dentist charges

magicman62

Could someone please confirm whether a dentist charge is correct , I have recently visited my NHS dentist and they gave me a checkup and clean, for that I was charged £63.78 which seems a bit much as my last appointment was only about £26 which included a Xray as well , I am in receipt of a HC3 certificate which gives me a maximum payment of £63.78 per course of treatment , if someone could advise before I go back to the dentist I would be gratefull.

Many thanks

secla

everything on nhs is done on bands the first band is £26 ish and the next £73 as you have a max charge of 63.78 it looks like they have classed as a Band 2 treatment. A basic clean is usually band 1
Did you get a reciept that breaks down what was done ? 

elsien

Did you see the hygienist as well, because they tend to be private and an extra charge?. 

magicman62

I didn't see a hygienist just a dentist  I did ask for a receipt at the reception whilst paying ,and all the gave me was a card receipt and said you had a checkup out and clean . However , on reflection thinking that I was nearly 15 minutes early I was in fact nearly 10 minutes late , I do know they run a missed appointment charge, but at know time was a penalty mentioned even when I was made aware I was late by the dentist to which I apologised.  The annoying thing was I didn't see the reminder E mail till the night before as it had bounced into my junk mail and then misread 12:20 as 12:40 ...easy to do when one has been waiting for eye surgery for 18months after having a referral which quotes 16weeks ...lol ..I will definitely be contacting them on Monday. 

elsien

Where do you live as NHS dentists in England can't charge for missed appointments so I'd certainly be querying any "running late" fees. 
Not sure if there is any difference in Wales or Scotland. 

Undervalued

elsien said:

Where do you live as NHS dentists in England can't charge for missed appointments so I'd certainly be querying any "running late" fees. 
Not sure if there is any difference in Wales or Scotland. 

Whilst that is true they are also under no obligation to ever see the patient again, once the current course of treatment is completed. 

So, although the patient could almost certainly force the repayment of any such charge, they would probably need to find a new dentist. In some areas NHS dentists are rarer than hen's teeth!

magicman62

Thanks for the replies , I have had a word with the dentist today  and apparently a part of the treatment was not covered by the lower band although I am not convinced and waiting for a breakdown of the treatment , I have also queried why I was not advised of this treatment at the time , although it could be possibly caused by the fact the dentist had a strong foreign accent  and ai signed the I pad for treatment when presented to me ...so lesson learned ...I will consider whether to look for another dentist ...also the late arrival was not the issue.

brook2jack2

If you have anything more than a very superficial scaling eg you have signs of gum disease than your scaling will come under a band two charge which, as you have a hc3 certificate is £63.78 . 

You cannot be charged a missed appointment t charge in England or Wales , although missing appointments or being habitually late will mean you will not be offered any more appointments.