The Dentist

[Howardh]

Went this afternoon for a check-up, and it cost just over £20 on the NHS. (So much for free...).
He spent less than 30 seconds having a look and a poke around, and said "that's it, fine, six months - would you like me to clean them?" I though for the flipping £20 he might as well do something so I said "yes" and had a sip of his water.
Blimey, does any private practice do a 1-min check-up for a bit less? We hava na "Oasis" who do a check for £25 but you have to pay them a "first examination" fee on top. Probaby to dissuade someone with a rotton set and they don't fancy having to do a day's work on them....
Grrr. Rant over.

 

[DaleCooper]

Went this afternoon for a check-up, and it cost just over £20 on the NHS. (So much for free...).
He spent less than 30 seconds having a look and a poke around, and said "that's it, fine, six months - would you like me to clean them?" I though for the flipping £20 he might as well do something so I said "yes" and had a sip of his water.
Blimey, does any private practice do a 1-min check-up for a bit less? We hava na "Oasis" who do a check for £25 but you have to pay them a "first examination" fee on top. Probaby to dissuade someone with a rotton set and they don't fancy having to do a day's work on them....
Grrr. Rant over.

Almost any amount of money is worth it if it means you never have to suffer from excruciating toothache.

 

[me123]

Almost any amount of money is worth it if it means you never have to suffer from excruciating toothache.

Or worse. Dental abscesses can be fatal.

You'd almost certainly pay more in private practice on the whole. Even the brief examination requires the cost of sterile equipment, your dentist, your dental nurse and the administrative staff in the background. The NHS do subsidise dental care, so it's likely that you'd pay more. The examination would probably take longer if your teeth aren't pristine (sounds like yours are).

You could absolutely argue for free check-ups on the NHS. An examination is free in Scotland (with charges levied for treatment), so you could look at the model up there to ascertain if what the costs would be and if there is any long term financial benefit (such as more people recieving paid-for treatment, fewer hospital admissions...). Given the current direction of the NHS, I seriously doubt that charges for dental care will be dropping in the near future.

 

[TheNewNo2]

I use a private practice dentist (it wasn't intentional, but by the time I realised they'd already taken a look and seemed competent). A checkup is about £100, a filling around £150. I'm generally happy with them - they're a bit pricey, but they're a lot better than my old NHS dentist, both in terms of location and abilities.

 

[gordonthemoron]

my check up on monday cost £57.50 at a private dentist, seems Milton Keynes is a bit cheaper than Canary Wharf

 

[alxndr]

My private dentist is £23 for a check up and that's by far the cheapest I've seen non-NHS. It's so cheap it makes me nervous, why is it cheap!?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm in a dental plan but I'd expect £50+ for a proper private check-up. If it's cheaper they aren't spending the proper time to actually check. There is one in MK who falls into that category and is best avoided (if anyone wants to know who, PM me).

 

[gordonthemoron]

I'm in a dental plan but I'd expect £50+ for a proper private check-up. If it's cheaper they aren't spending the proper time to actually check. There is one in MK who falls into that category and is best avoided (if anyone wants to know who, PM me).

next to Sainsbury's in CMK by any chance?

 

[BanburyBlue]

I guess it depends on the dentist.

I went for my National Health check up this week and my dentist was very very thorough. Must have been in there for at least 15 minutes.

 

[DarloRich]

i haven't been to the dentist for 20 years. I will only go back if something falls out. I have no fillings and my teeth are in good nick. I brush twice a day, floss, use mouthwash etc. i might pop back for a check up in a few years.

 

[me123]

My private dentist is £23 for a check up and that's by far the cheapest I've seen non-NHS. It's so cheap it makes me nervous, why is it cheap!?

Because they'll make their money on the work they need to do. A low entry price gets people through the door and if they recommend work, the patient will be unlikely to go elsewhere.

 

[Howardh]

My private dentist is £23 for a check up and that's by far the cheapest I've seen non-NHS. It's so cheap it makes me nervous, why is it cheap!?

Because you've no teeth?....

As alluded to, it's probably the work they'd do that bumps up the fee. But the cynic inside me feels they would find something wrong just to fix it and get the fee.
If that were the case, I might sneakily pay another dentist for a second opinion and see if they came up with the same faults. If so, then I'd trust the first and carry on.
Long-winded way round but at least I'd be happy.

 

[alxndr]

Because you've no teeth?....

