Dental Query

tesuhoha

My husband and I are registered as National Health patients at our dentist but they also carry out private treatment. Recently both of us have had some cosmetic work done to save teeth that otherwise would have to be pulled out and as neither of us have that many teeth left then that is worth doing so we paid for private treatment.

Nevertheless we are pensioners. I have just found out by accident that our dentist has been charging us private fees for things like check ups and hygienist appointments where as far as I am concerned we should only be paying the NHS price. I don't think this is right and I am going to ring them on Monday but does anyone know if we will be entitled to a refund? Surely if you have some private treatment they can't take away your NHS entitlement?

I have only noticed this since we had the private work done but we have both had checkups and I have had a few hygienist appointments. At the time I thought the prices were a bit steep for NHS i.e £80 for 2 checkups but I didn't query it as I thought it must be right. I really don't mind paying when it is necessary but we are struggling a bit with being private patients.

Toothsmith

No one has been a 'registered' NHS patient in England or Wales since the concept of 'registration' was abolished in a new NHS dental contract in 2006.

You may have been a 'regular' NHS patient, but each NHS course of treatment in a stand alone thing, and then the next time you visit the dentist, that is an entirely separate agreement and not based on any arrangement you might have had before.

Obviously there has been some misunderstanding between yourselves and the practice.

Ideally, dentists should make the patient aware of the basis on which they are being treated - particularly if it is a mixed practice offering both private and NHS treatment, but it is also up to the patient to make sure the treatment they are requesting is NHS treatment.

It's certainly worth asking the practice if they can show you any treatment plan or document you signed agreeing to private work when you were under the impression you were being seen on the NHS, but there is no real 'entitlement' to it as each new course of treatment is a separate agreement, not a continuing care agreement.

Undervalued

Toothsmith wrote: »

Obviously there has been some misunderstanding between yourselves and the practice.

Ideally, dentists should make the patient aware of the basis on which they are being treated - particularly if it is a mixed practice offering both private and NHS treatment, but it is also up to the patient to make sure the treatment they are requesting is NHS treatment.

It's certainly worth asking the practice if they can show you any treatment plan or document you signed agreeing to private work when you were under the impression you were being seen on the NHS, but there is no real 'entitlement' to it as each new course of treatment is a separate agreement, not a continuing care agreement.

Ideally??

Surely that is understating it a bit? I would have though it is absolutely fundamental!

I fully understand that NHS registration no longer exists (in E & W) but surely the dentist has a duty to tell somebody who has been a regular NHS patient if he is no longer willing to offer NHS treatment or is now also offering a private alternative.

It seems to me this is a variation on the sharp practice (actually dishonesty - lets call a spade a spade!) we have discussed in other threads regarding root treatment.

sheramber

As you had private treatment it may have been automatically carried forward on your record as a private patient.

As I understand it, hygienist appointments are always private as they are not under NHS.

tesuhoha

Oh, okay, thank you. Might try ringing them on Monday to see what they say.

brook2jack

Unless you have signed a NHS form to say you are having NHS treatment you cannot assume any treatment you , including check ups is NHS , even if the practice offers NHS treatment.

If you are going for the first time to a dentist , or after a private course of treatment , if it is important you receive NHS treatment then check before the appointment it is an NHS course of treatment you are having.

You will be given a form to sign to say it is NHS treatment you are having.

There is no automatic right to NHS treatment with any particular dentist , they may not have a contract , they may have run out of NHS funding that year, they may have assumed you wish to continue to be treated privately . So if it is important to have NHS treatment check before the appointment.

All NHS practices should have a poster in the waiting room detailing (in England and Wales) the NHS charge bands .

As said previously all hygienist visits are private.

There is no registration in England and Wales any more so just because you had NHS treatment with a dentist in the past you can't assume that will always be available.

That being said you can have a mixture of NHS and private treatment , you should get a costed treatment plan detailing what are NHS charges and what are private charges , and check when you make your next appointment for a check up that it is NHS.

Toothsmith

brook2jack wrote: »

As said previously all hygienist visits are private.

Whilst this is mostly the case in practice - an NHS patient should still not be told they need a hygienist appointment, and then charged privately for it.

If a hygienist appointment is necessary for achieving dental health, then either that or an alternative (i.e. the dentist providing the treatment him/herself) should be arranged.

A hygienist appointment can be offered as a private preventative measure to an NHS patient, or as a private cosmetic measure to clean off staining.

If an NHS patient needs hygienist appts though, these would most likely be charged as Band 2 items.