Disgusted By Dentists Behaviour!!!

[Windchangeface]

We moved home week before the pandemic and then non of the dentists were taking on patients.

This made me very nervous, I kept an eye out to jump as soon as they opened up.

Well...as of a few weeks ago 3/5 practises within a 15 mile radius of us put up notices on their websites ‘taking on new patients’ great I rang to register me, DH and small DS. But oh no, they aren’t taking on any NHS patients only private or Denplan! (Would cost us a minimum of £50 per month and I’m currently pregnant so should be free anyway). The receptionists at all 3 massively tried to sell me Denplan and actually made me feel like a total sponge for asking about NHS.

‘Most families prefer Denplan’ erm sorry Shannon but I highly doubt ‘most’ families prefer to spend £50+ per month on something that should be £20 a visit for them and free for their kids!

One of the receptionists even told me (in a very snooty tone) ‘no we aren’t taking NHS patients we’ve got enough of those) another stated ‘we’ve met our quota for NHS so are only taking paying patients’.

Given DH is a Dr who spends all day looking after hospital patients free of charge I’m at a loss to understand why dentists feel they’re above the NHS.

Horrible, elitist attitude excluding people who can’t afford to pay from adequate healthcare and forcing those who can to pay high premiums they shouldn’t have to!

@MillyMollyMardy

Sorry Foolingaround you asked about Optometry but it equally applies to Dentistry.

Thank you- interesting.

Dentists have very little responsibility for patients in between consultations. GPs have to act as co-ordinators for patients' care across all the healthcare services they use. There is also a big public health/preventative medicine role.

Completely and utterly wrong. I suggest you hang about the GDC fitness to practise outcomes web page and look at some of the charges regarding responsability for patients

Also wrong in that the GDP had the ultimate responsability for the patient - eg referring to secondary care for an extraction that is still part of their treatment plan that they have over all resoonsability for

The problem with dentists are they are far too backwards at coming forwards and the very vast majority wouldn't dream of going on social media in full PPE (full respirator by the way for AGPs. If your working in a UDC like DH that's most if the day - particularly as he is treating Covid+ patients) and all the nurses I know are run off their feet and simply don't have time to do tiktoks etc. So absolutely no public profile raising at all. The BDA are very good at writing helpful updates by dentists for dentists on their website etc but also far too shy and retiring when it comes to broadcasting their members' trials and tribulations to the general public. Unlike some other unions and medical professionals who have made a very good career out of it. Just need to look on twitter and you can find a number of highly vocal doctors who are selling masks and writing books etc. Sometimes wonder how they have time to fit in seeing many patients to be honest

[quote Aprilx]@FeelthewrathofthesuperRad

As a professional person do you also have health insurance, so that you can leave the very limited go slots, surgery slots, a&e slots to children and those that cannot afford to pay

This is a thread about dentistry or did you miss that?

Good god do you actually think because I accept I have to pay for my dentistry and prefer to leave NHS dental slots to those that need them, that I should not avail myself of any other national healthcare whatsoever.

And no I don’t have private medical insurance and even when I did, I never had dental insurance.[/quote]
I realise it’s about dentistry, about the OP being unable to source an NHS dentist. No need to act morally superior because you are happy to pay private.

I have nhs dentist, tho accept a limit to what they can do.
Nhs should be available tho

Usually I and the family have always had NHS dental care. Never had a problem finding one in this area and never been terribly unhappy with the service. I accept that the popular appt times are booked out for private and it's extra for a clean with the hygienist and was happy with a basic level service.

Recently though teenage DD had an issue with her teeth that the NHS dentist wasn't resolving and it's really upsetting her although technically it is just cosmetic so I resolved to take her to the posh private place.

Well it was evident from even the car park that you get what you pay for. Very swanky premises, met, greeted and temp checked whilst still in the car. DD said even the dentist's chair and the sunglasses were much comfier and better quality and the dentist had a much nicer 'bedside manner' than any I've experienced on the NHS who have always been a bit brusque.

Then I got the bill. Upwards of 500 pounds for a filling. Now I know why everything looks so much nicer! I don't begrudge it as long as it stays put this time but any thoughts I had of switching to this lovely practice are firmly on the back burner. On a one off we can afford it but I really don't want to regularly pay out that kind of cash if I don't have to.

I've got an NHS dentist, it's not free though and they don't seem to ever suggest that you need treatment when you have a check up.

Then I got the bill. Upwards of 500 pounds for a filling.

That sounds unusually expensive just for a filling.

Our completely private, no NHS, dentist - also nice cars, swanky premises, best equipment - charges up to £195 for a normal white filling and up to £440 for a back tooth root canal.

This drives me absolutely potty. I'm lucky to have an NHS dentist that I joined when pregnant many years ago. Ring the dental NHS service ... They have an obligation to place at least yourself if pregnant. However, I recently had a serious dental issue that had me up crying and banging my head into a wall all night. Dental receptionist refused me an emergency appointment, (covid causing a tremendous amount of emergencies... Apparently...) but could offer me a same day private appointment with the same dentist at the cost of hundreds of pounds. Slight hissy fit and tears later, I had an NHS appointment. When I arrive, the waiting room is empty, ditto when I leave. Three staff chatting in reception about banal bullshit and copious emails since about their new 'private' membership. I don't think it's the surgeries themselves (at least if like to think not) but rather under funding, cost cutting and targets causing a major issue. The funding just isn't there, understandably given the current situation.
It's shit or bust time, either they need to provide a proper NHS dental service as detailed or privatise the lot for over 18s and cut the crap...