Need info about private dentists - costs etc

Toothsmith

November,

I must say I think you have gone about this in a very sensible way. (I know you've had advice, but you still had to do it).

I am glad you've found a dentist you feel you'll be happy with, but this is so often the way if price is put in it's proper context and you look at the service you want as the deciding factor.

For what it's worth, her prices seem almost identical to mine.

I hope things go well, and you're crunching away again before too long.

Your neigbours at the NHS place will have a very rude awakening soon when the NHS prices skyrocket, and yet their service is still c**p! You will be safely in with a dentist who can afford to take her time and say 'no' to new patients when she feels she is full. Unlike the NHS place who will be virtually forced to see anybody and everybody until they have no spare appointments for 8 weeks.

november

Toothsmith wrote:

November,

I must say I think you have gone about this in a very sensible way. (I know you've had advice, but you still had to do it).

Thanks High praise indeed and much welcomed given as I am feeling a bit sorry for myself at the moment.

For what it's worth, her prices seem almost identical to mine.

So thats not bad at all then given as this is the rather expensive South West.

I hope things go well, and you're crunching away again before too long.

So do I. I was supposed to be going round to a friend's tonight and she was going to cook (she an excellent cook) so am waving this treat ahead of myself to get me through getting my teeth sorted. At the moment I would settle for being able to eat a meal rather than suck a small amount of mash!

Your neigbours at the NHS place will have a very rude awakening soon when the NHS prices skyrocket, and yet their service is still c**p! You will be safely in with a dentist who can afford to take her time and say 'no' to new patients when she feels she is full. Unlike the NHS place who will be virtually forced to see anybody and everybody until they have no spare appointments for 8 weeks.

That was also a factor for me. I got in straight away on the day I phoned (I told them I was in agony and terrified on the phone). Also this is my teeth we are talking about and even if I wasn't such a wuss it seems to important a thing to just pick the nearest cheapest option regardless of all other factors.

I'm probably going to put it all on my credit card then get another 0% and do a bt. Bit longer to be debt free but at least I'll have my own teeth

Thank you so much for all your kind words and advice Toothsmith. Couldn't have done it so well without you x

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

Your neigbours at the NHS place will have a very rude awakening soon when the NHS prices skyrocket, and yet their service is still c**p! You will be safely in with a dentist who can afford to take her time and say 'no' to new patients when she feels she is full. Unlike the NHS place who will be virtually forced to see anybody and everybody until they have no spare appointments for 8 weeks.

Now you are scaring and depressing me ... I suspect most of my friends are with the practice I'm at, which is why we registered there 5 years ago. I was happy with the first dentist we had there, but she went on extended maternity leave (story of my NHS dentists, never managed to keep the ones I liked!) and although I think she's back we weren't told she was and the kids and I were just kept with the Scandinavian who now owns the practice. Had been wondering about asking to transfer to my original dentist, but don't want to put anyone's nose out of joint or I really will have to find a new dentist!

Toothsmith

Is her name on a plate outside the door? Is she mentioned on any of the practice literature? If she's working there she should be mentioned somewhere. Possible exception is if she's there as an assistant, working on someone elses contract number. I don't think it's a requirement then for her to have a plate or be on the info leaflet. If she is an assistant, it's probably because she's very part-time or not sure of her future - in which case it's probably better not to be with her if consistant care is what you're after.

BTW Savvy, are you healing up OK? Have you found a copy of 'Little Shop of Horrors' yet?

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

Is her name on a plate outside the door? Is she mentioned on any of the practice literature? If she's working there she should be mentioned somewhere. Possible exception is if she's there as an assistant, working on someone elses contract number. I don't think it's a requirement then for her to have a plate or be on the info leaflet. If she is an assistant, it's probably because she's very part-time or not sure of her future - in which case it's probably better not to be with her if consistant care is what you're after.

Long time since I was over there and although she was on the door plate before her last pregnancy I can't remember who's still there now. And I wouldn't be too sure of her future either: I'm sure if she has another baby she'll be off for ages again because of the problems she has had the last two times! There is also an older chap, but he must be coming up to retirement. He has treated me when I lost a filling and 'my' dentist wasn't there, I know it got very complicated because he had to finish the treatment after he'd officially stopped working for the NHS and took the view that they would do it and sort it out later, somehow!

