88year olds £670 dentist bill?

Samm2222

hi was hoping to get some advice, about 3 year ago I took my 85 year old Mam to the dentist, the dentist had de-registered her as she hadn’t been for a good while due to medical problems and Covid! So Id asked if she could register “no we are not taking any new NHS clients at this time” So Mams in pain so paid the £49.99 for a private appointment, turns out the total charge of treatment was £170 on filling!

Now this week my sister takes her to the dentist and she needs three fillings and there is a £70 appointment fee and the total charge is £670.

Mams on pension credit, attendance and a few others that I can’t recall and I find it shocking the charge for an 88 year old to have dental treatment.

questions is there any way to claim any of the fees back?

Can we request an itemised bill?

Is there any way to get her registered with a local dentist?

The Dentist in question is My Dentist if that helps

Vitor

I would avoid accusing the dentist of anything at this stage. The stronger angle is transparency: was she clearly told this was private, was she given an estimate, and were NHS/urgent-care options explained?

For finding an NHS dentist, use the NHS “Find a dentist” service and contact practices directly to ask whether they are taking NHS patients.

Isthisforreal99

If it wasn't being done on the NHS you have went private and the bill is down to the patient. If you knew it was private 3 years ago, why go back?

To get an NHS dentist for future you will just need to check local practices to see if they are taking new patients.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6668308/88year-olds-670-dentist-bill

Private dental costs are no cheaper for persons of a certain age.

Given you or your sister accompanied your mother on both trips, presumably you or your sister supported your mother in making the decision to go ahead with the treatment and explained the costs upfront.

If it was 3 years between appointments, is your mother taking good care of her oral health?

What steps did anyone take to register with a dentist following the treatment 3 years ago?

Exodi

Sorry I'm not clear on your complaint - it was known she was being seen as a private patient as she was explicitly told "we are not taking any new NHS clients" and she paid "for a private appointment".

I don't understand how it then came as a surprised being charged private rates for treatment?

I know you are surprised at the prices you were charged for 3x fillings, but I don't think it's outrageous at all - I'll be a bit contrarian here and suggest that £76.60 (what it would have cost on the NHS) is outrageous, especially if people believe that's a far representation of the cost+profit. I think many in the UK don't realise how spoiled we are by NHS subsidies.

If your mother receives the guarantee credit part of pension credit she would be entitled to free NHS dental care. You're within your rights to complain that it's hard to access NHS dental care, however the reality is oftentimes private patients are subsiding NHS ones. A dental practice would go out of business pretty quick if they didn't prioritise private patients. You'll also find different dentists within the practice cater to different patients, with the private dentists oftentimes being significantly more experienced.

I didn't understand the part about being shocked at the charge for an 88 year old in particular - I don't want to turn this into a generational debate but I'd imagine it will rile a few people up if you were implying older people should generally get subsidised dental care. Some pensioners are hard up, many aren't.

I also didn't understand the part about an itemised bill but I'm not naïve in realising it's usually the precursor for people to nickel and dime after they've received a service (you see it a lot when people haggle with tradesmen after the work has been completed).

I think going forward if your mother doesn't want to pay for private treatment, she shouldn't get private treatment.

dreaming

Unfortunately, you are likely to find it extremely difficult to find a dentist who carries out NHS work. This has been the case for some time now and doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Jemma01

Seems like a normal price. Of course you can request an itemised bill. They normally give you a printed invoice.

You need to ring around for a dentist willing to see her on the NHS.

oldernonethewiser

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81998527#Comment_81998527

Very much depends where the OP's mother is based.

Tried "MyDentist" site and there are NHS appointments at a number of branches.

maman

Just looking at the situation in practical terms , I'd have thought that an older person who only visits the dentist sporadically is more likely to need extensive (and therefore more expensive) treatment than someone younger.

As with most of the country, we have very few NHS options locally . We have signed up to an insurance scheme (approx £100 per month for 3 adults ) which gives us 2x dentist and 2x hygienist appointments per year and treatment when needed. That's roughly £8 per week per person which I think is reasonable.

Undervalued

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82009814#Comment_82009814

That depends on what "treatment when needed" is or isn't covered. I hope I am wrong but somehow I suspect there are restrictions and / or significant price hikes at renewal?

maman

Of course, there have been increases over the years @Undervalued but not excessive.

The only exclusions I've come across are for when they have to contract out to dental technicians or for cosmetic work and these are fully explained and costed before agreeing to the work.