Band 2 Dental Charge

pattycake

My husband attended two prebooked dental appointments today.  First with his dentist for a routine check up and then a few minutes later he saw the hygienist for a scale and polish.  He had no other treatment.

He was charged £70.70 which I see is a Band 2 charge.  Does this seem right?

Ayr_Rage

A deep scale and polish is in Band 2.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/dental-costs/what-is-included-in-each-nhs-dental-band-charge/

annabanana82

A lot of hygienists are private so don't fall into the NHS payment bands. I think our hygienist charges almost £60 now

pattycake

Thank you. I think it’s worth enquiring at the surgery tomorrow.  I personally would have queried the charge at the time but he’s a man! If it’s correct that’s fine but mistakes do occur.

Exodi

Scale & polishes can fall into band 2, I suspect it wasn't a mistake.

annabanana82 said:

A lot of hygienists are private so don't fall into the NHS payment bands. I think our hygienist charges almost £60 now

While I agree a lot of hygienists are private now, as the OP was only charged band 2 (and not separately for the checkup) it appears in their case it has been considered as NHS treatment.

pattycake

My husband queried the charge with the surgery but as expected, they said it was correct.

Undervalued

pattycake said:

My husband queried the charge with the surgery but as expected, they said it was correct.

As I understand the NHS system, it is correct.

What of course is not known is if this level of treatment was actually necessary. It may well have been.

The NHS "band" fees that the patient pays are not related to what the NHS actually pays the dentist to carry out different types of treatment. The two dentists that post here regularly will point out, I am sure absolutely correctly, that dentists lose money carrying out some NHS treatments. We see some examples of where they may (quite wrongly) be ducking out of providing loss making treatments that are needed and are part of their contract.

It is possible, obviously I don't know, that yours was a situation where the reverse applies?