to be really hacked off about this and think they really should have had their act together??

[NoWayNoHow]

Went to dentist this a.m. - it was my 4th visit since 1st March as I have a root infection which they're trying to treat and clear.

It's a private dentist as my NHS dentist is what caused the problem in the first place , so after every appointment I've been to, I've gone to reception and asked "how much do I owe" and each time I've been told nothing. This fits with what dentist said after first appointment - only thing to pay was prescription charges at Boots for antibiotics. I was a little about that as he'd taken x-rays, but i do know that private dentists tend not to charg for the litle stuff as they get all their money from the big stuff that people need done.

Today after my appointment, I do to the desk and ask, "do I owe anything for today before I run out your door". She peruses computer and then says, "Yes, £129 " !!!!!!!!!

I told her that can't be right, he'd only looked at my teeth, nothing else, and she tells me that these are the charges for initial consultation, x-rays, de-scaling, etc.

I asked her how it was that this is the first time I've heard about ANY charges, especially when I've been specifically asking about it. She said sometimes the information doesn't come straight through from the dentists computer to hers so may not have been on there when I asked. I bamboozled her bloody stupidity logic when I told her it may not have been immediately, but surely the charge for the first consultatino would have been there 2 weeks later at the 2nd consultation. Idiot.

AIBU to think that I shuoldn't have had to pay such a massive sum up front when it should have been split up not only over 4 appointments, but over two paydays?? What can I do about it??

ohhappyday, after my first appointment when I had the xray done, the dentist actually said to me, "So, lucky for you, no charge today - just what you'll have to pay the pharmacy for your prescription". So to find out 4 weeks later that there WAS a charge is out of order.

£129 is a lot of money to me at one time. It's a month of top up nursery fees for my DS. As I said in my OP and other posts, I went to this dentist on my mother's recommendation after my NHS dentist effectively cocked up my tooth so badly it needed root canal. I was told by my mother that he frequently sees her for consultations and doesn't charge her until there's actual heavy duty work to be done.

This dentist isn't even local for me - I would have liked to have found another NHS dentist near me, but none are taking new patients.

I left previous dentist after he'd got me all injected up for a filling to be replaced and dental nurse mentioned that this was the first of several replacement fillings that I needed, with total bill far in excess of what I could afford.

I'd gone for a check up, no actual problems with fillings which were old then and still are now 10 years later.

I walked out and didn't pay for the injection!

I thought dentist saw me as a cash cow. OP, I think your dentist is at worst a very bad business manager. Are you planning on sticking with him?

I always pay at the end of a course of treatment, but I do know exactly what it will cost before I start. They should have made it explicit, but I think it's a bit naive to expect a private dentist to do four free appointments.

didl, yes that's basically it. There wasn't any work done, btw, just xrays and a clean and a prescription to clear up an infection.

I've basically been accruing charges since my first appointment, but they've always told me after each and every appointment that I don't owe them anything when I've specifically asked them if I need to pay. So to be presented now with the charges from a month ago when I've proactively trying to clear anything that I might owe is infuriating.

But under what circumstances would a private dentist be doing work for free.

If the dentist had said to me ' lucky you, only the prescription to pay today" or the receptionist had said " no nothing to pay today" I would have said
"why? When do I pay and how much will it be"

it must be very frustrating and annoying for you op. But there is no earthly reason why the work would be fee (well not that I can think of) so tbh it was in your best interests to nail down what was going on.

but you are not just paying for a clean, xray and a prescription, you are paying for the dentist to assess, diagnose and treat problems that you say were caused by another dentist. Of course that isn't going to be free.

TheFallenMadonna, I've said it a number of times now...

I wasn't expecting free appointments. That's why I repeatedly checked with reception whether I owed them anything. Even the dentist himself told me I didn't owe him anything after an appointment!

If I'm asking to pay, and they're telling me not to because I don't need to, what exactly do you expect me to do? Write them a blank cheque just in case?

I would have asked when I would be expected to pay. Because I would be expecting to pay.

As I've said before as well (a couple of times now), my mother goes to this dentist. She has had assessments, consultations, etc and HASN'T been charged. She has only been charged when they had to replace her crown.

TheFallenMadonna the receptionist today freely admitted that unless she sees the charges in front of her, she assumes there's nothing to pay.

Sounds standard to me, i've only ever paid when treatment has finished.

But surely they don´t do anything for free, so that every time you saw him something would be owed, even though they didn´t want to be paid then?

HappyMummyOfOne treatment hasn't finished... I still need to go back in fortnight to make sure the infection is going down of it's own accord and to see if I need to get the tooth taken out.

Well, that is extremely unusual. Not much else to say really.

but.......there is a difference between saying
"do I have to pay. No? Oh, ok"
and saying
"do I have to pay? No? But why not? Is that treatment free? Really? Why? Can you explain why -I don't want to get a surprise invoice in 6 months time"

Of course you are right to be annoyed. But you are the one who is stuck when they really don't give a shit.

And tbh I always ask fir an estimate before starting any treatment so I can make sure I can cover the cost.
What would you have done if the bill was more than four figures -as dds invoice was last year?

Of course you are right tobbe miffed. But it is your responsibility to fund the treatment so you need to be more persistent.
I am not being smart arse. It is a shit experience but you need to protect yourself in fiuture

diddl my point exactly - their system is clearly crap. When I was asking what the charges were, the receptionist was saying "No charge today". If there had been money owed, she should have said "you need to pay £30/whatever, but only once treatment is finished".

pagwatch, trust me, I will DEFINITELY be protecting myself in the future.

I think if I'd been having loads done, then I would have been more about the lack of charges. But apart from the first appointment (the one where HE told me there was no charge), it's all just been looking in my mouth and seeing how the tooth is getting on. I'm in and out in a minute or two.

Well yes, it does sound a shit system & I think in the circs it would be fair to let you pay in installments.

But I think ywbu to think that some appointments would be totally free.

Slighty off-topic, I know, but has anyone ever been fr a checkup with a private dentist and not been told they need to see the hygienist? At £45 a pop? However well I look after my teeth, I always end up having to have this extra.