Denplan, Cashback scheme or PAYG dental care post-NHS

Stuart_W

I have been with the same NHS dental practice for over 40 years.
They are going private-only, and there are no NHS options anywhere in the county I live (Cambridgeshire) except a few if you have a referral (?)

I have had no issues in the last 10 years with my teeth and only ever had check ups and nothing else but of course could be in dire pain by next week, who knows. That's how it goes with health isn't it.

I could stick with the practice and pay £75 per check up PAYG, or pay £20 monthly for denplan which covers 6 monthly checkups and free hygenist appointments that I'm not fussed about, or pay £27 per month which would also thrown in all fillings etc. If my wife does the same, the kids are then free.

There's also all these cashback plan schemes that pay for all or part of your bills (simply health etc). Really never looked at this before as always been NHS treated.

Some local private practices in the area are even closing to new private patients such is demand. Agh!!

Absolutely no idea which route to go down. If any other MSEers been forced down this road that they don't want to go down I would love to know what decisions you've made. I have no idea and obviously it is impossible to say which is the best option in advance.

How did anyone else decide? (obviously waiting for a future government to restore the NHS is a long term plan but need immediate options!)



 

Floss

I was with a Denplan practice for over 12 years, only left due to divorce & relocation. They were fab - I was on the second level and had 6 monthly checkups with scale & polish, regular x-rays, several fillings and 2 root canals in that time.

Appointments weren't rushed, and everyone was lovely - my dentist had just joined as his first post when I did and by the time I left had become a partner and was married with 2 kids 🙂

Toothsmith

From what you write up there, the cheaper Denplan option might suit you better? I would guess with the dearer one only being £7 a month dearer, you probably don't have a mouthful of existing dental work that might have been OK for 10 years, but might be getting close to it's life span?

Embrace the hygienist appointments and actually buy in to what the dentists there are trying to do for you. Who knows, by the time the Flying Pig Party are elected and reintroduce NHS dentistry - you may well be preferring how your dental care has been provided in that time? 

Floss

Toothsmith said:

From what you write up there, the cheaper Denplan option might suit you better? I would guess with the dearer one only being £7 a month dearer, you probably don't have a mouthful of existing dental work that might have been OK for 10 years, but might be getting close to it's life span?

I think I benefited from that, I hadn't had a lot of dental work done over the previous 10 years or so and had a few amalgam fillings after I had my boys in the late 1980s 😁