More tooth problems, how can dental bridges cost £650?

justme111

Apologies for my sarcasm. I just get frustrated when people go to mcDonalds , pay their prices then complain they been "ripped off" because their burger does not have meat in it.
Dentists have to secure oral health on their nhs contract. Missing tooth is not a disease. If they provide full coverage bridges on nhs they have to charge band 3 charge indeed. And as described they would be paying out of their pockets for you to have it. Do you think it is right ? Probably you do , you don't seem to care about them and full if envy for their earnings. They don't want to pay for you to have that bridge surprisingly so they say missing tooth is not a disease and in any case a removable denture is an adequate basic replacement for it. If you want (not need , notice it) something else you would have to pay fir privately. Probably surprising to you they are allowed to charge whatever for their private work.

welshdent

majorwally wrote: »

Wow, dentists must be paupers.
Never realised they paid so much out. Must be a nightmare collecting all those £58 band 2 charges for one filling.
Bet your just above the breadline hey chaps.

But seriously though, I had a cap done. It took 3 mins to shape the tooth, 2 visits totaling 35 mins and I was done.
Tooth looks rubbish!
£222 Ta very much!

You can only go by your own personal experiences and nearly all of mine left me thinking
1. Why didn't i become a dentist?
2. What an absolute rip off

If you looked at my practice profile you would see very few band 2 1 filling courses of treatment. I appreciate you are frustrated however that does not mean you are correct with your assumptions. Perhaps if you spent some time in a practice and saw what we ACTUALLY do and what our ACTUAL costs are then you may understand more.

Things that are glossed over or just ignored - NHS dentists have seen a 20% drop in earnings in the last 10 years. Indemnity has sky rocketed. DPL is approximately £4000 a year for someone not doing implants. If someone so much as looks at one the indemnity goes to £8000. GDC registration is just shy of £1000 a year. That makes it the highest registration fee of all the professions. Medical registration for example is around half the fee.

To do an implant course properly the dentist is looking around £30,000.

To pay the staff who work in a practice almost ALL the money is generated by the dentist. The nurses and reception staff, cleaners etc all need to be paid from somewhere and that somewhere is the money earned by the dentist carrying out the treatment.

welshdent

majorwally wrote: »

Getting back to my original argument, how do Dentists justify not charging the NHS band 3 for fixed bridges then?

It states on the NHS dental web site that bridges come under band 3, so how can they charge what they like.
I don't understand how they can go against what is laid down by the NHS?

Because we do not HAVE to provide a bridge. If we DO provide one we do not HAVE to provide you the best type in terms of appearance. We have to give dental health. That may be a denture, that may be a metal type rather than a zirconia bridge.

justme111

Re dentists not being paupers. If a dentist was
- doing nhs work only,
-conscientiously clinically,
- interpreting vague department of health contract every time erring on a side of doing more for fixed amount of money rather than less and
- did not have his capital expenses paid already (dental surgery average cost is about half a million, fancy having a loan fir half a million ?) they would go out of business in less then a month, ie would be poppers. Numbers quoted in this thread are true and numbers don't lie.
Which of the above conditions is not happening in every particular dental surgery offering NHS treatment is up to you to guess.

wangdoodle

I think you are expecting far too much from the NHS dental treatment. It is there to secure your health, not to make you look good.

I've had a lot of work done on the NHS to try to save my tooth, and I was very happy with it. Unfortunately it now needs to be replaced and I am footing the bill for private treatment. £1500 seems like a sweet deal for an implant. I'm paying double that, but of course, that is my choice.

I won't die from a missing tooth. But I'm only young and see it as an investment which, if I look after it, will hopefully last longer than the poor tooth did.

Toothsmith

majorwally wrote: »

But seriously though, I had a cap done. It took 3 mins to shape the tooth, 2 visits totaling 35 mins and I was done.
Tooth looks rubbish!
£222 Ta very much!

You can only go by your own personal experiences and nearly all of mine left me thinking
1. Why didn't i become a dentist?
2. What an absolute rip off

If you select a dentist on cheapest price, or - in the case of NHS - who will do the most for you for the money - then this will always be your experience of dentistry.

If you ask around for a good dentist - and define 'good' as one that takes their time, is careful, and makes sure that the patient always leaves the practice feeling that they have had the very best attention from the dentist, then you may well pay 3 or 4 x the money - but feel extremely satisfied with what you have for it.

Alternatively - if you insist on NHS - then find a dentist who will just do the basics for you very well, and don't expect the earth for your Government tooth tax (Which is what the band charges effectively are) Then you may well be happier as well.

izzybella16

NHS dental contracts waste of time.

donnac2558

izzybella16 wrote: »

NHS dental contracts waste of time.

Yes of course, you want them all to go your masters in Hungry.

Oh do go back under your bridge. The amount of crap you have come out with would fill the Irish Sea.

izzybella16

The things covered by NHS contract would not result in someone seeking treatment in Hungary.

Simpleton.

heartbreak_star

izzybella, seriously, what is your problem?

(http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=70094249&postcount=20 - can you confirm? )

HBS x