Where are all the NHS dentists
Discussion
We moved into our house just over four years back, since then we have had to register with four dental practices. We get to receive our first inspections c/w teeth x-ray and then on second visit it’s been a different dental practioner. These dentists seem to move around all the time. After the second visit we get the letter that thier services are now closed to NHS patients.
We now find ourselves in the position of not having a dentist available to us, I hasten to add that our teeth are in good condition and we are simply an average patient.
Now about to write to our MP and ask what has happened to our NHS dental services. Feel sure we are not the only people to have this problem?
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
We now find ourselves in the position of not having a dentist available to us, I hasten to add that our teeth are in good condition and we are simply an average patient.
Now about to write to our MP and ask what has happened to our NHS dental services. Feel sure we are not the only people to have this problem?
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
It's a major problems in some areas. It is a significant problem in most. We moved and had to drop our excellent NH dentist. We both had our routine 6-monthly check-up and it took a visit to literally every dentist in our new town before we got anyone to take us. Even then we had to submit our teeth for examination at £75 each (that's each person, not each tooth) to see if they were suitable for the practice, whatever that means. Ours were in good nick and we both had lots of them, so we were taken on.
We have yearly checkups and we've both had just two treatments each in 5 years. We are told that come brexit we'll be looking for a new dentist or we could go private. Whether that's just an excuse or not I have no idea. I can't see dentists being excluded even by Mogg.
We went private for about 15-20 years and had treatment almost every year. I have the feeling that if we fail to find another NH dentist and revert to private, the number of treatments that will be 'essential' will increase.
I found all the NH dentists I've had since I've been married to be excellent. They have all seemed to take pride in their work - the current one took great pains to point out that I was using dental floss incorrectly, or at least not as effectively as I could. When I said that there were a couple of gaps that shredded floss due to fillings, he sanded them down, apparently without charge. All have been very gentle. I've fallen asleep on the chair once time.
The dental system in this country is appalling. It seems that the government doesn't care. One of my kids wrote to his MP with regards the complete unavailability of dentists for him, his wife and his kids. He was told that there were plenty in the area, he should just look. He organised a small group of parents and went to see him at what was called, with unabashed irony, a surgery. The group was dismissed with no answer to their problem.
It seems remarkable to me that UK/English children's teeth compare well with those of other countries. I know fluoride is a significant factor, but even so, not everyone gets it. Indeed Germany, in the top 5, doesn't do it according to a TV programme.
We have yearly checkups and we've both had just two treatments each in 5 years. We are told that come brexit we'll be looking for a new dentist or we could go private. Whether that's just an excuse or not I have no idea. I can't see dentists being excluded even by Mogg.
We went private for about 15-20 years and had treatment almost every year. I have the feeling that if we fail to find another NH dentist and revert to private, the number of treatments that will be 'essential' will increase.
I found all the NH dentists I've had since I've been married to be excellent. They have all seemed to take pride in their work - the current one took great pains to point out that I was using dental floss incorrectly, or at least not as effectively as I could. When I said that there were a couple of gaps that shredded floss due to fillings, he sanded them down, apparently without charge. All have been very gentle. I've fallen asleep on the chair once time.
The dental system in this country is appalling. It seems that the government doesn't care. One of my kids wrote to his MP with regards the complete unavailability of dentists for him, his wife and his kids. He was told that there were plenty in the area, he should just look. He organised a small group of parents and went to see him at what was called, with unabashed irony, a surgery. The group was dismissed with no answer to their problem.
It seems remarkable to me that UK/English children's teeth compare well with those of other countries. I know fluoride is a significant factor, but even so, not everyone gets it. Indeed Germany, in the top 5, doesn't do it according to a TV programme.
We found our local NHS dentist by word of mouth (appropriately...) - a recommendation from a friend. We've been with them for less than a year and pay £20.60 a visit for an examination, scale & polish (the NHS Band 1 charge). There was no 'first visit' charge other than that.
BTW - Google shows Sycamore and My Dentist taking NHS patients in Bury St Edmunds.
BTW - Google shows Sycamore and My Dentist taking NHS patients in Bury St Edmunds.
I registered with our local dentist but they prodded around and suggested lots of things needed doing, which was odd because I didn’t have issues and had had regular checkups before.
Went private for a second opinion and, mysteriously, none of the work was recommended.
the system is just too broken
Went private for a second opinion and, mysteriously, none of the work was recommended.
the system is just too broken
I used one, once. He insisted I needed a root canal doing on a tooth that I knew had already been done. He threw the anaesthetic needle in like a javelin thrower, I yelped in pain!
Then he charged me £150 for putting a crown on it. No apology for f
king it up, just “oh, yes, you were right”.
Then he dropped something on my head, some tool or device....
The receptionists were laughing, when we told her, as all the staff knew the guy was a fking idiot. After that we went private.
Then he charged me £150 for putting a crown on it. No apology for f
king it up, just “oh, yes, you were right”.Then he dropped something on my head, some tool or device....
