To think that dentists are a bloody racket!

[hermionestranger]

I need a new tooth guard because I grind my back teeth when I sleep. Imprint done and told they'd have unready next Thursday.

On the way out the receptionist said shed just double check the band. It's always been band 2. Well it's not now! £209 please for a bit of bloody plastic and plaster of Paris! They already have my tooth mould from the last two times and me teeth haven't changed my dentist said!

£209! Incredible!

YANBU

GP's will soon operate in a very similar manner if the Tories get their way.

:( Can you afford it? They do rip people off...only because they can.

Dentists are the biggest rip off going. My son then aged about 16 once said to the dentist, I bet you are not doing any work on my teeth now, but suddenly when I turn 19 I will need mountains doing....

I paid £600 for root canal work on a tooth which then needed extracting as it had completely broken in two and the root canal work did not work!

PS

Who else charges for inflciting pain in the way dentists do

that seems a lot. I have my imprint/mould of my teeth and its about £50 for a new guard I just send them the teeth mould. That's private as well and he said its just a lab cost
Although it is £72 for check up and hygienist...

My dentist is lovely but I pay insurance to avoid big bills.

However my DS has just had repair work, root canal and an extraction (hates dentists and leaves it until he is in agony) for about £250 on the NHS. I thought that was reasonable.

brighthair - dental lab costs are quite high I think. That's why a lot of folk can't afford cosmetic work.

Yeah - he only charges me the lab cost as he doesn't do anything except post the new guard and mould back, but the lab cost is still only £50 ish so OP seems expensive especially if the mould is already made

OP, you have been charged a band 3 charge (which is what you would usually pay for crowns, bridges, dentures etc). Call your surgery up, and ask since when has a bite guard been band 3? And also that you are going to be calling the PCT (Primary Care Trust) to complain. This will get them standing to attention!! Don't want to out myself, but I know a bit about dental charges!

Disclaimer-this won't work if your dentist is private-only if you are registered as an NHS patient!!

HTH x

The cost isn't just for a bit of plastic and acrylic.

A portion goes towards the nurse, receptionist, lab, premises, taxes, equipment, utilities, marketing etc.

The dentist has to pay off tuition fees as well as giving himself a salary.

What annoys me is the dentists seem to be a blank cheque.

You ever have the faintest idea what they'll decide to do or what they will charge.

They never tell you upfront.

Starbell, that's a bad dentist! You should ALWAYS be told what you pay BEFORE the treatment. If you are NHS, you sign a treatment plan form (an A4 sized blue page with a picture of a set of teeth outlining what you need to have done, and the cost), and if you are private you should be given a print-out of the estimate. If your dentist/surgery doesn't give you one then either ask, or if possible find another dentist...

StarBall even! Lol, sorry!

It's NHS so the dentist will get money from them too won't they? They had TWO previous casts so why they need yet another I don't know? Its going on my credit card but I will check up with the pct. like I say it's only ever been band two before but because it's bein made with "newer plastic" (their words) its now a band 3!

Dh is having a crown done at the same dentist. Band 3 which seems reasonable for that amount of work.

I thought the money went to nhs and the dentists were paid on a points system - they have a target each year and if they do less work they have to give back some money - if they go over they get nothing additional.

Hermione, dentists don't always keep casts which is why they may need to take a new one. Also, you may gets bits chipping off the plaster (even mm's) which would not make the fit of the biteguard accurate.

Regardless of what plastic a biteguard is made with, it is NOT a band 3. I think they dentist may be putting it down as a more complicated appliance than what it actually is to claim for it (but don't quote me on this). The best way is just to call up the Surgery, and say you will be contacting the PCT to check and see what they say. If they're not legit, they'll say anything to stop you doing so...

Maddening, that's exactly it. A band 2 only gives you 3 UDA's (Units of dental activity, or 'points') whereas a band 3 gives you 12 UDA's. That's why I have a feeling this dentist is claiming the biteguard is a band 3 to get more UDA's (or points) from the NHS...

Feck I need a night guard - thanks to the extensive investigations and temporary crown which turned out to be a waste of time and money as the crowned tooth is still not right. She was adamant it needed to be fitted for the permanent one strAight away and got arsey when I said I wasn't convinced the tooth had calmed down.

Pisses me off that every time they cock up, you end up having to pay before they'll even look in your mouth to check it, let alone put it right.

My new one is a saleswoman who happens to have gone to dental school. She calls herself 'Doctor' as well.

Shotgun, dentists CAN call themselves doctors (a dental degree is a degree in oral surgery, and all that encompasses the head and neck)....

If you are NHS, again your biteguard should not be more than £48 (a band 2 charge).

What is it with dentist threads today? I am in agony with toothache and none of the 6 chemists in my local shopping centre have oil of cloves:'(

A bite guard is a band 3 treatment. The dentist has to charge it as a band 3 on the NHS. He/she could choose to charge a lower private fee if he/she wishes but can not charge you band 2 on the NHS.

The government dictates the band each treatment goes into-NOT the dentist.

I agree it does not seem like much treatment for that charge but with this system some patients win and some lose out. It is not the dentists fault. If a patient needed 10 crowns at once they would be charged the same fee and the dentist would have to do it for the same cost. In fact the dentist would be working at a loss in that situation as he/she would also have to pay the laboratory.

Also what you pay does not go directly to the dentist-it goes to the government.

Pinkforever do you have a Holland and Barrett anywhere nearby?

Shit I didnt think of them! thanks anyway oldlady!-my dh stopped off at the 24 hour chemist and got me some.

I really think that if it continues to be so bad I am going to have to try and get an appointment at the dental hospital-dont even have a dentist-and try and ask to be knocked out. Feel sick just thinking about it...