COVID19 DENTIST CHARGING FOR PPE

Jeremy535897

silvercar said:

I do wonder what is happening in dentistry in other countries.
Here we have had months of delays, treatment plans abandoned, no routine check ups and patients in urgent need facing a choice of staying in agony or losing a tooth that in normal time would be saved.
I'm not blaming anyone, just curious.

Some information here: https://bda.org/news-centre/blog/Pages/Coronavirus-The-global-response-to-post-lockdown-dentistry.aspx

adamp87

nannyto2 said:

@brook2jack2 you can post as many calculations as you want in this thread, it doesn't detract from the fact that the majority of dentists and hairdressers are not charging their customers extra during this time, and customers have a right to move if they don't agree with paying extra charges.

That’s subjective to location though. Because I can tell that the dentists in my town are charging.

JCS1

I would rather go to a hairdresser or dentist that is taking their responsibilities seriously, and if that means higher grade PPE and a charge, then so be it.

Thrugelmir

JCS1 said:

I would rather go to a hairdresser or dentist that is taking their responsibilities seriously, and if that means higher grade PPE and a charge, then so be it.

Same applies to any establishment. Longer term there'll be the ones that survive. Those that cut corners will more than likely suffer the consequences. Takes years to build a reputation and seconds to destroy it. 

epm-84

Thrugelmir said:

JCS1 said:

I would rather go to a hairdresser or dentist that is taking their responsibilities seriously, and if that means higher grade PPE and a charge, then so be it.

Same applies to any establishment. Longer term there'll be the ones that survive. Those that cut corners will more than likely suffer the consequences. Takes years to build a reputation and seconds to destroy it. 

In some sectors you have more choice than in others.  To make it simple say you get your hair done every 4 weeks and the price increases by 25%.  Even if you stick with the same hairdresser you have the option of going every 5 weeks instead and annually you'd pay exactly the same amount as you would before the price increase.  You can't do that with dental appointments or optician appointments, if the price increases you have to pay more and if you can't afford to pay more then you have a problem!

nannyto2

I've moved dentists over a dozen times in my life, both due to location, and not being happy with price/dentist changes. I once moved dentist purely because my old dentist kept me waiting for 20 minutes one morning to take a phone call, without apologizing, and I was not happy about it. The moves were pretty simple, and usually the first appointment formed part of the regular yearly check-up appointment, so it cost me nothing extra to move. Yes, it took some time on my end to research online and call around until I found a suitable alternative.

My current dentist took a while to find, but he is absolutely wonderful, the fact that he hasn't charged extra for PPE during this time is just an example of that.

I believe we live in a society where you need to vote with your wallet to be heard. There is no point complaining about it, or making excuses, or putting up with bad customer service or behavior, just do something about it. I think too many people are scared ... scared of change in life, scared of change in relationships, in jobs and now in services. Just do it. You owe nobody or nothing your loyalty.

happybagger

Lots of talk about how hairdressers, dentists etc are having to charge more due to recouping covid costs, PPE is one cost but the fact of fewer patients or customers is a major factor in the reasoning given.

In the end the customer/patient will make their own choice. Dental health may well suffer, as it did when charges were first introduced, then when most went private, as people then viewed dentists as a place to go to sort out a problem, rather than to get a check up.

However I would be more interested to hear if people would have been happy to pay such surcharges on their grocery shopping since March 23rd due to the retailer saying they had fewer customers due to social distancing and reduced opening hours, had to put a bouncer to ensure one-in-one-out, and had to recoup the cost of perspex screens etc.

I rather suspect in this case some of the people here saying for hairdressers it's fine, would have been screaming "profiteering", "should be banned", "bring in laws" etc.

Torry_Quine

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-dentists-warn-of-looming-dental-and-mouth-cancer-crisis-after-months-of-lockdown-measures-12030982
This is very worrying

holly1991

happybagger said:

Lots of talk about how hairdressers, dentists etc are having to charge more due to recouping covid costs, PPE is one cost but the fact of fewer patients or customers is a major factor in the reasoning given.

In the end the customer/patient will make their own choice. Dental health may well suffer, as it did when charges were first introduced, then when most went private, as people then viewed dentists as a place to go to sort out a problem, rather than to get a check up.

However I would be more interested to hear if people would have been happy to pay such surcharges on their grocery shopping since March 23rd due to the retailer saying they had fewer customers due to social distancing and reduced opening hours, had to put a bouncer to ensure one-in-one-out, and had to recoup the cost of perspex screens etc.

I rather suspect in this case some of the people here saying for hairdressers it's fine, would have been screaming "profiteering", "should be banned", "bring in laws" etc.

In my opinion the supermarkets have crept the prices up over lockdown, again , many factors will be the result of this, I’m hardly going to boycott the supermarket and not eat food , as a customer I understand that Unfortunately  some of these extra costs need to be passed on for businesses to survive 

Jeremy535897

Torry_Quine said:

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-dentists-warn-of-looming-dental-and-mouth-cancer-crisis-after-months-of-lockdown-measures-12030982
This is very worrying

If you use an electric toothbrush properly for 2 minutes twice a day, your dental hygiene should cope for a few months without a clean, which is not necessarily the right treatment in any event, as it kills off the good bacteria in your mouth as well as the bad. Cutting out sugar is a good way to improve dental hygiene. Xylitol can promote mouth health if you want an alternative sweetener.

Mouth cancer incidence is quite rare, and you can reduce your risk by cutting out tobacco and alcohol, and keeping your weight down. See https://www.wcrf-uk.org/uk/preventing-cancer/cancer-types/mouth-and-throat-cancer