NHS Dentist - small filling costs hundreds of pounds

[IR35 Avoider]

What is it about UK NHS dentists? (Though private may be the same for all I know.)

When I was growing up, outside the UK, the natural order of events was: toothache, trip to dentist next day, one or three fillings, go home with problem solved.

In the UK the sequence seems to be toothache, go to dentist who tells you you have one or more things wrong with your teeth, (thank-you, why do you think I'm here?) gives you temporary filling/s (that will fall out within a few days) sends you away and you return once a month over however many months and they do one filling on each visit. If you fall for this routine you lose one days pay for each visit so initial consultation plus three fillings costs you well over a grand. (Plus a sixpence or whatever it is the NHS actually requires you to pay the dentist.)

Having lost a filling two months ago, went to dentist, they booked me two appointments, one for three fillings and one for cleaning, both a month after consultation, i.e. this week. I only work part of the time, and it turned out I was starting a one-month stint today. Was so pleased that they were going to do three fillings in one go that I decided to lose a few hundred quid by keeping todays appointment and re-scheduling the cleaning for later November

Today I hit a new high of dental frustration - they did one and a half fillings.

I suppose I should be grateful they did more than one. The biggest one she didn't even attempt - might be some nerve damage, wanted to leave it for the dentist who did the original consultation. (Based on their relative ages and wife's previous experience with the original, I would guess that the motive is that the original is a beginner needing experience rather than a expert who will do a better job.) She did all the grinding etc. for the biggest of the remaining two, then decided to put a temporary filling in because [/whinge mode off due to valid reason] the gum was bleeding and blood mixed with white amalgam would have given a pink filling... She then did smallest. Parting comment - "there may be more fillings, once we've looked at the Xrays."

[voron]

You should be thankful she wasn't drunk, wasn't a sadist and could speak English.

[IR35 Avoider]

You should be thankful she wasn't drunk, wasn't a sadist and could speak English.

She was quite nice, and I liked that she was older and presumably more experienced, as all the other dentists in the practise are about 17.

Actually one of the 17-year-olds that was there there today was a girl with shaven white hair and a scandinavian accent, it would be worth having cavities in order to see more of her...

[voron]

Actually one of the 17-year-olds that was there there today was a girl with shaven white hair and a scandinavian accent, it would be worth having cavities in order to see more of her...

Wow, my last dentist (going back a few years) looked like Peter Greenaway. I was secretly hoping for a troupe of naked people to come dancing through the room to the sound of Michael Nymen music.

[IR35 Avoider]

[whinge mode back on] the other thing I noticed, was that though you would think they are overloaded, given NHS dentists are generally hard to find and the one month wait for an appointment, I was the only patient in the surgery. (They had chairs and staff present sufficient to treat several patients simultaneously.)

I've noticed a similar thing when visiting an NHS consultant previously: appointments hard to get, only available in the distant future, but when you get there the place is like a haunted building with hardly a doctor or patient to be seen.

[Francko]

Dentists in England?

Guys you are mad. Go to Eastern europe. Top quality services at a fraction of the cost of the cheapest one in UK. Last time I paid 5 pounds for a proper cleaning (oh, and it was done 3 times better as one I had in UK). Now, have to take care of two cavities, warn you, that might cost you a tenner though.

[voron]

[whinge mode back on] the other thing I noticed, was that though you would think they are overloaded, given NHS dentists are generally hard to find and the one month wait for an appointment, I was the only patient in the surgery. (They had chairs and staff present sufficient to treat several patients simultaneously.)

Here....he's right! Thinking back over the years, I cannot remember a packed waiting room. At most one or two other people.

[Not So Wise]

After an experience 3 years ago with a private dentist (total fecking sadist) and then a nhs dentist last year (same experience as mentioned above by ir35, except two filling he put in did not even last till i had made it out the door) I have sworn never to go to a UK dentist except for emergancy treatment (Always had pretty good service from hospital emergency dental clinics have always been quite good for some reason in comparison with the others...if you can put up with the waiting, problem is what they will do is limited)

In regards to the nhs dentists, think they get more money if they break the work down into multiple visits rather than just doing it all in one go, suitable for them not for anyone else, especially if you work.

Next proper dental work i am getting done (probably next year, want decent amount of cosmetic work done) i will be heading to eastern europe, by all accounts from others i know who have been there, their equipment, training and profesionalism is only slightly lower than the US (thus putting it miles ahead of the UK) while at a fraction of the cost. To give you just an idea work i wanted done was quoted to me over here at circa £7,000 minium while over in the czech rep. getting quotes well under two grand.

[privateeye]

I always put 'investigator' on the forms where it says occupation - I get done only that needs to be done no more. The same applies when I get my car serviced - I let them know the car is used for surveillance work and the work is always done properly. Learnt this trick as I do part time Private Investigation work and everytime I let them know I'm an investigator i get a different level of service.

[xoggoth]

I note your problems were due to losing a filling. And why did you have a filling to lose amy I ask? Probably because you went to a dentist before and he TOLD YOU you needed one. Stop falling for this con.

http://www.xoggoth.org/science.html