Slightly confused-Dental charges..

C_Mababejive

Hi all,

Is it just me who finds trips to the dentist a little bit unclear?

My understanding is that of you can find a dentist to register you, you can opt for totally NHS charges as follows;

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/dental-health/how-much-will-i-pay-for-nhs-dental-treatment/


Presumably Dentists operate the same levels of professionalism if you are an "NHS" patient.

I think there is also this conflict of being unable to find an NHS dentist as they are not obliged to register you as solely an NHS patient?


So now to non NHS or "private" treatment.

If i ring a typical dentist up and book a routine check up, what will it include and how much might i expect to pay ?

The NHS band one check up fee includes check,diagnosis,x ray if necessary and a clean up

Could i expect all of the above to be included in my "private" check up consultation?


Also i understand that as a "private" patient you can also incorporate some treatments at NHS scales and/or the dentist can offer some treatments at NHS scales?

If so,why would i then need to see a hygienist ,most of whom operate as self employed practitioners within the dentist?

All advice welcome particularly from dentists etc

brook2jack

The reason a dentist will do private treatment is that they can spend alot more time with each patient. A band one treatment will earn, on average, the practice £25 . That pays the costs of check up X rays , scaling , the costs of running the practice, the wages of nurse , receptionist, cleaner ,the costs of training and finally the what is left over pays the dentist. A NHS surgery may cost £140 an hour per room, to run, so that gives you very little time before the dentist starts to lose money.

A private practice will cost more, per hour to run. The equipment, materials etc will be much more expensive.

Private prices are based on the cost per hour of running the practice. Private appointments are much longer than NHs. Eg a new patient check up will take 30 mins to an hour or more. The cost of the check up will reflect this. X rays will be charged separately as will hygiene appointments. For a dentist it is pointless charging NHS prices as they will not cover overheads. You can expect a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes per hygiene appointment.

Private prices will vary according to practice eg a family practice in the suburbs will be much cheaper than a high end inner city practice that eg specialises in cosmetics.

All practices should be able to provide you with indicative prices for check ups etc.

NHS dentistry prices in no way reflect the cost of providing dental treatment . Eg for the average dentist the first 800 patients treated just pay for their indemnity , the next 110 pay for registration with the dental council , then there's training to pay for another few hundred patients , before they've earned anything.

C_Mababejive

Thanks jack,,and i seem to remember this is your line of business?

So essentially if you pitch up for an NHS check up you are likely to get an inferior service compared to a private check up? This has to be the case. Clearly a band 1 charge is ridiculously low and anyone would see that.

I guess its a bit like going to the opticians.

So for example, if i ask for a private check up,what would i typically get?? A check up,advice, an airflow/de scale /clean up and if all was well id be done and anything above this would be extra??

Are practices compelled to take on NHS only patients?

Can practices be 100% private? If i pay to go private in a practice that takes NHS patients surely i am subsidising them?


My dentist always has you pay at the time you make the appt,presumably to stop those pesky no shows..

brook2jack

The average NHS practice runs a no show rate of 34% , around 40% of new patients do not turn up. You cannot charge patients for not turning up yet practice costs still need to be paid.

A private check up will be just that , check up with ,possibly , X rays intra oral photos, advise and a treatment plan. If you need scaling ,airflow that will be a separate charge and will be an appointment with a hygienist.

The cheapest way to do this is to join a plan eg denplan essentials , practice plan etc, for £12 to £16 ish a month you will get two check ups, two hygiene visits , X rays emergency treatment , discount off treatment costs and an insurance covering emergency call outs and accidental injuries.

Pay as you go check ups will vary from £30 to £100 , hygiene visits £25 to £60 ish depending on practice.

brook2jack

A practice can only take on NHS patients if it has a NHS contract. That contract will be limited so even if the dentist has time/space they cannot do more treatment than the contract , it actually means they would pay to treat more patients.

Likewise if they don't do enough treatment they are financially penalised at the year end and may lose the contract.

A practice cannot be forced to accept a patient on the NHS and just because a practice does some NHS dentistry you should not assume you will be seen on the NHS , unless you have been told you are and sign a NHS form.

There is no doubt in a mixed practice private patients subsidise the NHS patients in as much as new equipment , materials,staff and building costs are comcerned. There are an increasing number of private only practices as many authorities will not give out child or exempt patient only contracts which many mixed practices used to have.

We have twice as many dentists now as we had in 2006 when the new dental contract came out , yet fewer and fewer NHS dental treatments carried out. There is not a shortage of dentists, just a shortage of dentists who are still working under the flawed NHS contract.

justme111

C_Mababejive wrote: »

So essentially if you pitch up for an NHS check up you are likely to get an inferior service compared to a private check up?

.

But a dentist who works on the NHS is not supposed to say or imply that NHS service is lower quality than private - that's a severe offence which may terminate their career.


Now , although statistically private check up would be of better quality but a lot depends on a particular dentist , practice and patient. So it is possible in some circumstances for it to be other way round.
Re mixed practices - I would advise to chose purely private practices as then the ethos of the practice is not "contaminated" by NHS. The NHS treatments are going to make tour dentist run late even if he is private and really one can not fill one tooth to one standard and another 20 minutes later to a different one; it ends up similar - may be with different materials or more polishing time but still..

justme111

]But a dentist who works on the NHS is not supposed to say or imply that NHS service is lower quality than private - that's a severe offence which may terminate their career. CDO ( chief dental officer) looking people in the eyes states that it is the same and people ( dental representatives etc) who she participates in events with say it is the same. If limitations would be acknowledged and accepted it would be great but they are not and it makes the system very demoralizing.


Now , although statistically private check up would be of better quality but a lot depends on a particular dentist , practice and patient. So it is possible in some circumstances for it to be other way round.
Re mixed practices - I would advise to chose purely private practices as then the ethos of the practice is not "contaminated" by NHS. The NHS treatments are going to make tour dentist run late even if he is private and really one can not fill one tooth to one standard and another 20 minutes later to a different one; it ends up similar - may be with different materials or more polishing time but still..

welshdent

You arent "entitled" to a scale on a band 1. It is available if clinically necessary to remove calculus. So you may not automatically get one. If you want one when it is not clinically indicated then you can opt to see the hygienist privately or if you want stain removal you can opt to see them, privately also,. Or you may CHOOSE to see the hygienist over the dentist. Some people do this as the hygienist will usually spend longer with them. I for example do my own scales or at least I have done and would not normally direct people to the hygienist as a matter of course. But by the same token I book 15 minutes for an examination and your scaling will be within this appointment I do not have the availability to book longer for a cleaning. That being said I thankfully do very few general practice appointments these days!