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

Falsehood.

I'm on PIP and I have to pay for non-NHS dental and for prescriptions.

Really keen to know how Labour (who else?) would turn this around? Won’t be able to incentivise dentists to return to NHS, they won’t be able to increase fees back for free or low cost check ups and the next gen of dentists will be private minded in their approach to career, so who the heck will want to scrap their earning potential in favour of fulfilling NHS appointments.

Same in Ireland. Totally unaffordable. They say if you want to know how wealthy someone is look at their teeth. We haven’t been able to afford to get more than a check up done in years and I’ve had teeth out because root canals just aren’t a possibility

I blame everyone who ever voted Tory.

Ah, but any emergency treatment or illness of the eye is free.

I learnt that last summer.

Started getting a floater randomly, it wouldn't go away. Booked an appointment with my optician, the examination (including standard prescription check) the drops and the follow up were all free.

I was really surprised.

So just sharing incase anyone has a weird eye thing, that isn't glasses related, that they need.

@Brieandjam I'd rather not say, sorry. But it's not as developed as Singapore. It's a fast growing economy and lots of potential especially coming from the UK.

Singapore is very expensive even with a good exchange rate. But great place to live and education far superior to the UK.

I'm just so disillusioned with the UK. I don't recognise it anymore.

I didn’t realise you had to pay for eye tests in England, that’s ridiculous. I’ve got a complex prescription and need varifocals. A new pair with lens thinning is only £80. That’s a fraction of what a pair cost me 10-15 years ago. Plus, no charge for an eye test.

I did have an NHS dentist but they wrote to everyone asking their opinion on them moving to a more suitable location which was accessible. Of course everyone said yes, do it, then they became completely private. 😡

We moved house, and area, so I needed to register somewhere else, but can’t get a NHS dentist for love nor money. I registered with a private one, I need both my front crowns replacing and I’m having a couple of fillings changed to white ones. That’s £2500. Fortunately we can afford it. **

I’m feeling incredibly grateful after reading this thread for our NHS dentist. I have really crappy teeth despite working hard to look after them for all my adult life.
I was never taken to the dentist as a child and just brushed twice a day. Luckily no major fall outs from that but both my parents have brittle (? Don’t know if that’s a real thing!) teeth and one of mine cracked a few years ago. All fixed now.
I’ve had various treatments with my dentist and we all go as a family twice a year for a checkup, I usually need to go back inbetween these checkups for further treatment.
They closed during Covid and I called after a year because we had missed our appointment and they told me off! Said I should have called sooner - I did apologise but when i had called before there was an answering machine telling me that if appointments had been missed due to Covid then to await a phone call inviting us for a new one!!! I didn’t get one so eventually phoned and got a ticking off however it was all fine and we got back on track with them. Quite a few NHS dentists round our way but I hear from friends with young dc that none are accepting new patients now.

Unfortunately NHS dentistry is based off a contract from 2006 which hasn’t changed since. Something to do with the prices the NHS pays practices not covering the cost of the treatment which means dental practices would be losing money providing NHS treatment

I’m with NHS Dentist , they were open all through lock down ,they are taking on as people go private they open their books ,they give priority to children ,also do emergency extractions for people that need it. I think it all depends on the area you live in ,they own 4 different practices that are half NHS half private have just bought another building to expand ,they also do in house orthodontist and own lab work etc .

@Amboseli dying to know where you are emigrating to? We have comnection to singapore and could get jobs there with some effort, but gbp vs sgd has declined over a third within tbe past few short years, that and decades of suppressed uk wages , means that we cant afford buying a house in singapore.

I imagine it really depends on the state of your teeth and if you have any issues. I’ve never been able to get an NHS dentist since I moved for university about 15years ago. However I don’t have any issues with my teeth and the private dentists match the check up price of the NHS. The scale and polish is slightly more about £15-20 more than NHS so it’s never really bothered me. I suspect if you have issues with your teeth then being private will be expensive

Poor people aren’t getting dental care. As pp said, even if you’re on benefits you need to find an NHS dentist first, which is impossible. My Dad needs new dentures and I’ve called every NHS dentist within 50 miles without success. Now I’m looking at paying for them on my credit card so he can have a better quality of life and be able to eat properly.

My Mum is registered with an NHS dentist but can’t get any work done. She needs 10 teeth extracted and the dentist won’t do it because the NHS won’t cover his costs. He will only do one tooth at a time, and he insists on doing a checkup then filling the tooth at least 3x before he extracts it - that way he gets 5 payments from the NHS per tooth. This has dragged on for two years now and only 2 teeth out of 10 have been removed. At this rate it’ll take another 8 years before my Mum gets all of her teeth out. A private dentist would do them all in 1-2 appointments but we don’t have the money.

Tbf, most people who come here are economic migrants rather then people in love with the British culture. No surprise that they move on if we hit a bumpy patch. Maybe we shouldn't have become reliant on such fair weather friends.

We are lucky enough to have an NHS dentist, but they're very hot on "You NEED a checkup" at very frequent intervals - so although it's paid on the NHS scale, you're coerced into paying when they claim you need to and not when you feel you need to/can afford to. All safe in the knowledge that, if you decline for too long, they can simply chuck you off their list and leave you high and dry, at the mercy of paying for private.

Go private and have a new denture made, there around £600-800 much cheaper than implants, and implants risk failing & need replacing later on in life.

I've been trying to get in an NHS dentist for years. I don't know anyone who has one. YANBU

Agree. I certainly didn’t vote for either but my family are still screwed for dental treatment!
Have a grandchild who by now should be having check ups ! My children started seeing a dentist by the age of two even if it was to play on the chair and have their teeth counted! Bloody shocking along with everything else that is poor about the UK !

I use a NHS dentist and pay the fixed rates.

It is not just looking at your teeth for holes, though, is it?
It is a general look about for things like oral cancers.

Am in exactly same position as OP and with a very expensive metal denture( due to an accident) which will need to be replaced at so.e point,I dont know what to do. Replacing the denture with implants was quoted at nearly 6K.

Take home pay needs to be less that £616.66 monthly.

Anything over she you lose free dental and free school meals/uniform grants where I am.

@Whammyyammy Congratulations! Some people don't have the privilege of actually being able to afford it!

I do dislike people who have the privilege and money to move abroad telling all the people too poor to move about how life is going to be shit for them.