The receptionists were laughing, when we told her, as all the staff knew the guy was a f
king idiot. After that we went private. Riley Blue said:
We found our local NHS dentist by word of mouth (appropriately...) - a recommendation from a friend. We've been with them for less than a year and pay £20.60 a visit for an examination, scale & polish (the NHS Band 1 charge). There was no 'first visit' charge other than that.
BTW - Google shows Sycamore and My Dentist taking NHS patients in Bury St Edmunds.
Thanks, ironically it was ‘My Dentist’ that we were with and discontinued NHS practice. I will have a look at Sycamore today.BTW - Google shows Sycamore and My Dentist taking NHS patients in Bury St Edmunds.
meehaja said:
Nhs website will list all nhs dentists in your area that are taking on new patients
Didn’t realise that I will have a look, thank you.Ironically one of my brothers stepsons is a dentist, practices privately. Bit to far to travel though to Newcastle for a check-up.
Edited by crankedup on Friday 2nd February 10:50
TwistingMyMelon said:
I pay £30 a month for denplan, covers most things and I have had about £2500 of private treatment covered last few years , dentists did top notch work and no rush at all
£30 is About the same as people pay for a smartphone contract or a night out down the pub
That seems good value but it adds up to £60 for wife and myself of course. But I will very reluctantly look up some dental plans. (would having just two teeth make it cheaper £30 is About the same as people pay for a smartphone contract or a night out down the pub
)King Herald said:
I used one, once. He insisted I needed a root canal doing on a tooth that I knew had already been done. He threw the anaesthetic needle in like a javelin thrower, I yelped in pain!
Then he charged me £150 for putting a crown on it. No apology for fking it up, just “oh, yes, you were right”.
Then he dropped something on my head, some tool or device....
The receptionists were laughing, when we told her, as all the staff knew the guy was a fking idiot. After that we went private.
Why didn't you complain to the practice manager or the General Dental Council?Then he charged me £150 for putting a crown on it. No apology for f
king it up, just “oh, yes, you were right”.Then he dropped something on my head, some tool or device....
The receptionists were laughing, when we told her, as all the staff knew the guy was a f
king idiot. After that we went private. You might be better off now, but his current patients aren't
crankedup said:
We moved into our house just over four years back, since then we have had to register with four dental practices. We get to receive our first inspections c/w teeth x-ray and then on second visit it’s been a different dental practioner. These dentists seem to move around all the time. After the second visit we get the letter that thier services are now closed to NHS patients.
We now find ourselves in the position of not having a dentist available to us, I hasten to add that our teeth are in good condition and we are simply an average patient.
Now about to write to our MP and ask what has happened to our NHS dental services. Feel sure we are not the only people to have this problem?
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
My colleague got a next-day appointment for a checkup at an NHS practice he'd never used before in Woodbridge (Suffolk). I thought that was pretty good!We now find ourselves in the position of not having a dentist available to us, I hasten to add that our teeth are in good condition and we are simply an average patient.
Now about to write to our MP and ask what has happened to our NHS dental services. Feel sure we are not the only people to have this problem?
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Jakg said:
crankedup said:
We moved into our house just over four years back, since then we have had to register with four dental practices. We get to receive our first inspections c/w teeth x-ray and then on second visit it’s been a different dental practioner. These dentists seem to move around all the time. After the second visit we get the letter that thier services are now closed to NHS patients.
We now find ourselves in the position of not having a dentist available to us, I hasten to add that our teeth are in good condition and we are simply an average patient.
Now about to write to our MP and ask what has happened to our NHS dental services. Feel sure we are not the only people to have this problem?
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
My colleague got a next-day appointment for a checkup at an NHS practice he'd never used before in Woodbridge (Suffolk). I thought that was pretty good!We now find ourselves in the position of not having a dentist available to us, I hasten to add that our teeth are in good condition and we are simply an average patient.
Now about to write to our MP and ask what has happened to our NHS dental services. Feel sure we are not the only people to have this problem?
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Written to our local MP, be interesting if the situation can be explained away by her.
crankedup said:
TwistingMyMelon said:
I pay £30 a month for denplan, covers most things and I have had about £2500 of private treatment covered last few years , dentists did top notch work and no rush at all
£30 is About the same as people pay for a smartphone contract or a night out down the pub
That seems good value but it adds up to £60 for wife and myself of course. But I will very reluctantly look up some dental plans. (would having just two teeth make it cheaper £30 is About the same as people pay for a smartphone contract or a night out down the pub
)I hate the idea of paying but when our dentist went private not long after our previous one retired we seemed a bit stuck. I can't fault the service though - an old crown fell off on the Saturday afternoon before Christmas just gone (Christmas day was Monday). Rang the emergency number and the dentist called back and asked me to go in Sunday morning and have it stuck back on. Saved Christmas for me.
I hate paying though - I don't understand why even NHS patients pay. But then I feel the same about glasses too.
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