Just been to Dentist, little annoyed.

Toothsmith

I think you have found that NHS dentistry in England is not just a 'cheaper' version of what you were getting anyway.

How anyone can do an initial examination in a couple of minutes with no X-rays is totally beyond me.

If you have been happy with your previous dentist for the past however many years, then I think that moving into what is essentially a cash strapped system on it's last legs, just to 'save a bit of money' is taking MSE too far.

These things you are mucking about with are an irreplacable part of your body.

The best way of replacing a lost tooth is with an implant. Implants are £2000 a pop.

The best way to keep what you have healthy is by having a good trusting long term relationship with a decent dentist.

Think long and hard about what and what isn't a good thing to be saving money on.

xzibit

Well I've paid for it now, so will have it. If I feel I'm not satisfied with the service I get there in the future, I will go back to being private.

Thing is, I don't mind paying £26 for a filling, but how much would it be private? I'd imagine that if I was paying £40 for a check-up, than it'd be about £150-£200 and I just cannot justify that!!

Toothsmith

You're basing that on a random guess with the misconception that it MUST be dearer than the NHS place.

The NHS place was going to charge you £68 for a white filling - and that is a 'private' charge. I doubt your 'regular' dentist will be much dearer if at all.

My regular check up charge is £35 (My initial check-up is £79.50 including X-rays) My filling charges are £55 - £90 depending on size and material.

Wouldn't it be best to have ALL the information before risking tooth substance?

xzibit

Probably yes, but unfortunately, I have no idea, I put my trust into people who should be proffesionals, and at the end of the day, so do most people.

So, what do I do? At the moment, I have paid £26.90 for an appointment tomorrow for the filling. If I was to phone up my normal dentist, and ask how much a filling is, and they say £60, do I just cancel my appointment, and then go to my normal dentist when I would normally go (April) and see whether they suggest I have one??

Will I get my money back or is it lost?

sabbykins

Hi,
I'm no expert but i have experienced the trauma (not an over statement!) of using a very poor NHS dentist after years of care under a dentist who managed on the NHS to treat me and my teeth with care but then had to retire.
I wish i could name & shame because this dentist (in Dundee) took approx 2.5 mins for an exam, about 5 mins for a filling- not leaving anywhere near enough time for the numbing to take effect :eek: and worse of all she failed to notice a hole in a molar and just wanted me out of the chair so she could get the next person in as quickly as possible!

Suffice to say i have taken up the HSA dental plan and gone private and found a WONDERFUL dentist in my town who took 40 mins to an hour at check up and took x-rays, talked me through the health of my teeth and was gobsmacked that the nhs psycho didn't spot the hole!

I consider my teeth extremely important and think they are worth the investment. I won't be going the 'cheap & not-so-cheerful route EVER again!
If i were you, i would go back to your private dentist.

xzibit

Yeah, maybe I should. I will see whether I can get my money back tomorrow then, don't quite know what I'm going to say though. Maybe just tell them I'm not happy with the way I was examined, and that I am going to go back to my other dentist.
May look into a dental plan thingy.

If I can't get the money back, then I'll have it I suppose, it's only a filling and it'll probably fall out in a few years lol.

Toothsmith

The money you have paid doesn't go to the NHS dentist. Any patient fees he collects are knocked of his monthly NHS cheque anyway. So it's neither here nor there to him.

If you just have the Check up, he claims 1 funding point, if you have a filling, he claims 3 points.

Ring first thing tomorrow to let them know you want to cancel the appointment. Ask if you can call in for your £26odd back.

If they come up with something about it being short notice and you forfitt your money - this is specifically forbidden by the new NHS contract, which states they may not fine patients for cancelling/missing appointments.

DO NOT HAVE THE FILLING IF YOU ARE UNSURE THAT YOU NEED IT.

It is better to loose a few quid than any amount of healthy tooth. You can earn a few quid tomorrow - You can NEVER get back the tooth that is drilled away.

Once a filling is in a tooth, then that filling will have a lifespan. At the end of that lifespan, the next repair will be a bit bigger, and so have a shorter lifespan. Then, it will need something bigger, then it will need crowning, then it will need root filling, then it will be lost.

If done well, each of these processes will last as long a time as possible, and hopefully, you will be dead long before the tooth needs to come out. (If you see what I mean!!)

If ANY of them are done badly though, it will knock years off the lifespan of the tooth. Are you confident that it will be done as well as it possibly could be at this practice?

If it doesn't need to be done at all, then the clock doesn't even begin ticking.

DON'T get it done until you have asked you usual dentist his opinion on it.

sarahlouise210

I have the most wonderful NHS dentist - I once told the receptionist how lovely he was ...and she told me "I know ......thats why I married him!":o
Every examination and procedure is explained, he is just the best dentist you could ask for - I worry about the day he retires (and I anticipate this will be in about 15 years!!!!) If he went private I would gladly pay the higher prices ...

xzibit

Well thanks for your advice. I cancelled the appointment, and they are going to get a cheque sent to me from head office! Well, at least I'm getting it back I suppose. Should be with me in next 3 weeks.

So a medium sized filling at my normal dentist is £90 for silver and £100 for white. It was £68 for a white one at the other place!! :eek:

My next appointment with my normal dentist was booked for April, maybe I will bring it forward, as I can't make the April one anyway as I'm in Australia, if I bring it forward to say Feb somewhen, and I will have a DenPlan assesment at the same time?! Does that sound like the thing to do?

Why can't teeth be invinsible lol.

Toothsmith

White fillings are VERY technique-sensitive.

Amalgam is quite forgiving and still sticks and seals pretty well even if put in under gallons of saliva.

White needs the tooth to be well prepared and chemically treated in order to get a good bond. And ideally a layer of 'runny' white filling place first to ensure a good seal at the edges. It therefore needs plenty of time in order to do well.

If not done well, the tooth will quietly rot underneath.

I'm sure you've done the right thing, and Denplan would probably make sense for you.

If you've not had any fillings, you'll be an 'A' category, which is the cheapest.

Worth comparing the cost of that against the cost of a check-up & hygienist visit twice a year though. If you've very good teeth anyway, that's probably all you should need. If the yearly cost of being on Denplan (Which does include nearly everything) is a lot more than that, then it might be worth just paying as you go, with the knowledge that every now and again it might just be a bit dearer.

Denplan does also include an insurance bit that would cover you if you ever damaged your teeth in an accident, or if you had a dental emergency whilst away from home.