Is my dentist a rip off merchant?!

Watto30

Hello,

Sorry for the long post but just after some advice as I am somewhat confused with the whole nhs/private dentistry thing and how much private dentistry is currently costing me.

Will cut a long story short, I am 31 years old, several years ago I went to a local nhs dentist who pretty much scared the life out of me and told me I needed a long list of treatment, I got a second opinion from another dentist (private) who took x-rays etc and told me that the nhs dentist was wrong and I didnt need half of the treatment he had recommended, so far so good and I was happy with the treatment I received from the private dentist, I trusted him and not had any major probs.

I might add that I currently had bupa dental care at this time through my job so although the costs were high I could recoup some of it through the dental insurance.

3 years went past and I moved a few times and never bothered going for check ups etc (v.bad I know but was skint) but had no problems until march this year when part of a filling came out of the tooth directly behind the pointy one near the front of mouth (pre-molar i think they are called).

I went back to the private dentist (same one as before) for a check up who said I needed a few bits done including a root canal done and crown all good and fine until we discussed costs! so far I have paid £200 for a first part of a root canal during which he used hand files to do this, another £200 for second part of root canal during which I think he attached some metal rod ready for a full porcelain crown which is going to cost the princely sum of £700!!!! so in total to save one tooth has cost £1100 :eek:. I might add that at this appointment he told me my wisdom teeth needed to come out but that would be covered by the nhs and referred me and have had one out under local and awaiting the other one to be done under general. The total quote he gave me was £1800 of work, £200 per filling.... everything with him seems to be £200!! after reading several posts on here about having rct on the nhs it seems that I did not receive any better treatment or the use of the better, more expensive equipment etc

I currently have no dental insurance so am having to pay this but after speaking to my sister yesterday who visits an nhs dentist she seems to think the price is a rip off. The practice I go to does take nhs patients so I am not exactly sure why I am stuck paying this much as a private patient when I never specified that I wanted to be private in the first place!

The problem is i have now had the two sessions of root canal done and waiting for the crown to be put on in july but am slightly peeved at how much this has cost me if I could have had this done for half the price on the nhs? is it worth changing to an nhs dentist now? the current practice I go to just made me assume that as I worked full time and didnt receive any benefits etc that I would have to pay private! am I being ripped off? thanks for any words of wisdom

Toothsmith

Those charges sound about right.

Root canal treatment is very complex and time consuming. It is also very prone to failure unless it is done absolutely right with a great degree of care.

If you went to see an NHS dentist, then one of five things might hapen

1. You'd be told that they could take the tooth out, or you could be referred to a (private) specialist if you really wanted it saved as doing it was 'too complicated' for them.

2. You'd be told they couldn't do it on the NHS but if you paid them privately they would do it (Although they can get into a lot of trouble if they put it as bluntly as that)

3. You'd get it done in about 2x20 min appointments, pay the £40 odd quid NHS charge, it would be fine for a year or two, then it would all blow up with an abscess again and need taking out - or referral to a specialist where it would now be even more expensive as it's a re-treatment which is even more complicated, especially if it's a bodge job to start with.

4. You would find someone who did it adequately, given the limitations of a very poorly funded system, and it might be OK for a while.

5. You would find someone like welshdent who is currently doing root fillings well on the NHS whilst he builds up his experience working towards becoming a specialist endodontist (root filler). Then you would get an excellent job done at a fraction of what it would really cost.

How lucky do you feel????

Or - just stick with the guy you have (up to now) trusted - and make a mental note not to let problems get so expensive again by going for regular inspections to allow things to be caught earlier, and fixed more cheaply.

SailorSam

I called-in the dentist and asked how much would it cost to have a wisdom tooth taken out and he quoted £200, i told him it was far to much and what was the lowest price he'd do it for. He told me it could do it for £25 but that would mean not using any anaesthetic and just ripping it out with a pair of pliers, so there would be lots of pain. I told him that didn't matter and that was fine and he offered to do it there and then but i said ....... It's not for me make an appointment for the wife next week.

Toothsmith

SailorSam wrote: »

I called-in the dentist and asked how much would it cost to have a wisdom tooth taken out and he quoted £200, i told him it was far to much and what was the lowest price he'd do it for. He told me it could do it for £25 but that would mean not using any anaesthetic and just ripping it out with a pair of pliers, so there would be lots of pain. I told him that didn't matter and that was fine and he offered to do it there and then but i said ....... It's not for me make an appointment for the wife next week.

Jimmy Tarbuck c 1972

Watto30

Hi

Thanks for replying so quickly with helpful information Toothsmith and for making me laugh Sailorsam! wish I lived near Welshdent!

comeandgo

Yup, that costs seem normal for private work. My husband had something similar and I was astounded at the cost - expecially when he had to go back and forth after the work done as still had pain - though the follow up treatment was given for nothing.

Watto30

Sorry to hear your hubby had to pay similar comeandgo and still had probs, hope all is ok for him now. I was lucky as the tooth had not started hurting but was only a matter of time when I had the root canal done so was not painful etc, I had heard many a horror story but for me it was no worse than a filling just took a bit longer.

From what Toothsmith said above I think I will be sticking with my current dentist despite the high costs as although its expensive he does a good job. £1100 would have done me a week in the seychelles!

cazziebo

A week in the Seychelles or a better smile for a lot longer?

Know which I'd pick. Nice teeth make people look younger and more attractive, and therefore usually more confident.

(PS I'm not a dentist, just come from a part of the country known for bad health and bad teeth!)

Watto30

Oh yes deffo agree that a smile is more important, it just seems rather expensive compared to NHS

What I dont understand and will be taking it up with the dentist next time I go is why I am paying private prices when I should be entitled to nhs charges from the same dentist? as it appears that they do accept nhs patients there, just seems a bit odd, he referred me to nhs for the wisdom extraction yet anything else including a filling is £200, perhaps a dentist can answer this one but just wondered why I am paying private prices to see a private dentist who also treats nhs patients in the same place?

brook2jack

There is no such thing as a nhs dentist. Dentists are all self employed and for some the NHS gives them a sum of money to carry out so many NHS treatments in a year. For some dentists NHS treatment will constitute most of their work, others a small amount and some none at all.

Some dentists save the NHS contract to give treatment to those on lowest incomes ie children and people on benefits. Some dentists only have a very small contract and can only see a small number of people on the NHS and so take no new patients on.

If a dentist does more work than their contract stipulates they do not get paid for it and you cannot increase the size of a contract.

The vast majority of dentists provide both nhs and private treatment.

You were a private patient, you have been taken on as a private patient again as you have clearly understood, the dentist has no obligation to offer you NHS treatment instead, particularly as they may not offer nhs dentistry to fee paying adults or new patients.

You are only entitled to NHS charges and prices when you have been accepted as a nhs patient and signed a nhs form and treatment plan. If you want nhs treatment then you must make sure you ask for nhs treatment before you are seen , but a dentist is perfectly entitled not to take you on as a nhs patient.

What they cannot do is take you on as a nhs patient and refuse to do clinically necessary treatment or only do it themselves privately.

joedenise

Have you thought about something like HSA where you pay a monthly charge and then can get back half the cost (up to the limit you've paid for)? Might help you a bit.

Denise