To think this must be making dentists life difficult?

[denimflowers]

Just a caveat that I'm sure this is all covid and it's crap for everyone. I know I am BU really. Just very miserable at the moment

Dentist check ups were all stood down over covid and then I've had 3 cancelled due to dentist cancelled / I had covid / covid in the house etc etc. All rebooked but pushed back later and later. Cancel in February rebooked to July - nothing sooner. The only option is routine check up or severe pain / emergency appt with whoever free in the practice.

Obviously I've now entered a dental disaster period. Out of nowhere I've got 4 teeth that are hurting. Went for emergency appt, had to have an extraction. Appointment lasted over an hour as complicated then needed 4 more emergency appointment due to complications (stitches / infection / dry socket etc) - I guess this could have been possibly been avoided with a sooner check up.

Every time I've seen a different dentist there they've all said the same - you need a good check up / full X-rays so we can get a full plan of what's going on and needed. But there aren't any appointments. All I can have is a patch up job as emergency and wait for July - and hope that isn't cancelled too.

Surely every time I go in for an emergency it's more work (especially as I'm the sort that nothing ever goes smoothly for). I don't even know how they fit in routine treatment after a check up as that doesn't seem to be an option. I'm on a waiting list for a cancellation check up but my work in a hospital means I can't just drop and run easily.

I'm exhausted with the mental load of this. How I'm going to get the next problem sorted, how will I manage work, how am I going to eat at the moment as it's all uncomfortable. I'm not sleeping and losing weight.

I know it's shit for dentists too though. They can't like working like this either.

@WabbitsAndWeasels thank you. Yes, my dentist is quite transparent in terms of cost of treatment - but it's up to £200 per filling. That's a total non starter, even on interest free. I know from the little bit of poking about that I have 2 fillings that probably need replacing and 1 more. How do you pay? Are you on a plan of some sort?

I think I could borrow money for a private check up (£55) and find £15 per month (take it off the food allowance somehow maybe) if I knew it covered everything and it could get done quickly so I could stop worrying and suffering. But I feel like it can't be that simple. That I'll end up paying the £55 for a checkup that I don't have and still be no better off in terms of the pain because the treatment is hundreds and the plan is appropriate for me, or costs £100 per month.

Why is this so hard 😢

Re the dental plan OP. Yes it's private.
I would do the following : get made 'dentally fit' as an NHS patient first. Then on last appointment ask your dentist to talk you through which category you'd be in for a dental plan and how much this will be.
If you're dentally fit to start with, that's your best way to keep the monthly costs down.
It's important to note that the monthly dental plan probably won't cover everything. For eg, any work involving lab work-crowns /prosthetics -will be additional.

I pay as and when the treatment is done at the moment. I avoided the dentist except for the occasion check up to stay on the NHS list for about 8 years. There was a significant amount of work, about 2 new fillings, 4 refillings, 1 extraction (my choice, root canal was available), 1 root canal and crown. I've used some savings but mainly just not paid as much into savings for about 10 months to use that money to pay for dental treatment. I still have an unexpected root canal and crown to go but haven't started treatment yet but will in the next month or so. For me this move has been worth it for more than the condition of my teeth, I have a far better relationship with my teeth and the dentist's than I otherwise would have. It's probably saved me from having all my teeth removed at 50 (I'm nowhere close).

I haven't considered private plans post treatment (they weren't available pre-treatment due to the work needed) yet but I expect if I don't got for it the cost without treatment will be around £200 a year. So 2 check ups and 2 hygienist appointments. I completely understand most people couldn't do what I did as they don't have the spare cash monthly but for me and my mental and dental health it's what I had to do. I've been fortunate nothing was truly time sensitive (nothing that couldn't wait a little longer at that point) and was able to spread the treatment and cost out over 10 months (like 12 when completed). Talking to a dentist will help you know what options are actually available and which really are time sensitive.

