Dentists

[jackdaww]

i may be wrong , but isnt nhs treatment subject to means testing?

[swill453]

i may be wrong , but isnt nhs treatment subject to means testing?

For the general population, no, but free NHS treatment is only available to some.

Young, old, pregnant, on benefits possibly, I don't know the details.

Scott.

[Redmires]

Here's a useful guide

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/dentist ... al-charges

As for NHS v private, I'm sure there is both good and bad in both.

[neversay]

I use an NHS (Polish) dentist and receive an exemplary service. The dentist does his own hygienist treatments. The original posters reservations about eastern european dentists certainly do not apply in my case. I have had 2 fillings in 10 years and one extraction all done very professionally. As for being upsold treatments just refuse or make it clear from the outset that you just want the standard treatments.

Just to clarify: I don't care a jot where the dentist comes from just as long as they are good. I made reference to his country of origin only on the basis that he was so incredibly bad that I wondered about the training and/or vetting he had personally received. As it happens, a neighbour has just been told he needs around £8k's worth of dental treatment and my advice to him was to investigate private treatment from good clinics in Eastern Europe.

[jackdaww]

maybe off topic , does anyone have experience of implants please ?

[yorkshirelad1]

Just wondering what others pay for their basic dental fees these days?

Mine are raising their fees to £17 a month for two (2-minute) check-ups, two hygienist visits a year plus the usual 'dental plan' advantages like insurance and discounted treatments. I appreciate that dentists need to make a living, but I'm in my 40s and never had a filling or any dental problems - so wondering how it's crept up to £204 a year for 1 hour of dentistry. As a family, we're now paying £400+ a year. Is this reasonable or should I be looking at ways to bring this down? (like Simplyhealth cover?)

£13/month with local private dentist, for 1 dentist and 2 hygienists a year. Just moved to them, so no personal experience, but a lot ogf good local recommendations.

I moved to my current practice from my previous practice (200 miles away, that I'd been with for 50(!) years) this year (so still getting a feel for what they're like). I finally took the plunged and moved to a dentist closer to home. In the process of looking around, I discovered that my old dentist had been royally fleecing me for the monthly premiums. I found out that I'd been paying for way more than I'd been needing and way more than I'd been getting (in terms of dental checks and hygienists); I also found out that my old dentist offered several levels of plan/cover/treatment with the same provider. At no time over the course of 30 odd years did my dentist (who I trusted implicitly) ever suggest there there might be a different level of cover that I might want to consider, but I was still paying the original/rolls royce plan/premium which I didn't really need and they were happy to pocket the premiums. BarStewards.

Caveat emptor, I suppose, but moral of story: if you're on a private dental monthly plan etc, it might be worth cold calling your dentists once in a while and seeing what they're charging new patients for different levels of cover.....

[neversay]

Well said @yorkshirelad1. As it happens our 11-year-old daughter needs braces but the orthodontists we have visited have said she is fractionally the wrong side of the line to get NHS support (funny that). We have tried shopping around but each practice quotes a figure of £3,000 for the treatment which could appear to be cartel pricing.

[scotia]

i may be wrong , but isnt nhs treatment subject to means testing?

For the general population, no, but free NHS treatment is only available to some.
Young, old, pregnant, on benefits possibly, I don't know the details.
Scott.

Free NHS treatment is not automatically available to the old. They may qualify (as others do) if on benefits.

[jaizan]

There is no requirement to go the the dentist every 6 months.

I last went to my NHS dentist about 2 years ago. This is mainly down to convenience and not getting around to making a booking. I brush my teeth after breakfast, after lunch and before going to bed.

One friend hadn't been to a dentist for over 30 years & his teeth look in good nick. He does avoid sugary junk food.

[vrdiver]

There is no requirement to go the the dentist every 6 months.

I last went to my NHS dentist about 2 years ago. This is mainly down to convenience and not getting around to making a booking. I brush my teeth after breakfast, after lunch and before going to bed.

One friend hadn't been to a dentist for over 30 years & his teeth look in good nick. He does avoid sugary junk food.

I'm sure somebody in these parts knows a smoker who lived to be 103, but it doesn't mean smoking is safe...

There is no requirement to go to the dentist, ever. On the other hand, people who do attend their dental appointments have, generally, better teeth than those who don't.

[WrenChasen]

There is no requirement to go the the dentist every 6 months.

I last went to my NHS dentist about 2 years ago. This is mainly down to convenience and not getting around to making a booking. I brush my teeth after breakfast, after lunch and before going to bed.

One friend hadn't been to a dentist for over 30 years & his teeth look in good nick. He does avoid sugary junk food.

Six-monthly dental check-ups are recommended to monitor the state of the whole mouth, not just teeth. One of my friends underwent radical facial surgery for oral cancer after her dentist noticed a "dodgy" patch under her tongue and fast-tracked her to an ENT consultant. Statistically, oral cancer has a low survival rate. Four years on, my friend's scars are fading, and although no amount of make-up will ever restore her facial contours, she lives and prays the result of her five-year check-up will be "all clear".

Obviously this is an extreme example, but I would say at the very least an annual visit to the dentist is just common sense.

[StepOne]

There is no requirement to go the the dentist every 6 months.

I last went to my NHS dentist about 2 years ago. This is mainly down to convenience and not getting around to making a booking. I brush my teeth after breakfast, after lunch and before going to bed.

One friend hadn't been to a dentist for over 30 years & his teeth look in good nick. He does avoid sugary junk food.

Six-monthly dental check-ups are recommended to monitor the state of the whole mouth, not just teeth. One of my friends underwent radical facial surgery for oral cancer after her dentist noticed a "dodgy" patch under her tongue and fast-tracked her to an ENT consultant. Statistically, oral cancer has a low survival rate. Four years on, my friend's scars are fading, and although no amount of make-up will ever restore her facial contours, she lives and prays the result of her five-year check-up will be "all clear".

Obviously this is an extreme example, but I would say at the very least an annual visit to the dentist is just common sense.

This just shows the ridiculousness of the whole thing - if regular checks for oral cancer are a good idea, then why do we have to pay a dentist to do them - why are they not free on the NHS like any other useful form of cancer screening? Never understood why we are so precious about the idea of a free NHS but happy enough to pay dentists and opticians.