How do people afford / pay for U.K. dentistry?

[yellowgreyblue]

Reading the other thread on missing teeth got me thinking in this current climate of increased living costs / post covid waiting lists / NHS dentists don't accept people anymore....how the hell do people pay for dentists???

I'm lucky to have an NHS place but even then a filling or planned extraction is £65.20 (more than a weekly shop for me). If you need dentures / bridges / crowns are £282.80. In an emergency you get things done for band 1 which is £23.80 but that covers fixing the emergency pain etc not necessarily the full treatment for the problem.

Private dentistry at my surgery is eye watering - initial consultation £84; check up with scale and polish £94; check up £54; filling £201; extraction £183; bridge £2100; crown £624; dentures £887; implant £2400.

What do you do if you have no money and especially no NHS dentist? I just don't get it. And you never need just one thing, it's always multiple I.e. check up, clean and filling etc.

We're single income family with disabled children and very little spare money. No benefits that qualify for free NhS treatment. I worry about us and everyone else's teeth. Am I missing something here? How are people doing it?

Where I live in Norfolk, there are not any dentists taking on NHS patients.
My dentist is private and he isn’t taking any more either. The emergency dentist isn’t fit for purpose, nor was it before the pandemic.
It is ludicrous

I pay monthly on a scheme. My dentists sees kids on NHS but adults have to pay. The whole system is just so complicated and hard to navigate. Both my kids are likely to need braces and I understand the waiting list for those is now so long if you have to go to an orthodontist that people tend to pay for them as well and the cost is frightening.

I think my nhs dentist used to let people set up a payment plan and spread the cost. I’m not sure, I was in there once and overheard the receptionist going through some options with a patient (customer perhaps?).
I had to have a crown after my third dc and it was all covered by maternity dentistry which I was very grateful for!
I’ve not had anything more expensive done but I was recently told I need all 4 wisdom teeth removing (I do, they’re causing problems) in hospital under sedation. God knows how much that’s going to cost me and I feel cross about it because it’s nothing I’ve done or haven’t done, I look after my teeth really well, honest!

Dentists offer plans on the NHS to spread the cost of treatment

Bit I agree it’s a lot of money.

My DS needs braces. He qualifies for NHS treatment as his treatment plan will involve teeth being removed. We haven’t had to wait. The delay was waiting until final baby tooth fell out and his brushing improved. I would have paid for it but might as well accept the NHS paying for it. We’re in West London. DS and DH go to an NHS dentist and I’m with a private one. Doesn’t seem to be an issue with accessing dental care in my area. I bristle a bit at having to pay £65 for a child to see hygenist but will be important for when he has braces and hopefully help long term
oral health.

It's not just a U.K. thing though. I'm in Ireland and it's expensive here to. I pay 13 a month for our family dental insurance. And then I claim back most of it through that.

I get working tax credits (single parent) so get it free currently. It will be nasty when those are gone.

Teeth get worse after the menopause due to dry mouth.

My dental bill usually comes I at about 1500 per year under the NHS. I’ve got teeth like chalk

I have a number of issues with my teeth which although not urgent at the moment will probably become so.

My NHS dentist chucked me off the list and I cannot find another one. I could keep going to my old dentist if I pay privately. I can't afford to go private so will have to wait until I am in so much pain that I have to seek emergency treatment on the NHS.

Thankfully DD was not thrown off the list.

The state of dental treatment in this country is appalling and I don't see it improving any time soon.

I’ve got Den Plan, pay less than £20 a month.

Denplan reduces the cost a bit for private treatment. Around £20 a month for 2 free check-ups and 2 hygienist visits annually. Can't remember the reduction but it's around 20/25% off if you need actual work done. But having said that, it is still eye-wateringly expensive!

I had an NHS dentist that I went to for years along with my children. I got free treatment because I get UC.
Last year all the NHS patients got a letter to say that they would no longer be providing NHS treatment and we would all have to go private.
It caused a lot of worry and anger in my Town because there were suddenly hundreds of people with no dentist and we were all trying to find another dentist in the County but either they were only seeing private patients or their NHS waiting list is thousands long.

I can't afford private fees and I'm terrified about my children not having a dentist. None of us has been able to see a dentist since then and we hadn't seen one for ages before that because of lockdowns.

