AIBU to think the Tories have quietly privatised NHS dentistry?

[Kendodd]

Vast swathes of the country it's impossible to get an NHS dentist. I'm on some discussion boards for Ukraine, advice on there seems to be return to Ukraine if you need dental treatment as you won't find it in the UK.

And for some reason people trust the Tories with the rest of the NHS.

The UDA system which has slowly driven dentists out was introduced by Tony Blair

Do you actually have any evidence that this is true, or are you saying that you suspect could be?

Our family are registered as NHS patients at our dentist but this time when we needed a checkup we have been told we are on a waiting list for an appointment. I know they have had a rapid turn over of staff and very short handed. No hygienists at all. Previous dentists had all been EU nationals.

I set aside money every month to pay for my check ups (2x yearly hygienist and any surplus stays in the account for bigger work). I've also bought a Sonicare toothbrush and that helps keep everything in good order. It's been difficult for a long time so I treat it like an item in the budget.

It's also been pointed out that it was the Major government that started the decline.

Then why didn't labour reverse it in their 13 years of power?

It's not just in this country there's a shortage of dentists. My friends boyfriend was a dentist from Lithuania. He practised here but got bored because the limitation on treatment that can be done on the nhs. So he moved to Austria. Then he moved to the Netherlands. Tons of jobs available in both countries. Same across Europe.

I have not found an NHS dentist since 1995, so no, I don’t think the Tories have quietly privatised dentistry. It has been like this for a very long time, if you have only just noticed it you have been very fortunate.

We have to travel 1.5 hours back to our old city to go to our NHS dentist. No-one in our new city is taking on and we can’t afford to go privately.

🙄 Run along dear, clearly no critical faculty.

This is so wrong. I've known about it for a long time. Taking both ds's to our nhs dentist for check up tomorrow. Children should be seen by nhs dentist. Can't believe they've (Government) got away with this.

It's not Toryism that's fucked over dentistry.

This started in the late-90s with New-labour and the contract. It's been 25 years.

It's been buggered for years.

Dentistry is for the people who can afford it...

I met a 30 year-old woman with blackened stubs for teeth. It horrified me.

The answer is obviously to fund dentistry from a young age. Early intervention in all things is better. Early is Cheaper. In all things.

Wales has got appalling dental deserts and a Labour government.

@110APiccadilly Don't talk to me Wales...

I remember being unable to get a dentist under the labour govt. I was at uni then and it was impossible. So YABU with your short memory.

About Wales....

Why don’t people read replies??? This started under Major in the mid 90s so not a Labour legacy it hasn’t been helped by successive Labour and Tory governments but definitely started by the Tories!

Maybe @Krabapple it started in the early 90s.

So yes, John Major.

But no subsequent government has wanted to fund dentistry properly.

Dentist here.
It was 2006 when the current contract was brought it, Tony Blair’s government.
It’s a ridiculous contract and dentists are right to refuse to work in it.
16 years of no change is the fault of both Labour and Tory governments.
Just been reading a thread about 20 hour waits in A&E. There must be a better healthcare model than this. People talk about the US but what’s the system in other countries- Australia, NZ, France, Spain, Germany?

Well there are 1000 dentist graduates this year , all doing their foundation training within the NHS in order to be accredited with working for the NHS.
Trouble is practice's can earn so much more with private patients.

People talk about the US but what’s the system in other countries- Australia, NZ, France, Spain, Germany?

I once worked in a highly international environment. My European colleagues were horrified by the NHS (well, except for the Russian guy, who had some horror stories of what Russian state provided medical care is like). We need to stop deluding ourselves that the NHS is the envy of the world.

i did have to get a new dentist as mine would only see me privately due to me not attending.
my new dentist is not local and i have to wait 3 months for an appointment.
my original dentist has now had a refit of their premises.
i did have sympathy that they must have struggled during covid, prior to this refit and of course their attitude to me

when searching for an NHS dentist i was advised to call back in 6 months as things might have changed.

I work in Dentistry. We don't have enough NHS dentists. That's the problem. The targets are ridiculous and often too high that a lot of dentists will just go private.
If targets are not reached there are fines.

Often you'll find also it's a lot of work on NHS that a dentist just doesn't see it being worth while for them.

For example: A patient comes in and needs fillings, let's say 10. All these 10 fillings will be on band 2. The time it could take to do them and trying to fit them in a busy NHS diary could take 2 months. The UDA's for these 10 fillings is still only 3. 3 UDA's for the whole of this treatment.

Some dentists have targets of 7000+ UDA's. The UDA term runs from April-April. Has you can imagine that's a lot of UDA's to fill in a year when a check up is 1 UDA.

NHS also say 10 minutes is enough for an NHS check up (it's not) and many dentists don't want a check up to be just 10 minutes. They need longer.

Sorry for the little rant. Also in our practice (NHS & Private) Ukrainian Refugees actually get put on our list straight away as NHS with no waiting times. I don't think that's entirely fair but it's the MD's way of doing it.

Were you a frequent no show or just didn't make an appointment in a long time?

YANBU. Turned up for my NHS appointment only to be told that it's now a private one, like it or lump it