As alluded to, it's probably the work they'd do that bumps up the fee. But the cynic inside me feels they would find something wrong just to fix it and get the fee.
If that were the case, I might sneakily pay another dentist for a second opinion and see if they came up with the same faults. If so, then I'd trust the first and carry on.
Long-winded way round but at least I'd be happy.

I thought they might do that, and actually went because I thought they might suggest a wisdom tooth being taken out as it's only partially erupted and has been for some time. They didn't see an issue with it though, and I'm happy with that, I don't want it out if it can be helped, so them not wanting to pull it even though they'd get money out of me is in some ways reassuring. Similarly they just wanted to keep an eye on an old filling rather than do anything about it now.

Maybe I just got lucky, although if they ever do suggest anything I'll always take it with a pinch of salt unless it's obvious it needs doing, just because I'm a cynical being.

 

[ainsworth74]

£20 a pop sounds very reasonable for the attention of a trained dentist and dental nurse! Whenever I go (roughly once a year) takes about ten to fifteen minutes for them to poke and prod my teeth and then do a clean and polish. Last time I went my £20 included an x-ray to have a look at a wisdom tooth (thankfully it doesn't need to come out yet)!

As far as I'm concerned £20 is a very very fair price.

 

[Bletchleyite]

next to Sainsbury's in CMK by any chance?

Wouldn't like to comment

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The last time I went to an NHS dentist, I was informed that I had very bad decay in one of my molars which could not be filled, and there was no choice but to have the entire tooth removed. Not being especially enamoured with the prospect of losing a tooth, I promptly went to a private dentist to seek a second opinion. Needless to say, that was more than 4 years ago and the tooth, with filling, is still in my mouth. The private dentist who did the work - and who also took the trouble to show me the X-rays and talk me through exactly that the situation was (and to point out the very unusual shape of my tooth which he suspected was the reason the NHS dentist didn't want to fill it) now has me as a loyal customer. His prices are not too bad (£35 for a check-up, £80 for a full clean/scale, and around £80-£100 for a reasonably simple filling), and my impression is that he does seem to take much more time and more care with any treatment than I recall from the days when I got dental treatment on the NHS).

The NHS dentist also refused point blank to share the X-rays they'd taken with the private dentist that I wanted a 2nd opinion from, forcing me to pay for another set of X-rays.

I realize that each dentist is different, and the actions of one dentist might not necessarily reflect on an entire service, but I'd now be quite reluctant to go to the NHS for dental treatment

Oh, and I now take much better care of my teeth than I did 5 years ago!

 

[me123]

I realize that each dentist is different, and the actions of one dentist might not necessarily reflect on an entire service, but I'd now be quite reluctant to go to the NHS for dental treatment

Very difficult to judge really. NHS and private dentists function in a very similar way. Both earn money based on treatments performed, with the only difference being that NHS care is subsidised. The treatment is dependent from surgeon to surgeon.

I was possibly in a similar situation to you. I had an extraction for a tooth that could possibly have been filled. I was reasonably happy to have it out. It was a molar (LL7) that needed done but I also had an impacted wisdom tooth behind it causing me problems. I suspect that some dentists would have filled the molar and observed the wisdom tooth. Instead I had my molar extracted and now have a healthy and functioning LL8. The other approach would have worked but also came with the risk of failure, potential need for wisdom tooth extraction (a more complex procedure) and potential need for LL7 extraction in the future. I fully expect that many dentists would have filled and waited.

Basically there's multiple ways of doing things to achieve the same goal, and dentists may disagree. Same with any surgery.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Very difficult to judge really. NHS and private dentists function in a very similar way. Both earn money based on treatments performed, with the only difference being that NHS care is subsidised. The treatment is dependent from surgeon to surgeon.

Agreed. And I guess what's crucially important in both of our situations is that the Dentist is willing to explain the issues to you, point out the possible consequences of the various treatment options available, and give you the chance to choose.

My suspicion was that one of the reasons for my own much better experience with a private dentist was simply that I was paying more, and that, even without the NHS subsidy, that therefore meant the private dentist simply had more time and resources available than an NHS dentist would have? If my suspicion is correct, that would suggest that staying with a private dentist if you can afford it is often likely to make more sense. (I realise I'm guessing there, and don't know for certain)

 

[Bletchleyite]

My suspicion was that one of the reasons for my own much better experience with a private dentist was simply that I was paying more, and that, even without the NHS subsidy, that therefore meant the private dentist simply had more time and resources available than an NHS dentist would have? If my suspicion is correct, that would suggest that staying with a private dentist if you can afford it is often likely to make more sense. (I realise I'm guessing there, and don't know for certain)

My experience suggests that this is correct, but as I note don't go with a low-cost private dentist as your experience will be the same as an NHS dentist without the subsidy, which makes it a waste of money.

