How often should we go the dentist to retain NHS registration?

dgtjunior

I last went to the my NHS dentist in December 2013. I had a cap restuck. It fell out again three weeks later. I didn't go back, as it was done else where years ago, and seemed like as a waste of money to get it stuck in again for it to fall out a week later. I bought dental cement and did it myself.Of course it fell out again. I gave up worrying about it..

Last week (end of July 2014) I tried to book and appointment for a check up and diagnosis for a new cap as I've been chewing on a jagged stump for 7 months. The dentist receptionist told me that I had been crossed off the registry as I hadn't been for over 6 months. This was because I couldn't afford the £214 pounds for the new cap. I didn't need any other treatment.

This 6 month period sounds wrong. Not many people go to the dentist every six months if they don't need treatment and I told them that. I think once a year is more typical and a quick check on NHS direct says the same; once a year (for adults) if teeth are not giving trouble.

So is the dentist making up their own rules here in order to turn over more check up charges? Can NHS dentists do that?

So, what is the typical interval period between appointments employed by NHS dentists in order to stay on their register?

AbbieCadabra

i made an appointment at my dentist yesterday, i haven't been for over 6 months & i was told that the option for this check up would have to be private, NHS treatment wouldn't be available.

Toothsmith

In England and Wales, nobody is 'registered' with an NHS dentist anymore. Registration was abolished in the 2006 dental contract change.

A dentist will see you if they 'have capacity' and their commitment to you only lasts as long as that treatment.

A lot of dentists still try to look after their regular patients - but how they do this is pretty much up to them. So long as they apply whichever rules they have fairly and equally.

Toothsmith

AbbieCadabra wrote: »

i made an appointment at my dentist yesterday, i haven't been for over 6 months & i was told that the option for this check up would have to be private, NHS treatment wouldn't be available.

That would either be because they 'didn't have capacity' - that is they'd used up their contracted amount of NHS work already (But as that goes from April - April it's unlikely they'd run out this early)

Or it might be because you are a 'low risk' patient, and therefore 6 monthly check ups on the NHS are deemed inappropriate for you and something like yearly appointments will be what you can have on the NHS.

I would just try to clarify with the practice why they have told you this.

AbbieCadabra

thanks toothsmith

i think i could well be changing dentists soon anyway as the next stage in my treatment isn't really their area of expertise (from what i can gather).

dgtjunior

So I went back for the appointment, had a full check with xrays ect, and was told that as a low risk patient I'd need to come back in 9 months to keep the NHS place unless I had trouble before.

Fair enough. It seems that NHS dentists operate by their own rules these days. Although NHS online recommends a once yearly visit for adults on its website.

welshdent

WADR that is not remotely correct re operating by their own rules. Firstly ignore any "advice" from NHS online. It is utter nonsense. I have patients that NEED to come in every 3 months because every 3 months they NEED some for of intervention. Conversely I saw a patient today who had not been in for 4 years and was absolutely immaculate.

NHS online make statements like that for one reason and one reason alone. They do not want to pay for you to go to the dentist. The less you go the less they spend and in their mind, more people with more problems will go meaning it costs the government less to get them fixed. If you with a good mouth went twice a year needing just a quick scale it would mean the dentist has earned 2 easy udas. If you go once, they take the view a dentist could see someone that needs 9 fillings, take up 5 appointments (for arguments sake 2 and a half hours clinical time) and that would generate the dentist a maximum of 3 UDAS but COSTS significantly more. As a guide 1 UDA is roughly £9. NHS spends less money knowing the dentist is getting hit heavily with costs for only 1 extra UDA compared to seeing you in what would take maybe 20 minutes of clinical time.

We have NICE guidelines in recall intervals. They are just that. Guidelines. We make individual assessments based on individual patient needs. We assess diet, general health, risk factors for problems, existing restorations etc, habits such as smoking and alcohol intake. Based on that using the knowledge and experienced gained over many years, we determine how often the individual should come in. It is extremely unhelpful for NHS online to make up blanket statements. It is impossible to ascertain you personal risk without seeing you.

Further more, tony blairs government REMOVED registration anyway so you are NOT registered with ANY dentist. Dentists didnt do that. The government did.

You have said you were told you were low risk but also have a cap that required refixing. I would hazzard a guess 9 months is not far off a reasonable recall interval.

As a general point, many people are so quick to lay blame at dentists but almost all the problems the general public encounter are nothing to do with the dentists. It is to do with the stupid contract foisted on to dentists, it is to do with changes government made where the dentists have no power. It is to do with diet, it is to do with trauma it is to do with any other external factor ... but the dentist gets the blame. I find it quite frustrating when all most of us are doing is trying to do our job to the best of our abilities.

Torry_Quine

My dentist calls me for a check-up every six months although it will be nearer eight by the time of the appointment. Very rare to need treatment either.

Lily-Rose_3

My husband was booted off a dentist's list back around 2004, because he had not been for 2 years and a month! They said his registration lapsed after 2 years!!! (I had been in that time. So I was OK. Same with our daughter.)

We had to wait 9 months before he could get registered with a new dentist. Me and my daughter moved to them too, as we were so peed off that the old dentist booted him off his 'list,' because he was just a month past the 'deadline,' and because they never wrote to him to warn him.

So they lost 3 customers.

I wasn't aware that people weren't officially registered anymore. When did this happen???

welshdent

Registration ceased in 2006 on april the 1st. Prior to that registration lasted for 18 months.

In fairness it is not the responsibility of the practice to write to anyone advising of check ups or when patients are lapsing. It would have been done as a courtesy. Often a very expensive courtesy if it is a big practice.

lulu_92

I didn't go to the dentist between the ages of 17 and 20 due to moving around. I signed up at a new practice (well you know what I mean) and after that check up my appointment was for a year's time. I went to that last month and it was all okay and my next appointment is in about 5 months.

I've never had a problem with being seen by a dentist and I'm NHS.