Finding an NHS dentist

[42andcounting]

Quick background, recently moved to a new area, 35 weeks pregnant, and due for a check up. I've tried to find a local NHS dentist, and been told there is zero availability, I am on an NHS co-ordinated waiting list which is likely to be 6 months plus, but will enable me to access emergency treatment if needed.

I've been ringing round and managed to find an NHS dentist an hours journey from home (2 hour round trip), who have offered me a registration appointment at ohmygoditsearly o'clock tomorrow. I am reasonably chuffed with this, as it means I get seen before I get too close to my due date, and the idea of not being registered with a dentist is quite alien to me. My OH however thinks I am barking mad to consider driving that far at 35 weeks pregnant, and thinks I should either just not register with anyone, and if I need emergency treatment to access the NHS waiting list service, or alternatively just register and pay privately for treatment closer to home. He's also pointed out the cost of fuel to get there, and the impracticality of doing the journey with a little baby once it arrives. Even if I go privately it will still probably be half an hour or more journey, as there is just nowhere near home that is taking on patients at the moment.

Am I being unreasonable / unrealistic?

Well, I went and I am so glad I did - many thanks to everyone who said to go for it! Really impressed with them, very professional set-up, and I left feeling happier than I ever have with a dentists appointment. Also, thanks to the free pregnancy treatment, I saved myself about £150 (£60 for a 'new patient first appointment' plus £50 for a scale & polish, and £60 for a fissure repair privately, less the £20 fuel cost). He's prevented any further damage to a slightly dodgy back tooth, and also reassured me about my sore gums, so I'm much happier now

I think the discussion about whether you need to register is a bit of a red herring. You may not need to officially register any more, but the outcome is the same - their list is either open or closed, you still have to fill in forms as a new patient, and the private dentists do all seem to charge about an extra £10 for first time patients initial consultations vs. a normal check up.

RedHelenB - it's not so much travelling there that OH was concerned about, as travelling there alone and heavily pregnant, just in case I went into labour. Similarly for next time, as first time parents, he was worried about how well baby will tolerate the journey in the car, and how that 3 hour window will fit in with feeds, etc. I'm sure we're worrying needlessly, as many first timers do! And because I've been now, it will mean baby will be about 5 months for the next visit, so that's probably / hopefully going to be easier too.

I don't think an hour from home is too far even when heavily pregnant. Where I am it can be an hour or more to the nearest hospital for many women. Obv driving yourself back in full blown labour would be a no, but its unlikely that things happen so quickly.

Glad you liked the dentists.

sarah do you remember recently there was a dentist who killed himself because his list was too big and he felt he couldn't look after them all and the pct were pursuing him for underperformance or something.

Some days for me, I'm so close to walking out of my job that if anyone complained about something spurious like me running 10min late, I would just down tools.

OP glad you're sorted and you got on etc.

Hi Mrs Morton, yes I remember in Scotland there is no PCT thankfully but sometimes red tape is a nightmare

my pet annoyance is those who ring at 2pm on friday about toothache they have had all week and are annoyed there is no 5pm appointment still available ( there is only 1 5pm on friday appointment each week and they are booked weeks in advance all friday pm appointments are)

or else they get told will be seen if come and wait and then moan to receptionist they have been waiting 15 minutes or worse still get given an emergency appointment on the same day and then "forget" to come

Hang on - I thought things had changed and you could just make an appointment with anyone?

I am not registered with a dentist.

A few months ago I had pain and swelling from my wisdom tooth which as been stuck half way for years.

I phoned two dentists, one only had appointments for two days later and the other could fit me in that afternoon, so off I went.

It was NHS and I had an exemption, so didn't pay anything, had a check up, some anti-biotics and that was it.

No one ever said anything about not having space for nhs patients or that I had to register - I live in west London, so it's a busy area.

It is important to remember that dentists have been well and truly done over with the nhs contracts. Whilst it is horribly frustrating as a patient the situation isn't down to the dentists but the pcts. As things stand each nhs appointment costs the dentist out of their practice turnover. This is why so many strictly limit the number of nhs patients they take on. The whole thing is a shambles but as long as Joe public blame the practitioners rather than the pct they are happy just to leave things as they are. I worked with dentists and the stress it all causes is horrendous.

Sarah, there's a book in America about this. It's quite humorous but clearly their system is different. I might do a uk version.

liv in theory it should work like that. You're not registered until you have a check up and then the treatment plan belongs to that dentist. If you have a check up and need three fillings, you need to pay £48. If you go to another dentist because you move house or whatever, it starts again. New check up, new treatment plan £48.

Of course, the dentist only has so much NHS treatment in his contract and once it's all gone OR they predict that the patients currently in a treatment plan will use it all. No more NHS patients can be seen.

Anyone know a GOOD NHS dentist? By good, I mean one who actually provides root canal and crown treatment for back teeth on the NHS. It seems everywhere I go, it's fine if it's just a basic filling but when I've needed a crown or a root canal they just don't want to know. I've had the same response now from 2 different dentists - different tooth each time. Both dentists said I needed a root canal and a crown (and no mention of any reason why it couldn't be done) then asked me if I wanted it done privately or under the NHS. As soon as I asked for NHS, the dentist says: Oh, let me just look at that tooth again. Hmmm, I'm not sure a crown will work after all. You don't need that tooth anyway, I'd have it extracted. So I went to a private dentist and - you've guessed it - no problem with doing the root canal and crown.

WoodAnenome- Did you ever find a good dentist?