We have three 'mixed' practices within walking distance so I guess I'm spoiled for choice: current dentist is not easy to get to by public transport so I could use the fact that I can't drive at the mo as a reason for looking around ...

Toothsmith wrote:

BTW Savvy, are you healing up OK? Have you found a copy of 'Little Shop of Horrors' yet?

Well the scar still itches, and I am not sure how I am going to react to someone else touching it when I go for my first post-op haircut on Thursday, but I am upright and getting out and about OK, and every time I see the GP he says "How long is it since you had major surgery?" when I talk about how I feel about going back to work. :rotfl:

It's not that I want to go back, you understand, but I can't afford not to and it would be nice to do so before I've used all my 3 months on full sick pay! Only talking about 2 days per week initially ... and since my eldest disappears to Uni on Saturday I am going to be SOOOOO bored with no-one to nag at home!

Anyway, don't want to hijack original thread, guess that means I should pull my finger out and do some dental research while I am off sick ... just not sure how my DH will react to the idea of shelling out real money on a regular basis when until recently we've paid very little. And I know some of my fillings don't look pretty, but they do the job, which is what I'm mostly concerned about!

No, still haven't managed little shop of horrors. We could do with a video hire shop instead of one of those new dental surgeries.

Sofa_Sogood

Apologies Toothsmith .... I don't know what made me think you were a girly



And to SavvySue for pointing out my error (glad you did though because I've finally caught up with you - I seem to have lost the "hospital stay" thread )

november - glad you finally found a dentist and started treatment, but those prices are scary :eek: I think I'd better put a bit more aside for my treatment.

MR Toothsmith?

Do dentists still offer a one off payment that includes everything that needs correcting/filling etc?

[Edited - realised I'd referred to Toothsmith as a female .... again! ]

I'm off to

Toothsmith

Sofa_Sogood wrote:

Do dentists still offer a one off payment that includes everything that needs correcting/filling etc?

Hi Sofa,

I feel like a 'Little Britain' character - "I am a laydee"

I wasn't aware of dentists ever offering a one off payment to fix everything.

There is the NHS 'maximum charge' which back in the early 80's was £17.50 I believe, but has crept upwards until it's now over £300. (All for a service that should be 'Free at the point of delivery regardless of ability to pay') One thing about the new contract is that the maximum charge will be £183 for a course of treatment, so that's a big reduction, but with a single crown now costing £183 on the NHS, there will be a lot more people paying that charge.

Sofa_Sogood

Toothsmith wrote:

Hi Sofa,

I feel like a 'Little Britain' character - "I am a laydee"

I wasn't aware of dentists ever offering a one off payment to fix everything.

There is the NHS 'maximum charge' which back in the early 80's was £17.50 I believe, but has crept upwards until it's now over £300. (All for a service that should be 'Free at the point of delivery regardless of ability to pay') One thing about the new contract is that the maximum charge will be £183 for a course of treatment, so that's a big reduction, but with a single crown now costing £183 on the NHS, there will be a lot more people paying that charge.

But you're not a "laydee"

Serious head on now.

I must have been thinking in NHS terms; I just recall that there was a maximum that could be paid for a course of treatment.
(That's probably wrong too, - but think it was in the 70's?)
And 183 quid for a crown on the NHS :eek:

I'm definitely going to put at least a thousand away for treatment.

Thanks for the reply

Sofa_Sogood

Went back to the dentist yesterday .... nowhere near what I expected the final cost to be, although I've got a few more appointments.

One filling, two moulds (spelling?), (the reason for 3 more appointments) and this bill was just under £490. For yesterday's treatment and the next 2 or 3.

Considering this includes the cost for a Maryland bridge, (bottom so to speak ) and a new denture for the top, I think it's been value for money and no need for me to put any extra aside.

It's still a lot of money for some people and I realise this, but I'd have paid more than this just to be rid of the original pain that the abcess caused.

I can yearn for the days of free treatment, or even NHS funded, but it's never going to happen is it?

Hope you're ok november and all

Toothsmith

I think the truth about the NHS dental new contract is now about to hit the fan.


Sunday Telegraph

And

BBC Online

I like the quote from a 'Department spokesman' at the end of the Telegraph article.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Patients have
complained about dentists who treat only children on the NHS and
force adults to pay, and the new contracts will deal with this."

It certainly will! I've been telling parents their kids will now have to be private for the past 2 months. :mad:

Also, I think the Politics Show on BBC1 at lunchtime is doing something on it as well.