... to ask for advice about private dental costs?

[Errorschach]

I'm overwhelmed with what I'm getting via search engines and really need to know what to do to help my daughter and her pre school little ones.

We live in a part of the country that has no dentists taking on NHS patients. None. No dental school with low cost clinic. There is nothing. She's spent hours phoning around practices.

Smallest child has some discolouration on their front teeth my daughter is worried about. She couldn't afford even the costs of NHS treatment for herself now. Children's dentistry is free of course, if you can find a dentist taking on NHS patients.

I'd like to help them with a dental plan or insurance, but everything I'm looking at doesn't cover the costs of treatment. They also seem to be saying that if you've not had a check up within the last twelve months, all treatment needed will be counted as pre existing conditions and not covered. She's not had a dentist look at her mouth for years and has no pain, but you never know what might be found. Which is why I'd like to help her see a dentist of course.

If you have something set up for private dental costs, please tell me stories about the company you are with and how their system works.

Have a look at Denplan. They assess before setting a premium but checkups , xrays and most treatment is free. Otherwise set up a fund which you can use to pay for treatment privately as and when required.

I don’t want to tell you how much my last private dentist treatment cost me. But let’s just say it would have been cheaper to cruise around the world.

@fuzzyduck1

I don’t want to tell you how much my last private dentist treatment cost me. But let’s just say it would have been cheaper to cruise around the world.

Oh!!!!!

@LIZS

Have a look at Denplan. They assess before setting a premium but checkups , xrays and most treatment is free. Otherwise set up a fund which you can use to pay for treatment privately as and when required.

Will go back to look at them, thanks.

We had to go private for similar reasons a few years ago. Our dentist does the kids as NHS patients so they're free, then me and DH pay for private treatment.

We decided not to pay for a healthcare plan or insurance as the sums didn't add up for us. It's about £35 for a check up and £65 for the hygienist at our surgery, but we have to go every 6 months or they won't keep us as a patient. We paid £120 each for a first consultation and X rays. DH had a filling which was expensive at £170, but it's the first thing we've needed between us in 5 years. We just put aside a regular savings pot so we don't have a big outlay every time we visit.

I used to have a corporate DenPlan policy and hadn't been to a dentist for about 3 or 4 years when I first got it (because I moved area and couldn't get an NHS one). There was never any mention about pre-existing conditions if you hadn't been for a check-up but it was a corporate policy through work so might have been different. I only stopped it because it didn't really pay for itself if you only used a check-up and hygienist twice a year and I managed to get on the books of an NHS one.

We have this. See if there's something similar in your area. I pay £35 a month which has covered 6 monthly checkups + hygeinist, fillings, xrays and root canal. Pending crown will incur an additional lab charge. I can get an appointment at any time, always see the same dentist , he and his dental nurse assistants are lovely.

castle-house.net/highland-dental-plan/

[quote 2bazookas]We have this. See if there's something similar in your area. I pay £35 a month which has covered 6 monthly checkups + hygeinist, fillings, xrays and root canal. Pending crown will incur an additional lab charge. I can get an appointment at any time, always see the same dentist , he and his dental nurse assistants are lovely.

castle-house.net/highland-dental-plan/[/quote]
That's interesting. Thanks. Maybe I should look at dentists in the nearest city and see if they do similar. Rather than national insurance schemes.

I've always been in the private system (except for when I was pregnant). It's not bad, I am on denplan and always seem to have a session where I dont pay anything. Checkups seem to be free (or paid via denplan) and I pay for "work" - e,g regular fillings around £2-300 and £400 ish for a root canal, I think.

I switched to private recently and am on the denplan essentials at £23 a month which covers 6 monthly check ups and hygienist appts. Work is extra and the costs are not small but if your teeth are ok then it seems pretty good value. My dentist took on both my children as free NHS patients as long as I am a registered private patient. I have been really impressed with the level of care and feel it is definitely worth the cost.

There’s not much point looking at private plans yourself as each dentist will subscribe to a private plan themselves so you need to go with who they have eg you can’t go on Denplan if your dentist doesn’t offer it. However, you can buy private plans like Cygnet and you pay for the treatment yourself and then claim back the costs but it’s far cheaper and easier to use the plan your dentist is signed up to

It's not dentistry but see if there are any direct access hygienist practices in the area. Ours charges £25 for an under 16 scale & polish, and it includes screening for gum disease, oral cancer etc.

And I hope they are all on the county's NHS waiting list?

Have a look at some local dentists. Ours has prices on the website for treatment costs. Some of these plans sound more expensive than just paying for any work that needs done.

We're with Oasis, just pay as we go, no payment plan. They treat kids on NHS tariff if adults are registered at same practice as private patients.

I pay a monthly fee of £12 to my dentist covering two checkups and two hygienist visits a year. This also includes a discount on treatment, though the treatment isn’t included. For my dentist children under 12 years old are free (though I don’t know the full scope of this because I don’t have children). As long as you don’t need a lot of work doing then this works out better than having your treatment included.

@ThreeLittleDots

And I hope they are all on the county's NHS waiting list?

There is no such thing as a county wide waiting list. Each individual practice that takes on NHS patients has a list and now none are signing people up to wait. Three years ago I joined a waiting list and was lucky enough to get in after waiting a year. That practise has now closed their waiting list and I have no dentist as the dentist that saw me has left.

Thanks all, you've given me ideas to follow up.

There is no such thing as a county wide waiting list

There is in my county - where are you based?

In Cornwall, when a space becomes available at any NHS-contracted practice, the person at the top of the list is contacted. They claim the wait is 2 years but some of our patients have been waiting for 5+ years unfortunately.

@ThreeLittleDots

There is no such thing as a county wide waiting list

There is in my county - where are you based?

In Cornwall, when a space becomes available at any NHS-contracted practice, the person at the top of the list is contacted. They claim the wait is 2 years but some of our patients have been waiting for 5+ years unfortunately.

Norfolk. www.norfolklive.co.uk/news/norfolk-news/norfolk-nhs-dental-dentist-crisis-6241431

Ah, I don't think Norfolk has a centralised waiting list yet, however the following link was updated today with some possible practices taking on NHS patients.

I will need to pass this onto Mum as her own Norfolk dental practice is currently not able to offer her any NHS treatment as 5 dentists have left!

healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk/information-and-advice/information-and-advice-services/dental/

I have a first appointment this week with a new dentist. First time as a private patient. The prices are more than NHS but less than other private prices. It is My Dentist. They also have NHS patients but there is a three year wait for that.

I joined a private dentist in late 2020 when my checkup was overdue and my NHS practice (that I was actually registered with) wouldn’t even take bookings for another 4 months despite me having (admitted my minor) tooth pain. I had to pay for the initial appointment (£60ish I think) and it turned out I did need 2 fillings which ended up totalling £500 😬 and as you found would not be covered by any plan. I then signed up to denplan, which costs me £33 per month (it varies depending on what your teeth are like) and covers a check up each year, 3 hygienist visits and all treatment except crowns and implants I think. So I’ve just had two new fillings now and it hasn’t cost me any extra. They will see my daughter for free til she’s 5 then it’s £10 per month extra for her. I don’t think they have NHS patients at all at the practice.

I have to say it’s so much better than any NHS dentist I’ve ever seen but it’s not cheap. The state of NHS dentistry in this country is a disgrace.