Dentistry = Highway robbery

DenBo_4

Where I live it is easy to get a NHS dentist, but the treatment you get is very poor. Around here the new dentist accepts NHS patients, practises on them and when deemed competent enough, becomes a private dentist. I have seen it happen so many times, and I have unfortunately been on the receiving end, especially now that I don't have to pay anything. In fact I would consider the treatment you get when you can't afford to pay anything is appalling.

One of my daughters has just paid £750 for some fillings on the NHS. When she went back to her dentist (new as the other one had left to go private) she was told they would all need doing again! In despair she has gone to a private dentist, at £40 a consultation. This private dentist has been fantastic, checking every single tooth properly and advising my daughter on nutrition, she is very thin -her teeth hurt so she doesn't eat. The consultation overran, so the dentist told her to come back next week for another consultation, but told her she wouldn't charge for this one. Now my daughter knows that to get her teeth sorted properly is going to cost a fortune (I presume we are talking thousands of pounds) and is going to have to take a loan out for this treatment. If you can't pay to get proper treatment at the dentist nowadays you are in trouble. (and I appreciate that there are some good NHS dentists around, just havent been lucky enough to have one)

Teerah

DenBo wrote: »

One of my daughters has just paid £750 for some fillings on the NHS.

Thats not an NHS charge I'm afraid

Teerah

Toothsmith wrote: »

Actually T, and the rest of you - NI doesn't, and has never paid for any of the NHS.

NHS is and always has been funded out of general taxation.

NI was there for pensions and the benefits system.

But still, you don't get a rebate if you never claim benefits and die before you reach pension age!

I appreciate that these days Tax and NI are pretty much all going into the same pot, but NI doesn't pay for health.

Sorry Toothsmith, I stand corrected

fruitcake_2

hmm, have been reading all your posts and dare I ask, what the going rate is for a check up? The last one I had was three years ago in London at my OH's dentist, a place called Dentics (this is after 12 years of not having seen a dentists chair) the hygenist also cleaned my teeth. the cost was £200 altogether....i don't have any fillings and didn't need any...phew! Was told that it was people like me that put Dentists out of business...hee. But am thinking it is time to get another check up amd replace a tiny cap on the corner of my front tooth that I had done at the age of seven after a road accident. Was told it would need replacing if I wanted my teeth whitened....which i think would be soon...as age, mochas and good wine have taken their tannin toll on.....:D
Am in Manchester and am wondering if it any cheaper as the one in London was an (extreme makeover one) bit expensive for a regular jaunt (but very good nonetheless). Also would it be worth taking out insurance if all i was doing was getting checked twice a year?

fruitcake_2

aah am sorry...just realised this is a local board for NI.....sorry please ignore my previos post.......

talksalot81

I have just been hit by all of this...

My dentists appeared to have forgotten me. I have always had 6 month reminders and it worked smoothly from there. The rest of my family is the same but another family member has had the same experience to me. But would you believe it, they remember us to send their leaflet about dumping NHS entirely and we must now pay private or go on 'denplan'. What is even more interesting is that myself and the other family member i refered to, were the only ones NOT already on Denplan. So the surgery has intentionally been ignoring my brother and I because we were NHS but now have the nerve to come chasing us for money.

On NHS, I was paying no more than £50 a year on dental care. Minimum cost on denplan will be nearly two and a half times this! There is thus one of two things certain, either the NHS arrangement is ridiculous (i.e. bad governmental practice) or else the dentists are just sticking their arms in.

CL

Can someone explain to me what the difference is between being registered with a dentist as an NHS patient who pays for their treatment or as a private patient. Is there any difference?

Thanks in advance.

Flicker

As far as I am aware the difference is the price, and trying to get a dentist on the NHS is almost impossible, so going private is more or less the only thing to do. I think if you go on the NHS the government pays pay of the payment, Im not too sure.

I think on some level its like if you have an illness, and you go to hospital and they say oh treatment will be X amount of time, and you can wait or you can have your treatment privately, which is usually in the same hospital.

It makes no sense to me, but it shows again, that money does speak.

If you need a dentist enquire about the private and the NHS prices, there will be a difference but you probably wont get it on the NHS.

HTH

swannie_girl

Cheapest private treatment in my area is around £20 per month paid annually. Bit steep as I usually only have 2 checkups per year and fortunately haven't need any treatment other than checkups for about 8 years. Works out quite expensive but trying to find a NHS dentist is like pulling teeth, if you know what I mean.

Lindsay-Lou

it appears the simple answer is: Money

At NHS Dentist your treatment will be subsidised by the government.

My dentist have just decided to leave the NHS so the choices they have presented are: pay a flat fee every year to stay on their books or enter a private dental plan with them. great.:(