To think that dental care is now only for the wealthy in the UK

They dont! This is where I feel things are grossly unfair at the moment. You have rich people taking or rather keeping their nhs places when they could easily afford a dental plan and private dentistry. You then have poor people, a lot in this group through no fault of their own thatcannot afford dental plans or private dentists and cannot get a place so cannot see a dentist or look after their teeth. Its quite disgusting really and the whole dental service needs a major overhaul!

Any young person starting their working life now should make insurance cover for teeth part of their living expenses.

My private dentist cost less per month than a Sky Cinema package. I get a check up and deep clean twice a year and 10% off of any treatment plus holiday cover in UK and globally.
He once refunded me £500.00 when I had an implant - it wasnt as complicated as he first thought. He will drop you off his list if you do not attend regularly, he is so popular that his private list is now closed.

It's because it's banded depending on your teeth, the dentist has to assess and then quote you depending on your teeth condition

Ah, OK - but that kind of individual-based pricing doesn't stop the likes of life insurance providers from quoting a 'cover from' price based on their 'best-case scenario' - which will obviously rocket if you have any factors that concern them.

It's because it's banded depending on your teeth, the dentist has to assess and then quote you depending on your teeth condition

I would have to check mine but I am on the care plan, have had a filling before denplan (so average- good teeth!) and pay £20 a month. Twice a year I go for a check up and hygienist
They even covered a small amount of composite bonding for me which was cosmetic

I think unfortunately we all need to get used to reprioritising in the current climate.
Lots of my friends say they can't afford private dentists yet go on plenty of foreign holidays that they can afford.

Children are supposed to have check ups every six months according to the NHS website, and mine did before covid. So to not be seen for over 3 years was unacceptable. The way they speak makes it obvious that they’re doing this to try to get NHS patients to go private (suddenly appointments are available months earlier with the same dentist, and treatment will have a much higher chance of success).

We had to wait over a year for check ups even though we hadn’t had them since since before the pandemic

This is kind of what makes me a bit suspicious of some dentists' motives: there doesn't seem to be an accepted timescale for when you need checkups - it's just coincidentally urgent when they have capacity (or you can afford to go private), but otherwise, it's not really that important at all.

Our NHS dental surgery was closed and we were moved to one which is part private, part NHS. NHS patients there are treated like second class citizens. We had to wait over a year for check ups even though we hadn’t had them since since before the pandemic, due to restrictions at the old surgery (we were due them just as the pandemic started and had our appointments cancelled, and they never resumed check ups before closing). So we didn’t have check ups for over three years - and I have DC who are under 10. When I finally had my check up they told me I needed a root canal - which is what happens when issues aren’t spotted early on I guess. However I have to wait six months to have it done on the NHS. Google tells me root canals aren’t something that can wait. If I pay the private price (many hundreds) then I can start treatment within a month, and also have a better success rate (apparently). There is no option of a monthly plan. I can’t afford it so waiting is the only option.

I accepted that dentistry is not generally provided on the NHS 26 years ago, ot sometimes amazes me that others are surprised by this. I am not wealthy, I have simply accepted that this is part of my living costs that I need to factor into my expense management like all my other living costs.

No we understand the longstanding situation perfectly well, thanks; we just don't know the justification for why two specific healthcare essentials are deliberately excluded from what is meant to be an all-in free-at-the-point-of-use basic healthcare system, that is funded by taxes.

Suppose they said that the NHS would treat cancers and all other issues relating to the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas, but anything to do with lungs and you're on your own - would that make any sense to you?

I'm lucky to have an NHS dentist but my friend hasn't. When she tried to get her kids into my dental practice she was told there was a 5 year wait in the area.
That's all because she hadn't taken her kids to check ups until there was an issue and they had taken them off their registers at their practice which is tough luck I suppose.

I have not been able to find an NHS dentist since about 1996. I did have one then but I left because they did some appalling work and I decided not to go back to them, I moved out of the area anyway. Anyway, never found one since.

I accepted that dentistry is not generally provided on the NHS 26 years ago, ot sometimes amazes me that others are surprised by this. I am not wealthy, I have simply accepted that this is part of my living costs that I need to factor into my expense management like all my other living costs.

I agree, it's a big problem. I do still have an NHS dentist (as does my husband - a different one) but I think they are not taking on any more patients.

More and more dentists are giving up NHS practice. I think it can't be financially viable.

Good on him! It would be wonderful if they listened but I don't hold out much hope.

My dentist’s plan is £20 a month for two check ups and two hygienist visits a year. The hygienist is lovely, but not very effective.

The dentist would like me to have implants. Probably about £8000. That won’t be possible.

I think how things are with dentists now is how the Conservatives plan for the NHS to be.

Some people will get some things for free.

And if you can't. You'll have to pay.

Only it will be tens of thousands instead of a few hundred.

Both of my grandfathers had all their teeth removed for their 21st birthday gift. It cost a lot of money to have done, but yes, it was normal. I've seen photos of them when they were young and they had very nice teeth, but there was no NHS then and dentistry was very expensive and painful and keeping your own teeth could cause a lifetime of problems.

I'm sure they made a very practical, reasoned decision that suited them and their circumstances; but how heartbreaking to think that we could be headed back there in these times.

Call me a cynic, but I can see this being used (whether deliberately or just 'conveniently' capitalised on) as a test case to other personal health needs that currently are looked after by the NHS. Imagine if some bright spark came up with the idea that, if all women routinely had (self-funded, of course) double mastectomies on their 18th birthday, we could make breast cancer almost a thing of the past.

Horrifying and so defeatist: a health equivalent of 'luckily' never being at risk of burglars breaking in, because you can't afford to live in a house in the first place.

That Denplan site seems very reluctant to tell you what the cost is without you having to go through one of their dentists to ask - and then potentially opening yourself up to their persistent marketing attempts if you hesitate or decline.

I always assume that companies who are not upfront with their prices - unless they are genuinely all very different for bespoke services/products for everybody - are looking to rip you off and/or know that their prices will be more than you expected/want to/can pay; like those scum companies that prey on old folk in their own homes with exorbitantly-priced beds and armchairs. Aldi never tell you that you have to email them to find out how much their own-brand beans cost, do they?

Only certain ( limited) benefits. Definitely not everyone receiving benefits..

I had a wisdom tooth extracted yesterday, an eye watering €350 euro in Dublin!

It's still the case everywhere. You get an exemption certificate, it used to be a card but now it's just a paper certificate. I've got one. Free prescriptions and NHS dental care.

I'm with an NHS dentist and get free dental care as I get UC. I joined this dentist 8 years ago, it didn't have a great reputation which was probably why I got a place but I've never had any issues.

I use my local university dental school.
The dental students do the work under the direction of the qualified dentist who is their tutor.
It costs me nothing and I've never had any problems.

I've been on the waiting list for an NHS dentist for about 2.5 years now.

I couldn't even get an appointment when I found a lump growing in my mouth - how was anyone NHS to know it wasn't cancer? I certainly didn't know that.

GP said it was a dentist job and wouldn't see me. Health board said there were no NHS dentists taking on clients in the entire health board area, but put me on the central waiting list.

If I was poor and it had turned out to be cancer I'd have been terminally ill or dead by now.

I haven’t able to get an NHS dentist since 2003 and I moved back to Wales. Sometimes Dentists open up their NHS list but I have never made onto one. Miss my London dentist.