Can my dentist charge Band 2 for tartar removal?

jatropha

Seems like a bit of a rip-off to me according to the following NHS England descriptions

Band 1 course of treatment – £17.00
This covers an examination, diagnosis (eg X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if needed, and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant. If you require urgent care, even if your urgent treatment needs more than one appointment to complete, you will only need to pay one Band 1 charge.
Band 2 course of treatment – £47.00
This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or if your dentist needs to take out one or more of your teeth.

No way should some tartar removal be more difficult than doing a filling... am I being conned or is this standard practice?

rachbc

depends - i had tartar removal below the gum line under lcoal that was charged as band B

non-surgical treatment of periodontitis (a severe form of gum disease) - such as root planing (cleaning bacteria from the roots of your teeth) or deep scaling and a polish

MrsManda

The NHS website does say that the cost of removal of tartar will vary depending on what needs to be carried out.

Scale and polish

To remove plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) that can build up on your teeth, your dentist may suggest that you have your teeth scaled and polished. This is a ‘professional clean’ usually carried out at your dental surgery by a dental hygienist.
The dental hygienist will scrape away plaque and tartar from your teeth using a special instrument, then polish your teeth to remove marks or stains. If a lot of plaque or tartar has built up you may need to have more than one scale and polish.
The price of a scale and polish can vary depending on what needs to be carried out, so ask your dental hygienist how much it will cost beforehand. NHS dental treatment cost £17.00 for basic treatment (band 1) and £47.00 for more advanced treatment (band 2).

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gum-disease/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Toothsmith

The bands are nothing to do with how difficult something is.

Root fillings are band 2 which are one of the most complicated individual things we do.

Taking out a tiny splinter of loose root is also a band 2.

The bands are just arbitary groupings in a systemthat was flawed from the day it was thought of.

To answer your question though, a cleaning can be a band 2 in certain circumstances. This would be down to the clinical opinion of the dentist at the time.

welshdent

Why is it a rip off?

In answer to the question yes if deemed to be appropriate, removal of tartar can be a band 2 treatment but you are missing the point of what is happening. The dentist is not removing tartar. They are removing plaque retentive structures and disrupting biofilms in an attempt to reduce bacterial load in the mouth to reduce/treat disease and facilitate your own hygiene protocols