Does this seem right re dentist charge?

[Lauren1983]

Hi I'm with an NHS dentist and had an appointment a month ago. The dentist said I needed my teeth cleaned and that I needed a new appointment for this to be done on. I paid £21.60 for the check up. I have just inquired about the charge for my next appointment and have been told it will be £30. Does this seem right? £50 is a lot of money for me (I'm a SAHM and DP earns above the threshold for free treatment but not a huge amount more).

If he is talking about you getting teeth cleaned by a hygienist then 30 pounds is about right, thats what mine charges on the n.h.s.

My cleanings cost £35 each. The dentist visit is about the same.

Checkups are free, scale and polish is around £14 at my dentist surgery.

I'm not sure if it's with a hygienist as it's a tiny practice. Would one come in especially?

If it is a scale and polish, that is included in your band 1 charge as long as you actually need it (£21.60).
If it is a deeper clean of the gums then it is a band 2 (£59.10).

If it was meant to be a band 2 charge it is cheaper for you to see the hygienist privately (as the difference would be £37.50 for the nhs treatment and not the £30 the hygienist is charging).

If however the dentist has simply recommended you need a clean and not deep gum treatment, and you should book in with the hygienist, the £30 is a private charge and not part of your nhs treatment.

You can ring and ask whether you can have you clean done as part of your band 1 as you don't want to see the hygienist privately instead and are happy for the dentist to do the scale and polish and see what they say?

I'm not quite sure what the treatment is for or who it is with. The dentist just said I needed them cleaned, there was no mention of gum problems but that could be the case?. When I emailed them to ask the cost of treatment they sent me a voicemail saying it would be ''around £30''.

The dentist didn't say if it would be him or a hygienist. I've had my teeth given a quick clean by him before (several years ago) which has come under the £21.60 charge, never seen a hygienist before.

They don't outline costs before treatment. They just do things and charge for them! my mum had her check up the same time and paid a £1 more than me...not sure why.