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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Struggling to get NHS dentist, quoted £55 for private check up

48 replies

Cheeseontoast32 · 05/05/2022 12:14

Cannot find a dentist that is taking on NHS patients.
Has anyone else had this?
Quoted £55 with a private one and that's just for the check up, if I need fillings etc. And scale and polish not sure what I'll be paying.
Every dentist saying they aren't taking on NHS

OP posts:
CornishPorsche · 05/05/2022 12:17

Sounds normal and a fairly low fee.

There is a 7-10yr waiting list to get an NHS dentist in Cornwall. I'm on the books for my local NHS practice, but we have no dentists. I can pay to see their private dentist though....

Original poster
Cheeseontoast32 · 05/05/2022 12:19

It's insane..
£55 as a one off will be ok but if I need further dental work it could be in the hundreds..never remember it being this difficult a few years ago

OP posts:
flipperdoda · 05/05/2022 12:22

Yep, same here. Just paid £60 for a checkup recently (first one with them so some of that is x-rays). Need a filling - that's costing £120 in a couple of weeks. 😣

Coldilox · 05/05/2022 12:24

Over many years the government have made it less and less attractive to practice dentistry within the NHS. It’s hardly surprising that fewer are choosing to do it, and instead going into private practice. I suspect it’s been done on purpose to bring in privatisation by the back door.

BeyondMyWits · 05/05/2022 12:25

Not been able to get one for years. I pay into denplan... the dentist decides how your dental health looks, and then they set the monthly payments.

You can have it set for emergency cover with check up/ hygienist/x Ray, or include some treatments for a higher charge.

Checkup and scale and polish is £110 at my dentist. Xray £45. Denplan is from £16.50 a month.

Original poster
Cheeseontoast32 · 05/05/2022 12:26

I'll have a look at denplan, thanks, never heard of that

OP posts:
Original poster
Cheeseontoast32 · 05/05/2022 12:26

£120 for a filling is terrible.. shouldn't be having to pay these sorts of prices in the UK

OP posts:
BeyondMyWits · 05/05/2022 12:27

Forgot to add just had a £220 filling which was included in my plan. My £670 crown wasn't.

BeyondMyWits · 05/05/2022 12:28

You need to find a dentist you like and see which plan provider they use, I think there is more than one.

Fitbachick · 05/05/2022 12:30

Just been to a NHS dentist and told filling needs replaced but it will be a white one now and was told this would cost £80 to £100 to do.

CurbsideProphet · 05/05/2022 12:30

I have Denplan. I pay £22 ish pcm and everything is included in my plan - usually 2 dentist check ups per year, 2 hygienist appointments with scale / polish, fillings, treatments, emergencies. I think of it as insurance for my teeth.

RB68 · 05/05/2022 12:31

its 30 quid for a check up even on nhs so not huge. DH has Denplan and he does get much better treatment but he has had it for years due to being in London before the crisis hit everywhere else

Oizys · 05/05/2022 12:32

Can’t find one at all. Been trying for ages to get one for my kids but no one is taking on new people.

going to invest in Denplan and carry on being private for the kids (I went private because I couldn’t find one ages ago).

Original poster
Cheeseontoast32 · 05/05/2022 12:36

Just looked and an NHS filling is £65 for one, a non white one I assume..

OP posts:
Bluevelvetsofa · 05/05/2022 12:38

I went to a new dentist and was supposed to pay £75 new patient check up. She did x rays I didn’t want and charged another £50. I didn’t go back.

GoldenPineapple88 · 05/05/2022 12:41

Make sure you book it OP. You're right though, and the lack of NHS dentists is a nightmare. I was on the waiting list and went without a checkup for 3 years, so had to relent and went private last year - I'm on £2000 now of treatment... and counting.

nearlyspringyay · 05/05/2022 12:46

I haven't had an nhs dentist since I came back from uni 20 years ago. To get the kids in on nhs DH and I had to go on the books as private.

I chose to get a back molar extracted recently after a failed £800 root canal. The other option was an implant, the quote was in the thousands.

I don't really get Denplan as it only covers the NHS banding, the dentists around here all charge way more than that.

Original poster
Cheeseontoast32 · 05/05/2022 12:52

Makes me wonder if some dentists find things 'wrong' that aren't actually there..

OP posts:
PixieLaLa · 05/05/2022 12:55

Pretty standard and the way things are now unfortunately.
Wouldn't surprise me if it goes the same way for GPs in a few years.
The NHS just is not sustainable.

RaininSummer · 05/05/2022 13:04

Health is expensive these days. This year I have spent about 500 on teeth, 300 on eyes and 300 on custom insoles as the nhs wait is over a year.

AuntieMarys · 05/05/2022 13:09

Denplan here ....I pay £42 a month for both of us .. we get 2 dentist and 4 hygienist appointments a year

Newgirls · 05/05/2022 13:12

If you want it to change don’t vote Tory 🤷‍♀️

Favouritefruits · 05/05/2022 13:16

I’ve not had a check up for two years because I literally can not afford one! I’m going to be screwed if I need a filling or something.

listsandbudgets · 05/05/2022 13:24

I had to try to find an emergency dentist appointment for someone recently. As they're a refugee only recently arrived in the UK they were not registered with any dentist. They'd alerady had toothache for 2 weeks before they came without any treatment except pain killers.

I phoned 25 surgeries over 2 days... yes 25 over a wide area. None of them were taking NHS and I even struggled to get an private appointment. I phoned 111 who triaged her and told her to "see a dentist" FFS. I had to phone as they opened. Called one at 7.58am got put in queue and by the time I got through at 8.02am there were no emergency appointments left. The next one opening at 8.30am also had no emergency appointments when I got through at 8.32 but was able to offer me one 10 days later which I booked and paid £120 for on basis I could have a refund if I found one sooner. Next were able to offer appointment an hour later for £150 which we took. Then told she'd need treatment costing around £300 on top of that. She point blank refused to let me pay saying it was better and would wait until she could return to Ukraine and put up with toothache until then than let me spend that much money on her (didn't even tell her I paid for appointment number 1)

Out of blue the surgery called and offered to do the work for free and I admit crying with relief because she's been through enough and seeing her in pain and not wanting to admit it was awful.

Our dental service is broken

(Sorry OP didn't mean to hijack your thread it just rather struck a chord with me!)

blibblibs · 05/05/2022 13:36

You don't pay £65 per filling in the NHS.
Treatments are in bands, so band 1 is check up, standard scale and polish, x-rays and is £23.80. Band 2 is filling extraction etc and is £65.20. doesn't matter if you need one or ten fillings it's still only £65.20. Band 3 is £282.80 and is for bigger things, dentures crowns bridge etc.
Dentists don't get rich on NHS treatments!