Dental checkup/hygienist

Toothsmith

Yep.

Dentists interpret it one way, patients interpret it another and PCTs interpret it differently again.

Each one is complaining that the other is doing it wrong!

For every £ taken wrongly from a patient there will be another £ taken wrongly from a dentist and stress and hassle of complaints between all 3 sides of the triangle.

And this was the system that was supposed to be 'clearer and fairer' than an individual fee for every item provided!

brook2jack

athomick wrote: »

So just going back to a question I asked previously which Toothsmith answered. Does this mean that a check-up followed by a band 2 clean within 2 months could be charged £17.50 + £48 if the dentist processes the check-up before performing the clean? But - if the band 2 clean is done first followed by a check-up 10 minutes later it should be £48?

In theory yes. In practice every nhs dentist has their treatments analysed by the pct and nhs business services. They look at specific things like number of one tooth dentures provided, fluoride treatments given,average length of time between check ups and recalled attendances ie treatment claimed for in between check ups. If these do not come into statistical parameters the money paid for all the treatment has to be paid back to the pct immediately.

This has caused massive problems with some practices having to close despite having kept to the rules. In a deprived area with poor oral health it is easy to see people may have to attend more often , than in a leafy suburb. But the bureaucrats are only interested in keeping the books balanced, not in general health.

So in your example the charges would be as you say they are and keeping to the rules, but the pct in charge of the purse strings would have the practice flagged up for treatments done in between check ups. Here is a document with the parameters a pct is checking for. Widespread use in a practice of spacing of treatments would trigger reports for a variety of reasons http://www.brightonandhovepct.nhs.uk/healthprofessionals/dentistry/documents/ExceptionReportsProcedure.doc

athomick

I had a check-up at a different dentist today and a treatment plan was agreed. I also chatted to her for a few minutes afterwords about some of the things we have been discussing here.

She said that my teeth and gums are in good condition and maintained well with no scaling worth mentioning. She classed me as low risk in her scale of low, medium and high. She said that the chips on my teeth could be repaired under the NHS although she did say that it was a matter of opinion and that other dentists might disagree (I think this tallies with what has been said on here). Regarding cleaning/scale/polish - she said that I don't really require it but that she would be happy to do it when she fixes the chips next week. Total cost of check-up, clean & polish & chip fillings £48.

The thing that struck me most was the completely open way she communicated with me. The treatment plan was given to me to sign by her (something my other dentist has never done, it was just given by the receptionist at the end of the check-up/treatment to sign prior to paying). She also discussed how much it would cost and made sure I was comfortable with that. Very refreshing.

Toothsmith

Stick with that one then!

Glad you've got sorted.

Candy53

It clearly states on the NHS site that a scale and polish come under Band 1.

I went for a check up today and asked if I was going to get my scale and polish. My dentist said 'Yes, but you will have to make an appointment with the hygenist and pay an extra £18! I said I thought it was included in the check up. No, she said, as a polish is counted as cosmetic you have to pay extra. I said no thanks.

All this confuses me now. In the old days, you got a scale and polish automatically, so, is it now that if *you* want one, you have to pay, but if the dentist says you *need* one, you don't have to pay??


Candy53

wealdroam

Candy53 wrote: »

In the old days, you got a scale and polish automatically, so, is it now that if *you* want one, you have to pay, but if the dentist says you *need* one, you don't have to pay??

Yes, you have summed it up well.

athomick

Are dentists required to have a complaints procedure? What is a reasonable charge for supplying a copy of my dental records?

FlyingDonkeys

Just got quote for clean £54 seems a crazy price!

mo786uk

FlyingDonkeys wrote: »

Just got quote for clean £54 seems a crazy price!

After going to see a periodontist I was told to see the hygienist who charged £125 for 1 hour or £75 for 30 minutes.

I went in for the 1 hour but luckily I came out after about 40-45 minutes so they charged me £75.

My own dentist does a clean for something like £20-£30 but granted it did not feel as thorough as the hygienist - maybe because it isn't or maybe because the hygienist spent a lot of time explaining was she was doing as the visit was partly educational to explain how to better look after my gums. She also had a much fancier set up.

I would say half the visit was spent tell me stuff I already knew and half cleaning my teeth.


My own dentist (based in another surgery) said he could spend more time on patients but would have to charge more - he was of the view that what he did was sufficient as long as you got a clean regularly and didn't leave it years. That being said my dental surgery are very cost concious unlike a lot of other places I have heard of.

So in my experience I would say getting your teeth cleaned is probably worth it but I would be reluctant to pay more than £40 as I don't think it is that much better than my standard dentists clean - but I imagine the level of 'detail' you get varies between every practitioner.

brook2jack

In general it costs £100 to £120 an hour to run a hygienists surgery. Time spent on your appointment will be charged as a fraction of that.

As gum disease is controlled by the patient not "cured" by dentist/hygienist perhaps the most important part of treatment is showing you how to clean effectively to stop plaque/tartar building up again as if you clean effectively you won't have to see the hygienist.