So we literally cannot find an NHS dentist, anywhere

[nodentist]

What do we do? Nowhere taking on adults for NHS since we’ve moved. On the website tool it says a few are, but when you call them it transpires they are taking on… for the 5 year long waiting list. People on local Facebook groups are mentioning that some practices are refusing to take on children on the NHS unless their parents are paying privately!

Does anyone know how to get around it? I’ve not seen a dentist in four years since just before COVID, and I know I probably need a filling and who knows what else treatment. I feel embarrassed about my teeth even though they don’t look bad.

This is the contract imposed by the labour government which we told them again and again, wouldn’t work. Amazingly, it hasn’t worked.

And so they've pledged to review it. Which the Tories could have done at any point in the last 13 years instead of letting things get this bad.

Honestly? My NHS dentist is going private. I have family in (a cheap) European country so we’ve decided to just go privately when we’re there now.

That's a lot cheaper than our dentist. Check ups are £75, hygienist is £99, filling is £180 and a crown is £1000!

I pay £110 for 20 mins with a hygienist at my dentists 🥴

Just have to go private I’m afraid. Dentists do payment plans now so you can at least pay monthly for you fillings to make it a bit more affordable.

I was so happy I could have cried yesterday when I finally found a local NHS Dentist taking on patients. Not surprisingly they had been overwhelmed with people ringing them.
I haven’t seen a Dentist since 2019, bar an emergency clinic extraction. Our old one used covid as an excuse to dump all their NHS patients.
I’m going to need a load of dental work 😩

I was told if I wanted denplan, I would have to get all the work I needed done privately first.. so if you needed several fillings it's going to cost a lot before even getting on denplan. I had to gonprivate for a while but finally found an NHS one taking on new people

That’s horrific!! Why did they ask you to do that?

Because Denplan is a dental insurance plan and as with most health insurance they won’t cover pre existing problems.

I see. Genuinely can’t afford private. Dunno if I do need a filling in just guessing from looking in my mouth. Going to have to try and ring out of area

I don’t have a dentist, despite having been on the books of the same practice for over 25 years. Unlike at my GP, where we see whoever is available, each patient in our dental practice is allocated to a specific dentist so when my dentist left just after lockdown, I was deemed by the practice to be without one and I have to wait until they appoint a replacement before I’m entitled to another appointment (but if I wanted to go private in the same place they would be able to fit me in no problem, of course). So there are lots of reasons why people might find themselves dentistless. The OP makes it clear they’ve moved so no mystery there.

Yet none of this shortage stops people drinking sugary drinks and eating sugary snacks and even worse, giving them to their children. There’s no reason to need lots of work just because you haven’t seen a dentist, 99% of dental problems are preventable in 99% of people. Yes some people have to work harder with diet and hygiene, that doesn’t change the fact that almost all dental disease is preventable.

Fml, this is because of the way NHS funding works. It’s not difficult to understand the finite nature of money.

If NHS funding allows for 2 hours of NHS treatment every day for a year, the other 7 hours are private. That’s why you could be seen sooner. NHS funding is finite and is clawed back very quickly if dentists don’t meet their targets. They also don’t get paid if they exceed their targets. Don’t blame the practice FFS, I bet they would be better off and much happier doing zero NHS.

@Silverdogblue I was responding to a PP who queried how someone could find themselves without a dentist, and explaining that there are all kinds of unexpected reasons why this could happen.

I do understand how and why it works that way re private vs NHS availability (hence my inclusion of the phrase “of course”) and I don’t “blame” anyone in particular. It’s natural to feel disappointed that, due to completely random circumstances, I can’t access any NHS dental care whereas other patients in my practice are able to see their dentists 2 or 3 times a year. I’m sorry that disappointment showed through slightly in my post and made you respond so angrily.

Welsh Labour run Wales NHS. Try getting an NHS dentist here, so voting Labour won't work.

I managed to get my kids in with a private dentist when the NHS practise went from 8 dentists to 1 and just cancelled their appointments month after month. But I can’t find even a private practise that is taking on adult patients. I haven’t seen a dentist since 2017.

You understand perfectly well how your “of course” would be inferred, otherwise you wouldn’t have used those words.

@Silverdogblue I’m genuinely sorry my post inadvertently made you react that way. I don’t think I understand exactly what you think I’m doing so I’m going to disengage

Because I think you need to begin denplan with healthy teeth.. so you can't just claim a load of work straight away I assume 🤔

Yes but you also have to pay a monthly fee just to be on a private dentist's list!

Same here, OP. I need a lot doing and simply can't afford to go private at all. Like a lot of other people, I lost my NHS dentist during Covid.

@nodentist are you anywhere near a dental school?

Yup. I’m in south London and no NHS spaces at all , not even for kids. So I’m paying for me and the kids (9 and 5) to go. Spent probably close to £1k in 12months on two fillings for me, couple of check ups for me, x2 hygienist appts, x2 kids check ups. There isn’t an option however

Also DenPlan is a monthly fee then a reduction in costs for treatments. I used to pay £12/m and get x1 hygienist a year, x2 check ups a year, so many X-rays a year and 20% off any treatments.

I'm sorry that's rubbish. When I lived in York it was like that. I spent hundreds of pounds a year on dental treatments. Thankfully moved to London where there was NHS dentistry available.