Teeth problem and no dentist

iceicebaby

iceicebaby wrote: »

My dentist charges £12 for a check up and scrape and polish (NHS) you do have to go back for the scrape and polish but its all the one charge.

£39 for fillings , any number as long as they part of the same course of treatment and then £149 or something like that for crowns,

My dentist charges as above for NHS treatment. This is definate as I have just paid it and I am definately an NHS patient. I am in Wales if that makes any difference.

Edited to say...Unless the charges have gone up since March 19th when I had my last appointment?

Toothsmith

NHS charges in England & Wales have been as stated in my post since 1st April 2006.

If your dentist is charging exactly as you say, then something funny is going on somewhere.

My guess would be that he's fulfilling his NHS committment from the people who are exempt from patient charges, and just pocketing the patient charges he takes from patients who aren't exempt, instead of declaring them to the PCT.

By pitching them just below NHS charges, he's probably thought that it's unlikely he'll get any complaints.

These charges form part of the funding of NHS dentistry though, so by keeping them himself, he's not only defrauding the patients (Even though he's charging them less!) but he's robbing the pot of money that has been budgeted for NHS dentistry in general - thus speeding up the cash crisis it will inevitably face.

If you are 100% sure of your figures, and are 100% sure that you've been told he's doing 'NHS' dentistry for you - I would have a word with the PCT, as some scam or other is going on here.

The DoH patient information leaflet confirming the charges can be viewed HERE

iceicebaby

Just been on the nhs wales website, charges in wales are as i said, see below .

I was charged 12 , as it says. My dentist is doing nothing wrong, seems that the charges are just different in wales.

Toothsmith.. the link to your info says England on it


the excerpt comes from this link https://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/small/en/home/localservices/dentistsinformationandlinks/frequentlyaskedquestionsaboutdentists#NHS1bookmark


How much does NHS dental treatment cost?
From 1st April 2006 the existing range of NHS dental treatment costs will be replaced by a simplified system which groups treatments under one of three price bands. The following list which applies to Wales, includes examples of how the new bands relate to some common dental treatments, procedures and services;

Band 1 = £12
Examination, case assessment and report.
Advice, diagnosis and treatment planning.
X-rays and reports.
Instruction in the prevention of dental and oral disease including dietary advice and dental hygiene instruction.
Scaling, polishing and marginal correction of fillings.
Adjustments to and easing of dentures or orthodontic appliances.

Band 2 = £39
Permanent fillings.
Extraction of teeth.
Transplantation of teeth.
Oral surgery including surgical removal of cyst, buried root, unerupted tooth, impacted tooth.

Band 3 = £177
Crowns including any pin or post aids to retention.
Bridges including any pin or post aids to retention.
Full or partial dentures.
Orthodontic treatment and appliances.
Other custom made appliances excluding sports guards.

Toothsmith

Very sorry!

Yes - I remember now - Wales is a couple of quid cheaper to the english charges!

Scotland & Northern Ireland doesn't have this new contract yet, which is why I specified Wales and England - but you're right Wales is slightly cheaper!


Edit - I've just noticed you'd mentioned you're in Wales on your previous post - I'd missed that bit.

Had I seen it, I would have checked a bit deeper into the welsh situation before replying

mioliere

Phone NHS Direct 0845 46 47 or any local dentist and ask for the emergency dental helpline number. This helpline is for people who do not have their own dentist. I would advise saying that you are in pain even if you're not. They'll arrange an emergency appointment for you and the most you'll pay - unless you're on benefits when it will be free - will be £15.50. You could also ask them if they know who is taking on in your area. It's also worth asking local dentists if they have a waiting list.

iceicebaby

Toothsmith wrote: »

Very sorry!

Yes - I remember now - Wales is a couple of quid cheaper to the english charges!


Free prescriptions for us from tomorrow too! Bloody assembly that cost us loads of money are useful for something i suppose!

iceicebaby

Toothsmith wrote: »

Yes - I remember now - Wales is a couple of quid cheaper to the english charges!


Free prescriptions for us from tomorrow too! Bloody assembly that cost us loads of money are useful for something i suppose!

iceicebaby

EEEP and im so excited about that I posted twice lol

LondonDiva

mioliere wrote: »

Phone NHS Direct 0845 46 47 or any local dentist and ask for the emergency dental helpline number. This helpline is for people who do not have their own dentist. I would advise saying that you are in pain even if you're not. They'll arrange an emergency appointment for you and the most you'll pay - unless you're on benefits when it will be free - will be £15.50. You could also ask them if they know who is taking on in your area. It's also worth asking local dentists if they have a waiting list.

:eek::eek::eek: OR you could save emergency treatment and facilities for someone in real need and contact your local PCT and ask them to give you details of your local NHS dentists.

If there is a problem with any dentist, ring the PCT to help you sort it out. Much, much better to do things the straight forward way than abusing an emergency system and adding unneeded pressures. Emergency services should be for genuine need not because it's too much effort.

Sorry:o, but I really have problems with services being abused this way when there are alternatives for pretty much the same effort.

mioliere

I think everyone should have access to a dentist anyway regardless of whether or not they need emergency treatment. Millymoomoo, the poster with the dental problem, is much better off getting the problem treated now than waiting until it becomes a more serious emergency. As a former dental nurse, I lost count of the number of times my employer told a patient they should have sought treatment at the first sign of trouble instead of leaving it to become a much bigger problem and, in the long run, costing the NHS more in time and money. As most of us know, dentists are leaving the NHS at a rate of knots. The new contracts have seen to that - the PCTs are in charge of them - I'd love to meet someone who's PCT actually successfully found them a dentist. Most NHS dentists are not taking on although the new contract states that they should always be registering and they are not supposed to have waiting lists, either. Where does that leave people who cannot afford private treatment and cannot find an NHS dentist willing - as their contract says they should - to take them on?