To think Dentists are the new Lawyers/Estate Agents

[dougieroseagain]

ie social pariahs.

I am trying to find a good dentist. Well, any dentist. We moved regions and I left behind my lovely dentist where my kids went free and I paid (as a private patients) really quite reasonable rates.

I am now trying to register in the new area and the rates are extortionate.

£29 for a kid's check up.
£110 for me. For a check up.

I found another dentist where it was £20 for a kid's check up but they wanted to sell me their plan which costs £5 a month. ie £60 a year. But my kids' teeth are fine - they don't have fillings and the previous dentist was delighted with their teeth. So why should I pay £60 a year when 2 check ups will cost £40 a year?

THIS is why sodding American dentists can afford to spend $35,000 killing a lion.

I have found a reasonably priced dentist about 20 miles from where we live, but there is a registration waiting list of 5 months. I'm not suprised - it's the only dentist in the area which still has NHS places for kids and the check ups are only £18 for an adult.

THIS IS WHY THE NATION'S TEETH ARE FALLING APART. Dentists are pricing normal people out of going to the dentist. Yes, I know they have to buy the equipment and keep the place hygienic. But £110 for a check up is ridiculous.

gobbo I'm sorry. I'm being a bit of a bitch here. I have toothache and a very badly fitting temp crown, so this thread is hitting a nerve, so to speak.

Yabu lasers are far far worse.

sometimes. I don't think you're being a bitch. I agree with your point about training being state funded.

Right, I have now consulted the book. NHS came into play on 1948. Massive uptake for dentistry so charges introduced in.......1951.

Therefore, I would say we are all a bit right!

I find this tricky. I agree that dental hygiene in this country is awful- so few people even floss! And diet, I mean a few teas with sugar in a day and you're having a lot of sugar

That said- my DH is South African and they seem to have much better teeth but have AWFUL diets. Great protein yes but people (of all ages) seem to drink huge amounts of luridly coloured fizzy drink and I'm not sure half the sweets would even pass EU laws!

However I read a post from a forensic dentist on Mn a few years ago who said she can tell nationality by teeth and South Africans tend to have a huge amount if work but very poor teeth underneath it all- same for Americans. So maybe we keep our teeth relatively well but because culturally there isn't much in the way of cosmetic dentistry they just look worse?

I agree so many people are totally unwilling to spend anything on their teeth. I had no problem getting a NHS dentist (Central London) but they cover very little under the NHS and the prices I pay for work is similar to private. I have the reassurance that any medically necessary work can only go up to a certain maximum charge though.

I'm another who doesn't want to pay a dental plan- I've never had anything done to my teeth and it's not really economically viable unless you do

A few years back I got to find out the income of a dentist (partner in a practice, but they were nearly all partners anyway) doing nearly all NHS work and earning £180k pa. If they're not getting much now under the NHS contract - about time too.

I pay £50 for a private check up. Great dentist. Does children on the nhs but not adults.
I would guess a dentist charging £110 must have very swanky expensive premises (mine is city centre, nice enough).

Well lawyer here too and quite offended OP!!

Ilove that is so interesting. My DH is also South African and has amazing teeth - pearly white, no fillings, all straight. In fact, its a standing joke when people meet him for the first time, the first thing they comment on is his teeth!! But he has sugar in tea / coffee, would eat sugary cereal all day if I let him, biscuits etc. But he's very slim with amazing teeth!!

Anyone that thinks the Nhs dentistry service is good for anything other than basic maintenance or emergency treatment is crackers , mind you that's why a lot of Brits have poor teeth. Most decent dentist are private now and most folk realised this years ago. Nhs hasn't really provided a proper dentistry service for a very long time. Most people I know accept its private or insurance if you want any sort of decent treatment for you or the kids .

I take offence to the title. I do a LOT of free legal work (pro bono) alongside my full time job. I've never yet met a dentist that did anything for free.

So I thin dentists are not the new lawyers - they are worse.

It's contract value that is reported. So the value of the contract is £180k

That is not what the dentist who holds that contract earns. It's like saying BP makes £100 million a year in turnover (not even profit). That means the chief exec earns £100 million

Out if the £180k, the dentist will pay for all of their overheads and (probably) the costs of the loan taken out to buy the practice too before they make anything.