If you can afford quality private dentistry it's worth paying for, you can very much tell what you are getting for the money, but if you can't, stick with the NHS.

 

[goblinuser]

£20 may seem like a lot when you have a low income but really for all the training the dentist has had to have and all the expertise they have to develop £20 is not much at all.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Wouldn't like to comment

I used to go there, they did an appalling crown in 2014, I have not been back

 

[Bletchleyite]

I used to go there, they did an appalling crown in 2014, I have not been back

Funnily enough I've just chipped a bit off the crown he did for me. I expect the one I go to now (Kiln Farm) will do a better job if rather more expensively - he's pretty good.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Hungarian dentists are good and cheap for crowns or implants, German dentists are very good in general just hideously expensive

 

[Howardh]

Hungarian dentists are good and cheap for crowns or implants, German dentists are very good in general just hideously expensive

Yes, I needed a crown doing and looked round the web for Hungarian prices and they were substantially cheaper. However, factor in the cost of the flight and staying here was better.
Interestingly there are package hollidays - for dentisty! Fly, they will pick you up, hotel, treatment all in one price.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Yes, I needed a crown doing and looked round the web for Hungarian prices and they were substantially cheaper. However, factor in the cost of the flight and staying here was better.
Interestingly there are package hollidays - for dentisty! Fly, they will pick you up, hotel, treatment all in one price.

That's what I did

 

[trainmania100]

On an unrelated note my dentist gave me a filling then told me I don't need to go back for 18 months, is this usual?

 

[Howardh]

On an unrelated note my dentist gave me a filling then told me I don't need to go back for 18 months, is this usual?

The recommendation from some body-or-other is 12 I think. Maybe he thinks your nashers are in really good nick....or on the other hand maybe some better deoderent...only kidding!!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Went this afternoon for a check-up, and it cost just over £20 on the NHS. (So much for free...).

£20.60 is the standard fee this financial year.

He spent less than 30 seconds having a look and a poke around, and said "that's it, fine, six months - would you like me to clean them?" I though for the flipping £20 he might as well do something so I said "yes" and had a sip of his water.

Your appointment is a 15 minute one, next time take some holiday / train snaps and discuss them with him to fill your allotted time!

I go NHS, have done for over 10 years having woken up one morning with an abscess Painful and expensive first round of treatment, not having been since a teenager. Since then standard check up and a spit and polish - it is included within the NHS contract price. For eight or so years the same, very good, dentist. Then he retired, sold to a private company and a succession of dentists since, none as good and they only seem stay for 12 months (or 2 visits by myself) then move on.

All of the recent dentists have been keen for me to have additional work done, there remains an incentive to over-treat and earn more money for the practice. Hopefully someone within the NHS monitors levels of treatment carried out under NHS contract and roots out (groan) excessive over-treaters compared to an average / mean.

Expect more of the same throughout the NHS as it becomes contracted out. Broken leg sir, we can do both for an extra £50!

 

[Howardh]

£20.60 is the standard fee this financial year.



Your appointment is a 15 minute one, next time take some holiday / train snaps and discuss them with him to fill your allotted time!

I go NHS, have done for over 10 years having woken up one morning with an abscess Painful and expensive first round of treatment, not having been since a teenager. Since then standard check up and a spit and polish - it is included within the NHS contract price. For eight or so years the same, very good, dentist. Then he retired, sold to a private company and a succession of dentists since, none as good and they only seem stay for 12 months (or 2 visits by myself) then move on.

All of the recent dentists have been keen for me to have additional work done, there remains an incentive to over-treat and earn more money for the practice. Hopefully someone within the NHS monitors levels of treatment carried out under NHS contract and roots out (groan) excessive over-treaters compared to an average / mean.

Expect more of the same throughout the NHS as it becomes contracted out. Broken leg sir, we can do both for an extra £50!

Hmm..a pregnant woman at birth...."there's one out, madam, but I notice you are on a have one, have another free offer" (father faints....)

 

[trainmania100]

The recommendation from some body-or-other is 12 I think. Maybe he thinks your nashers are in really good nick....or on the other hand maybe some better deoderent...only kidding!!

Either that or it was the 12 month money back guarantee
Perhaps they thought they might find cavities within the 12 month money back period then have to replace it free