Dental costs for full time student

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  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,816
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    Browntoa wrote: »
    Yes unless they meet any of the criteria here

    https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/get-help-with-dental-costs/

    £62.10 is the standard band 2 charge , per filling
    As far as i know it is not per filling, it is per treatment,
    1 filling or 10 fillings it is still band 2 and £62.00 plus for the treatment
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Newly_retired
    Newly_retired Posts: 2,945
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    Is there a dental school at her university, or your local university? She may be able to get work done there for free or reduced charges?

    Whilst we are talking about charges, I am feeling a bit miffed as my new dentist did not do a scale and polish. She did a check up and then I returned for a filling, but was not offered a scale and polish. I thought it was part of Band One, never mind Band Two which I paid.
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,072
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    McKneff wrote: »
    As far as i know it is not per filling, it is per treatment,
    1 filling or 10 fillings it is still band 2 and £62.00 plus for the treatment

    This is correct - a Band 2 NHS charge is for all fillings (And root fillings and extractions) needed in that course of treatment. Not per filling, or per item.
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • GreenQueen
    GreenQueen Posts: 539
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    Is there a dental school at her university, or your local university? She may be able to get work done there for free or reduced charges?

    I was going to suggest this as well. When I was at University, I always went to the dental school. Work was always well supervised, and students were allowed to do more complex work as they progressed through their course. If you were lucky, you were used for a demonstration and the person doing the work was a senior teaching dentist. It was years ago, so can't remember, but I think it was free.
    2021 - mission declutter and clean - 0/2021
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,072
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    It would be free - but it would take ages to get through the system and actually become a patient. Plus - with budgets as they are, it's a lot harder to become a patient in these places these days.

    With 9 fillings to do - she needs to get into a dentist and be treated. The holes won't be getting any smaller.
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • As above, full-time student status does not automatically exempt you from dentist and prescription costs, she would need to obtain the low-income certificate.

    Do you know how long it's been since she last visited a dentist? Nine fillings does sound like an awful lot! It's unlikely she'd go from having a healthy set of teeth to needing 9 fillings in the space of 6 months to a year. (Our dental practice insists on NHS patients going every 6 months or they risk losing their place, presumably for this reason) so unless she's been really negligent, eg not been to the dentist for years on end, I think I'd be inclined to get a second opinion.
  • kazmeister
    kazmeister Posts: 3,336
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    birdie_hop wrote: »
    As above, full-time student status does not automatically exempt you from dentist and prescription costs, she would need to obtain the low-income certificate.

    Do you know how long it's been since she last visited a dentist? Nine fillings does sound like an awful lot! It's unlikely she'd go from having a healthy set of teeth to needing 9 fillings in the space of 6 months to a year. (Our dental practice insists on NHS patients going every 6 months or they risk losing their place, presumably for this reason) so unless she's been really negligent, eg not been to the dentist for years on end, I think I'd be inclined to get a second opinion.

    She hasn’t been negligent as I made sure she attended her appointments, the only delay was due to her dentist death and having to wait until she could get an appointment when she was home again.
    Mortgage, we're getting there with the end in sight £6587 07/23, otherwise free of the debt thanks to MSE help!
  • brook2jack
    brook2jack Posts: 4,563 Forumite
    edited 21 June 2019 at 6:11PM
    It's not how often someone visits a dentist that's the problem , it's how often they eat or drink anything with sugar in that's the problem.

    More than three sugar "attacks" a day and you get decay. It's not what you eat in your three daily meals it's what you eat or drink in between times that's a problem.

    Sipping on energy drinks , sugar in tea or coffee, grazing rather than eating at mealtimes , drinking smoothies or protein shakes, nibbling on biscuits etc are a problem. Every time you take a bite or a sip of something sugary it takes an hour for the acid to finish attacking your teeth.

    There is no incentive for a NHS dentist to overprescribe fillings, indeed they will lose money. More so if the decay is so bad it might need root treatment in one tooth.

    It is quite common for students, once they leave the family home , to indulge in less than healthy eating and drinking habits . It is perfectly feasible to have many fillings appear in a short time , common reasons are switching to a non fluoride toothpaste or a change in diet eg drinking 5 lucozades a day .

    Ops daughter should be concentrating on making the changes to her diet that are obviously needed to stop further problems.
  • OK points above noted, but I think I'd still be inclined to get a 2nd opinion. She would not have gone from needing zero work done to needing 9 fillings :eek: in a matter of months, I'm sorry.

    It might be interesting to see what treatment, if any, another dentist, maybe at a different practice, thinks the lady needs. Of course they may say similar, but if they say she only needs a fraction of that work doing the OP can bear that in mind..
  • brook2jack
    brook2jack Posts: 4,563 Forumite
    It is extremely unlikely that a second opinion will give exactly the same treatment plan.

    Give two dentists the same patient and you will get three treatment plans. Some things will be the same eg the very large filling that might need a root treatment , but opinions can differ as to what to do with smaller amounts of decay.

    Check ups are tailored to the level of risk a patient has to eg decay or gum disease. Some patients are recalled every three months because decay can easily become a problem in such a short time period.

    The dentist would get paid the same for 1 filling or 9 fillings and a root treatment so there is no incentive for a NHS dentist to overprescribe .

    However 1 filling that is so big that it might need root treatment on its own in a 19 year old demonstrates that something needs to change in their diet providing they are using a fluoride containing toothpaste.
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