Out if interest though, why would it be inappropriate for a dentist to earn 180k? How much "should" a dentist (or a lawyer) earn? £10k? Work for free? Pay for the privilege maybe?

Most lawyers own less than 30k. People assume that the hourly rate is what we take home. I wish!

IME dentists overcharge for routine check ups because they want people on their insurance schemes. It's often a cheaper way to do it as any treatment etc is discounted.

Dentists where I live in the US tend to be reasonably priced because there are a lot of them and so there is competition. They are certainly not social pariahs and the ones I know live comfortably but not extravagantly. Same for the many lawyers I know (as I am one).

We got to a dentist that used to be NHS but when the 1st wave of new contracts kicked in they changed to Private only but still doing children of private patients as NHS. There was a shortage of NHS places in this area and the CCG paid for more places. The practice was sold and new dentist took on some (limited) NHS patients. The waiting list to switch from private to NHS is over 12 months (DH requested to switch).
DS has been treated for free but is now 18 and left school. He went for a free check up last month and the receptionist told him which forms he needs to fill in to continue claiming free treatment if he goes to Uni in Sept. So I assume from that they are prepared to keep him as an NHS patient.
I am now the only one in the family to be a private patient but only pay £25 for a check up every 6 months so don't consider that too bad. I pay more for a haircut!

BlisterFace -but NHS charges are Banded aren't they so how can a dentist overcharge for a check up?

Nice post OP. You sound charming.

Just out of interest, AIBU to think that all of the students who spent three years doing soft subjects, film studies for example, should work for the state in some fashion? Maybe for 5 years? After all they haven't worked as hard as is at uni so it's not fair to expect them to work for the state for 15 years.

Dentists do not design the system, if you don't like it, write to your MP. The trusts simply will not commission sufficient dental care. What are we supposed to do? Just give up work bcse we can't work for the NHS?

Salmo I meant private dentists. (No NHS dentists near us - thought they were extinct!)

Ah, gotcha Blister

Peggy don't expect you know a lot of dentists then. FWIW I do some free legal advice work within my organisation; it's not that hard especially when the operating costs are so small. All you need is a computer and a printer. Not like a dental chair that cost £22k or a nurse who needs a salary.

Not a race to the bottom.

We moved house 8 years ago and had to change Dentist. I went to our local dentist who signed us up as NHS patients with no fuss at all. My DH and I have private Dental insurance but we pay for the treatment and claim it back so registered as NHS patients. The surgery is very quaint and old fashioned not even computerised!! However our dentist and the other ones are friendly and good at their job. They arranged an orthodontist appointment for my DD1 at my request even though it turns out she does not need it. Our Dentist works hard and I have only ever had great service. I appreciate that this is not everyone's experience but wanted to give at least one positive point of view.

Should add a Dental appointment costs about £18 and an appointment with the hygienist £32. Very reasonable in my opinion. :-)

mrsmorton I always tell my dentist I love her chair. It's so bloody comfortable. Now you have given the price the comfort makes sense

DH has asked me to pint out that he also dies quite a bit of "free" work in that if a root canal fails (through no fault of his), he'll quite often take the cost off what remedial work is required thereafter. According to him, that's pretty normal so I suspect there are a lot of dentists carrying out free work. What I suspect they are not very good at is highlighting that to the patients.

lemony when did you last break your denture? I have a genuine reason for asking! PM me if you like.

jorah that's not even top of the range. More like VW Golf level. Just the light we shine in your eyes is several thousand.

Am a lawyer and have had dreadful experiences with several dentists, and changed several times. They have without fail spent less time on doing the check ups and minor treatment and more time on trying to sell add ons. Very poor. My dd had a dreadful time with the dentist last week, no time to post more but it's a disgrace. I'm sure there are still good dentists around (and my BIL is a dentist) but overall I have seen patient care and ethics plummet over the last twenty years. And dentists' pay rise. The dentists I know have several properties, I guess they must do private work too.