Is NHS Dentistry effectively dead..? 27 April 2021 at 10:51PM in Health & beauty MoneySaving 45 replies 3K views

C_Mababejive

I only ask as i recently checked with my dentist and his check up prices seem to have rocketed !

Wherever i look no dentists in my area are taking on NHS patients. 

What are people paying for a routine checkup now? My recent quote was £75 including any necessary x rays. Presumably if non are required the price will still be the same.

I'm not sure whether there are any healthcare plans that might be of any use.

The way things are going, i can see dental health in this country pointing downhill again.

Any thoughts please?

Undervalued

C_Mababejive said:

I only ask as i recently checked with my dentist and his check up prices seem to have rocketed !

Wherever i look no dentists in my area are taking on NHS patients. 

What are people paying for a routine checkup now? My recent quote was £75 including any necessary x rays. Presumably if non are required the price will still be the same.

I'm not sure whether there are any healthcare plans that might be of any use.

The way things are going, i can see dental health in this country pointing downhill again.

Any thoughts please?

It seems to vary wildly from area to area.

I live in a city with some of the highest property prices in the country (other than London) and there really is no problem getting a NHS dentist around here,

There are lots of private practices too, ranging from one man bands through to some very pretentious larger clinics. Almost to the point you wonder how they all find patients!

pickledonionspaceraider

I live in a big city, and the NHS dentists are a real rarity.  I know someone on disability benefits who cannot find one, despite even contacting the NHS for help.  They have to pay private

giraffe69

My local dentist is NHS and charges around £22 for a check up.

General_Grant

giraffe69 said:

My local dentist is NHS and charges around £22 for a check up.

That would be £23.80 for Band 1 treatment (which includes a check-up).

FaceHead

There is no NHS dentistry. All dentists are private, and some have a contract with the NHS which means they can treat patients and the NHS contribute to the cost of it. It's still private dentistry, just either paid for by the patient entirely at the point of use, or partly at the point of use and partly through taxes. 

So yes, NHS dentistry is dead, and has been so for a couple of decades. 

Undervalued

FaceHead said:

There is no NHS dentistry. All dentists are private, and some have a contract with the NHS which means they can treat patients and the NHS contribute to the cost of it. It's still private dentistry, just either paid for by the patient entirely at the point of use, or partly at the point of use and partly through taxes. 

So yes, NHS dentistry is dead, and has been so for a couple of decades. 

Well you could say that of GP surgeries too. Pharmacies as well.

The vast majority of GP practices are private businesses / partnerships with a contract to provide NHS services in addition to any private work they choose to take on.

FaceHead

Undervalued said:

FaceHead said:

There is no NHS dentistry. All dentists are private, and some have a contract with the NHS which means they can treat patients and the NHS contribute to the cost of it. It's still private dentistry, just either paid for by the patient entirely at the point of use, or partly at the point of use and partly through taxes. 

So yes, NHS dentistry is dead, and has been so for a couple of decades. 

Well you could say that of GP surgeries too. Pharmacies as well.

The vast majority of GP practices are private businesses / partnerships with a contract to provide NHS services in addition to any private work they choose to take on.

I agree, and would say that GP services are going in the direction of dentistry, but GP services aren't nearly as far gone.

GP surgeries are typically owned by the NHS (rather than the private practitioner), many of the staff are employed by the NHS and the GP contract means they have to let you register if you live in the area, they have to see you etc. and of course there are no fees.

Hospitals are all that's left in the NHS. GPs are a bit of a grey area, but NHS Dentistry is the dodo. 

Undervalued

FaceHead said:

Undervalued said:

FaceHead said:

There is no NHS dentistry. All dentists are private, and some have a contract with the NHS which means they can treat patients and the NHS contribute to the cost of it. It's still private dentistry, just either paid for by the patient entirely at the point of use, or partly at the point of use and partly through taxes. 

So yes, NHS dentistry is dead, and has been so for a couple of decades. 

Well you could say that of GP surgeries too. Pharmacies as well.

The vast majority of GP practices are private businesses / partnerships with a contract to provide NHS services in addition to any private work they choose to take on.

I agree, and would say that GP services are going in the direction of dentistry, but GP services aren't nearly as far gone.

GP surgeries are typically owned by the NHS (rather than the private practitioner), many of the staff are employed by the NHS and the GP contract means they have to let you register if you live in the area, they have to see you etc. and of course there are no fees.

Hospitals are all that's left in the NHS. GPs are a bit of a grey area, but NHS Dentistry is the dodo. 

Some are but it is my understanding that is a small minority.

brook2jack2

There is a great deal of difference between dentists and gps. The only income a dentist gets from the NHS is what comes from treatment and , for some, a small amount of business rate relief. Everything that is involved in running a practice comes out of the fees paid for treatment. The average person , per year , who needs treatments has £30 ish spent on them including patient fee contribution. Dentists do not get paid unless they treat a patient and the vast majority of NHS dentists do not meet their treatment targets every year so have to pay money back (claw back). 

Dentists have to act as government tax collectors by collecting patient fees in. However if patients don't pay it comes out of dentists income. 

GPs have members of staff paid for  , their computer systems and software paid for ( the licences alone for dental software are hundreds of pounds a month) , their training courses for paid for , most of their equipment and consumables paid for (which are quite a bit lower cost and amount than a dental surgeries) . Mortgage or rent on premises is normally reimbursed. The gp gets money for every patient on their list , whether they are seen or not, and the average spend per year per patient on a list is £155. 

givememoney

I belong to a NHS dentist and was was charged £28 (I believe) for a check up.  I had to have a 2 tooth plate to replace a removed tooth. I had 3 options, £239 for NHS one, then more for a better NHS one and £950 for a private one. I opted for the most expensive as was told it was very comfortable and it is. I am going to have bonding done on 4 front teeth as they have discolouration cut price apparently. As I'd recently spent a lot, these will be done for £95 per tooth instead of £150. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has had this done.