It may also help I'm north east and potentially prices reflect that even though the practice itself is based in a rather nicer area than the surrounding areas. Fillings for example start at £75 and increase depending on the complexity/depth of the filling needed. My dentist was genuinely amazing for me but was recommended by a friend in a similar financial and anxious position as me. She tried her best to group suitable work together, keeping the cost lower where possible and talking me through the work and why and what was happening. It felt as though she went above and beyond every single time which just isn't possible in NHS practice and probably says just as much about her as a person as it does about her as a dentist. It's not for everyone but I never felt I was being taken advantage of because I was paying more than the NHS for the service or that I was paying too much. It's expensive but for me it was more than just dental treatment due to my anxiety. If you're comparing like for like I understand why the price difference is an issue especially with a limit income.

Op there are lots of options for dental plans. We used to have DPAS at the last place I worked. From memory, you don't need to be dentally fit to join. It covers 2 exams per year, emergencies, one set of radiographs yearly, and two hygiene visits. Any treatment was approx 20% discount of the normal private prices on top of that.
Denplan you pay a bit more ( depends on your previous dental history and health). You are covered for all necessary work, although lab bills are extra. To qualify for Denplan you need to be dentally fit.

Go back to your practice, plead with them to give you an exam and treatment plan, and work with them to find the best way forward for you.

@caecilius1 thank you. I guess if I could get dentally fit on the NHS, I would stay on the NHS as I can't really fund private, I'd only be doing it to hope I could get my issues sorted much quicker.

Thank you @WabbitsAndWeasels I'm glad it's worked out for you and you're getting the work done that you need. You're right, I don't have any spare money a month. I just don't know what to do. I feel like such a leech begging for NHS care 😢

@holdingonfordearlife thank you. The DPAS they describe on their website sounds like denplan maybe - it says it covers all fillings, extractions etc. I guess you'd need to be dentally fit to join that too then.

Is it ever possible to have a check up privately just to get a treatment plan and see how bad it is and then maybe pay for the most urgent privately but wait for NHS appointments for the less urgent work? Or do they kick you out of the NHS the minute you have anything done privately.

@denimflowers no practice will refuse business I suspect. It won't be in their best interest to turn away a patient, especially one that is willing to pay privately for at least some work. However, practices are so stretched just now, it's almost impossible to accommodate everyone.

I'd contact them by email or letter initially, and state how long you have been a patient, what your current concern is, and your worries regarding no long term treatment plan having materialised to date.

Ask them what your options are.

Frankly, the government needs to fund a lot more dentistry places at university and require X number of years doing NHS work if they have government grants towards tuition.

Dentists don't want more competition, though, so they don't want more dentists being trained. They need to be ignored and more dentists trained up in the UK.

@BlueOverYellow
Don't want more competition?!!!
Is this a serious contribution to this thread?
There's a dental workforce crisis and this is what you think is the root of that? 🤦‍♀️

@BlueOverYellow I agree that the government need to create more undergraduate places, this is desperately required. And they need to ensure an incentive to stay in the NHS for a minimum number of years. This has been trialled before in the form of student grants etc, with varying degrees of success.
However the comment of greedy dentists not wanting competition is completely out of touch.
Please! Take them! Take them! We are swamped!

I don’t know about all dental schools but our local one is at capacity in terms of numbers. Each student needs clinical experience which means a chair and supervision. The chairs are full to capacity and they are always advertising for more clinical teachers.
A whole new dental school might work but I would think we’re looking at 8-10 years before that does anything about the recruitment crisis. Once they qualify they need to do foundation training too, which would mean a load more foundation places. Foundation is oversubscribed as it is.
No one has mentioned Brexit which has had a huge impact as we used to have loads of EU dentists. They don’t want to come now and many went home.

I must have someone looking out for me as I got offered a cancellation appointment for Thursday actually after my shift finishes so I can go. So that's the check up sorted thankfully. At least I'll know what I'm dealing then and can plan accordingly. Thanks for all the help with this. Feel relieved, but also completely terrified. Why is going to the dentist so terrifying?