What happens at dentist if you have treatment but no money to pay after?

[HighlyOptimistic]

Need emergency dental treatment wisdom tooth acute pain.

Furloughed on about £200 month absolutely zero money in bank until next pay day. Nobody to borrow from, work won’t sub me, don’t have credit for loans, not eligible for free dental.

If I just have the appointment and afterwards present my debit card for payment, it will be declined as there’s about £3 in my bank, what happens next?

Will dentist just invoice me? Keep my bank card as security? Call police?
I have no way of paying but the pain is making me nearly faint and I’m already at the limit of how many paracetamols I can take in this 24 hour period.

I’m not trying to defraud or steal, I just genuinely have no money in my bank until pay day in 2 weeks time (work pays early at Christmas so it will be Christmas Eve , too late to wait).

Is there a dental receptionist or dentist/assistant on here that can advise?

I don’t want to risk saying before my appointment I can’t afford to pay as they won’t take me in. My whole face is throbbing. I’m not wasting A&E time as 111 said only go if you’re having breathing difficulties. I am but that’s me trying to keep a panic attack away because of the pain (I’m managing the panic attack).

@peppafrig hope you write to your MP about it. I know lots of dentists who'd love an NHS contract but they can't get one because they also (here's the catch) want to pay their dentists more than £9 to do a check up.

OP I'm glad you got seen but I hope you will take steps to escape your abusive marriage also. You deserve better.

So if you was already registered there then why didn't you just go with that option in the first place! Is that as an NHS patient or Private? As I can't imagine anyone being registered with that many practices, then when such emergency arises you would go to the one you're already with 🤔
Anyway, glad you got seen and problem dealt with.

@TrustTheGeneGenie

Most dental pain is self inflicted- poor sugary diets, poor oral hygiene... A little more effort and awareness from the outset, combined with better education would definitely reduce the cost

A lot of health conditions are self inflicted but we don't make people pay for that kind of treatment. Dentistry is insanely expensive and it's crazy that in Britain it's not free at the point of access. I'd happily pay a tiny bit more tax to cover it, and because if its free at the point of access people would be far far more likely to go for a 6 monthly checkup and probably need less treatment as a result.

Not only this ^ but dental problems can cause serious ill health in the rest of the body - blood poisoning, heart problems etc.

Dentists are only interested in riping of people for treatments they don't need. They are a bunch of crooks who won't want to see you even if you can afford the NHS rates.

@Winebottle

Dentists are only interested in riping of people for treatments they don't need. They are a bunch of crooks who won't want to see you even if you can afford the NHS rates.

A truly stupid post.

@Winebottle

Dentists are only interested in riping of people for treatments they don't need. They are a bunch of crooks who won't want to see you even if you can afford the NHS rates.

I really don't think that is true - you may get the occasional crook - you do in any profession, butIME, I honestly think most take pride in their work and will also facilitate a payment plan if you need one.