My NHS dentist went private a couple of years ago and dumped us, as we weren’t prepared to pay.
We had no dentist for ages but got lucky when one was taking on NHS patients in our postcode. It’s a 30 minute drive there, but I was just glad to get an NHS dentist.

I go twice a year for check up and clean because regular maintenance ends up costing less than significant work. But you never know what's around the corner so I save money every month for dental costs.

I don’t go as often- usually only when I have a problem. I’m registered but it is a lot of money to just get my teeth checked and cleaned

It's so expensive and our dentist charges children once they reach 5, he is a fantastic dentist though and where we live all the NHS dentists are not adding anyone to their waiting lists. It's shocking that unless you can pay too whack you can't get seen.

I pay £15.50 monthly private plan but single income household. Luckily ds is free until he is 18. This gives me two free check ups a year two visits to the hygienist and 20 per cent off any work which I rarely need although last year it cost me £300 which was a real wrench.

Once d's gets work he will pay for his own plan.

O p is your ex paying his due maintenance? Mine can only pay £100 monthly so it is still hard to make ends meet but he is retired in just his state pension.

Not sure if you have an ex apologies if I have interpreted this wrong.

So many advances in dentistry in the last 40 years yet we're now heading towards a massive oral health crisis because people simply can't afford to even have basic check-ups and dental work. The govt have taken away funding from NHS dentists, which is why they are having to take on mostly private patients. It's just awful.

I've got an NHS dentist about 90 minutes' drive away. I need a new filling as one has come out so am waiting for my Mat1B (for some reason we don't seem to get an exemption certificate in Wales) so that I can get it done for free. I'll also see if they'll let me take DD up with me and quickly look at her teeth while I'm there - she only has four! But I'm really not looking forward to a three hour drive (in total) with a toddler just so she can see a dentist. And I'm lucky because we have a car. The same journey on public transport would be well over two hours, with a fair bit of changing buses/trains.

But it's ridiculous. We live about fifteen minutes from a moderate sized town. There's literally no spaces with any NHS dentist there. I'm very lucky to have got in with the one 90 minutes away.

On denplan then, you're paying £240 a year in monthly instalments and you get 2 check ups and 2 cleans - but that would cost £190 as a private patient at my surgery anyway. So you're paying £50 more to get 20% off treatment if you need it....but you still might not need treatment so you've overpaid and if you do need treatment, you still might pay hundreds which I couldn't afford anyway so would have to politely decline!

What happens if you have no NHS dentist but need emergency treatment? Does the NHS technically need to find you an emergency dentist?

I agree the state of oral health is going to go downhill....

I couldn't get an nhs dentist but needed a filling so had no choice but to register with a private clinic. I pay £12 pm for denplan which gives you two check ups a year,scale and polish and 25% off all other treatment. Luckily dc get free free nhs treatment as I'm registered already. It's expensive and can understand how people can't afford it or don't prioritise it.

Presumably denplan costs different amounts for different people depending on their teeth?

I'm with DenPlan so pay monthly and then I get a discount on any cosmetic treatment.

Hygienist appointments, dental appointments and emergency work are all included - I've had two wisdom teeth removed on bank holiday weekends for no extra costs recently.

@yellowgreyblue

On denplan then, you're paying £240 a year in monthly instalments and you get 2 check ups and 2 cleans - but that would cost £190 as a private patient at my surgery anyway. So you're paying £50 more to get 20% off treatment if you need it....but you still might not need treatment so you've overpaid and if you do need treatment, you still might pay hundreds which I couldn't afford anyway so would have to politely decline!

What happens if you have no NHS dentist but need emergency treatment? Does the NHS technically need to find you an emergency dentist?

I agree the state of oral health is going to go downhill....

It costs significantly more at mine than £190 annually without a plan, otherwise I really would think twice about it. I think if you need emergency dentist now the tendency on the NHS is to be sent to a dental hospital where they will only carry out basic treatment to 'patch-up' the problem. For me being on a plan gives me a guarantee with my dentist that I'll get an appointment on the day if I have problems and know the treatment will be high standard. So I feel it's peace of mind I'm paying for really.

Really wish the media would make a bigger deal about the issue - so many children are really going to suffer in the future for the lack of available and affordable treatment today.