treatment they have broken nhs regulations.
So you need to bring this to the attention of the surgery and take if further if necessary. However composite fillings(White) are not generally available on the nhs and normally need to be paid for privately. Also if you requested the scale and polish and it wasn't clinically necessary then this too can only be provided privately if it is just for cosmetic problems.

HelenMcG

Your dentist has charged you privately without asking you if you wanted NHS or private. Composite fillings are no longer allowed on the NHS, except in some cases but should not cost that amount, even privately if they are small. Was it a big filling or a small one? The scale and polish and check up are also private prices. If you are an NHS patient and were not given an option, then you can contact the British Dental Association and ask for their advice to pursue a claim as your dentist has to get your agreement.

brook2jack

Don't contact the BDA , for nhs treatment the right way to complain is
A the surgery who have to reply to your concerns . Write a letter to the practice manager

B the PCT who will investigate a complaint after you have tried the practice. They will also tell you how to proceed if you want to take things further.

The BDA do not police nhs dentistry or dentists they are more like a trade union. The pcts/ lhbs police nhs dentistry and the dental complaints service private dentistry. The gdc police dentists themselves.

welshdent

They not nhs prices especially the scale and polish. That said a composite filling in usually not provided on the health service if requested for cosmetic reasons. The cost is set by the dentist and is usually related to the size of the cavity and the type of composite used. Some can indeed be that much

mangadarkogirl

I seem to be in the same situation. I was charged:

£18.50 for a check up,
£29.00 for an xray (I was told was needed),
£29.00 (also told I needed it), and
£90.00 for a white filling. Which I know is a private treatment. But I asked them if they were accepting nhs patients, and was told I was registered as one. It appears all my treatment so far has been private.

I'm very angry after learning about the NHS banding, I have an appointment tomorrow. Any ideas how to approach them about it? As they've got an extra £67.00 out of me

brook2jack

Unless you have signed a nhs form you are not a nhs patient there is no such thing in England and Wales as being registered any more. You are only registered for a course of treatment and once you have signed the nhs form. Were you given a written estimate or did you sign any paperwork? You cannot retrospectively pay nhs prices for private work, but if you have an appointment tomorrow phone up and explain that you had asked for nhs treatment and see what they say don't just turn up have the treatment and query when it's time to pay.

If you had a nhs check up and a private filling (White fillings on back teeth are generally only available privately) you should have been given a fp17dc form detailing what is nhs what is private and how much for each. If you had a nhs check up x rays should be included in this , though a composite filling would still be private.