Dentists Overcharging Patients

BlueSkyFool

Hello Everyone

I thought Id bring this issue up around Dental charges for NHS Patients as I have discovered it seems patients are being grossly overcharged.

If this has been brought up before in a thread I do apologise in advance.

Ok you may be aware that there are 3 standard charges for all NHS dental treatments these are as follows:

• Band 1 course of treatment – £18.50
  This covers an examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if needed, and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant.
• Band 2 course of treatment – £50.50
  This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or removal of teeth.
• Band 3 course of treatment – £219.00
  This covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures and bridges
  
  It seems that NHS patients are unaware that once you have your examination and diagnosis that unless you require further treatment as described in band 2 or band 3 you are only supposed to pay once.
  
  What I have discovered is, that dentists are charging patients the band 1 and then charging them again when they next visit for the prescribed treatment as determined by the dentist
  
  For example if you go to the dentist and have your initial examination and they tell you that you need a tooth extraction, they should only charge you the band 2 which covers both band 1 - examination and band 2 the extraction.
  
  If for example the dentist claims you need more then 1 course of treatment they are still only supposed to charge you once and the same goes if the dentist determines you need more evasive treatment as in band 3 you should only be charged the one fee once the dentist makes his diagnosis.
  
  The NHS Website clearly states
  
  "Depending on what you need to have done, you should only ever be asked to pay one charge for each complete course of treatment, even if you need to visit your dentist more than once to finish it. You will not be charged for individual items within the course of treatment"
  
  I have discovered that dentists are getting away with this because they say the course of treatment you require is located at another dental surgery, however this is still wrong they are by law not allowed to charge patients twice regardless of the fact they have to send you to another surgery.
  
  I recently took this up with my own dentist and was immediately refunded, and I also advised my parents to address this issue with their dental surgery because as NHS Patients the had an examination and was charged for it and then were told they needed to see a hygienist and charged £500 and then another £120 for a whitening kit, they did not go for cosmetic dentistry at all they are NHS Patients and both retired and in their 60s they just believed that the treatment they were told they needed to have was necessary and paid up not knowing they have been seriously overcharged.
  
  I think this is absolutely disgusting and want to ensure no more unknowing people are scammed in such a way by healthcare professionals that are prescribing unnecessary treatment and grossly overcharging.
  
  Make sure you have all your receipts that you have paid for your treatments and then take up the disputes with your dentist, if however they refuse to refund you then you can complain to the NHS Commissioning Board. All information is readily available on the NHS Website.
  
  Please also see below what treatments are covered by each band.
  
  Here is what each bands of treatment cover:
  
  Band 1 course of treatment: £18.50

• clinical examination, case assessment and report
• orthodontic case assessment and report
• advice, dental charting, diagnosis and treatment planning
• radiographic examination, including panoral and lateral headplates, and radiological report
• study casts including in association with occlusal analysis
• colour photographs
• instruction in the prevention of dental and oral disease including dietary advice and dental hygiene instruction
• surface application as primary preventive measures of sealants and topical fluoride preparations
• scaling, polishing and marginal correction of fillings
• taking material for pathological examination
• adjustments to and easing of dentures or orthodontic appliances
• treatment of sensitive cementum
  
  Band 2 course of treatment: £50.50

• non-surgical periodontal treatment including root-planing, deep scaling, irrigation of periodontal pockets and subgingival curettage and all necessary scaling and polishing
• surgical periodontal treatment, including gingivectomy, gingivoplasty or removal of an operculum
• surgical periodontal treatment, including raising and replacement of a mucoperiosteal flap, curettage, root planning and bone resection
• free gingival grafts
  permanent fillings in amalgam, composite resin, synthetic resin, glass ionomer, compomers, silicate or silico-phosphate, including acid etch retention
• sealant restorations
• endodontic treatment of permanent or retained deciduous teeth
• pulpotomy
• apicectomy
• extraction of teeth
• transplantation of teeth
• oral surgery including surgical removal of cyst, buried root, unerupted tooth, impacted tooth or exostosed tooth and alveolectomy
• soft tissue surgery in relation to the buccal cavity and lips
• frenectomy, frenuloplasty, frenotomy
• relining and rebasing dentures including soft linings
• addition of tooth, clasp, labial or buccal flange to dentures
• splints (other than laboratory made splints) in relation to periodontally compromised teeth and in connection with external trauma
• bite raising appliances (other than laboratory made appliances)
  
  Band 3 course of treatment: £219.00
  
  

• laboratory made porcelain or composite veneers, including acid etch retention
• inlays, pinlays, onlays and palatal veneers, in alloys containing 60% or more fine gold, porcelain, composite resin and ceramics
• crowns including any pin or post aids to retention:
  – full or three-quarter crown cast in alloys containing not less than 33⅓% fine gold or platinum or palladium
  – full or jacket crown cast in alloys containing stainless steel or cobalt chromium or nickel chromium
  – crown in porcelain, synthetic resin and other non-metallic crowns
  – full or jacket crowns in alloys containing not less than 33⅓% fine gold or platinum or palladium, or alloys containing stainless steel or cobalt chromium or nickel chromium, with thermally bonded porcelain
  – jacket crown thermally bonded to wrought platinum coping
  – prefabricated full or jacket crown, including any pin or post retention
• bridges including any pin or post aids to retention:
  – bridges in alloys containing 60% or more fine gold with or without thermally bonded facings
  – bridges cast in alloys containing stainless steel, cobalt chromium or nickel chromium, with or without thermally bonded facings
  – acid etch retained bridges
  – bridges in other materials
  – provision of full (completed) or partial dentures, overdentures and obturators in synthetic resin or metal or both synthetic resin and metal, including any cast or wrought metal components or aids to retention
  – orthodontic treatment and appliances
  – other custom made applications excluding sports guards

asajj

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=82

BlueSkyFool

Sorry asajj I clicked on the link but I don't know what Im meant to be looking at? I may be having a senior moment, help x

asajj

That forum is more appropriate to create your thread I believe

BlueSkyFool

Ok cool I will cut and paste it in there

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

asajj wrote: »

That forum is more appropriate to create your thread I believe

I respectfully disagree. Dentistry, and ensuring that individuals are not unwittingly overcharged, definitely deserves space on the more relevant Health and Beauty money saving forum where people will actually find it and create a dialogue around it.

It's an important issue which could be impacting a fair few NHS patients.


Thanks for posting, OP. What was the outcome in the case of your parents?

BlueSkyFool

Thank you A Phoenix of Tangerine. That was completely my intention to inform the general public of what seems to be a scam run by dentists in this country.


Clearly they are charging well out of the bands of treatment and are using sneeky loopholes to justify the charges.


My parents are going to address the overcharge next week, my dad has to go to hospital for his cancer treatment otherwise they would have gone tomorrow.


I did find out however that the sum my parents was overcharged by wasn't £500 its actually £151.00 my mistake. My mum will confront the dentist and let me know the outcome asap, Ive provided her with the evidence which is available on the NHS Website and hope that her dentist can justify the charges and if not accept he owes them a refund.


If they refuse then they need to prepare themselves for the hell fire I will reign on their backsides as I will complain, complain complain until they cough up and seriously think twice before conning my parents again.


Lets hope though the next time I need to go to the dentist they don't take revenge.

brixham

Is a hygienist appointment even available under the NHS ?
I am sure tooth whitening isn't covered under the NHS. Your parents WOULD have been told that whitening was a private treatment and £151 is pretty cheap for that.

trollopscarletwoman

Dt Discussion time is the place for this.

There, we can all, get our teeth in.

BlueSkyFool

brixham wrote: »

Is a hygienist appointment even available under the NHS ?
I am sure tooth whitening isn't covered under the NHS. Your parents WOULD have been told that whitening was a private treatment and £151 is pretty cheap for that.

I have just accessed the NHS Website and this is what is says


"You're entitled to have all clinically necessary treatment on the NHS. This means that the NHS will provide any treatment that you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain. This includes:

• dentures
• root canal treatment
• crowns and bridges
• any preventive treatment needed, such as a scale and polish, an appointment with the dental hygienist, fluoride varnish or fissure sealants
• white fillings
• orthodontics for under-18s

The NHS will not provide treatments such as teeth whitening, which you may want to make your teeth more attractive but which are not clinically necessary.
However, if your dentist says you need a particular type of treatment, you should not be asked to pay for it privately.
Your dentist is not allowed to refuse you any treatment available on the NHS but then offer the same treatment privately".


This shows that yes hygienist treatment is available on the NHS and yes my parents were incorrectly charged in fact the hygienist comes under the band 1 so the £18.50 charge would of covered this treatment.


Dentists this country are misleading the general public and something needs to be done about it.

terra_ferma

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine wrote: »

I respectfully disagree. Dentistry, and ensuring that individuals are not unwittingly overcharged, definitely deserves space on the more relevant Health and Beauty money saving forum where people will actually find it and create a dialogue around it.

It's an important issue which could be impacting a fair few NHS patients.


Thanks for posting, OP. What was the outcome in the case of your parents?

+1 on this one