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.

BalloonsAndWhistles · Today 05:04
pilates
Yep it’s BJ’s fault, always.
🙄 Run along dear, clearly no critical faculty

It was a joke 🙄

I don’t think it’s to do with earning more as much as earning fairly. UDAs are a very unfair system.
You can’t practice the dentistry taught at Dental School, writing the notes necessary for today’s world while seeing 35 patients a day.

This is an issue with dentist NHS contracts not privatisation.

Did Thatcher, Major, Cameron or Johnson privatise the NHS? No.

Same in Scotland but that's SNP not the tories

NHS dentistry almost killed me.

Wisdom tooth out, site got infected, dental aftercare number didn't work. No way to get hold of them. A&E wouldn't look at it, said call 111. Called 111 over 10 time before they actually put me through to an emergency dentist, who said it wasn't an infection (despite ticking off the NHS 'seek emergency care' symptoms) and refused to see me.

Blue lighted to hospital that night with sepsis.

the first big changes I recall were in the late 1980's in terms of Dentists going private because of a change in contracts. I don't recollect the Labour gov doing anything to reverse the situation during their 13 years in power.

@PinkButtercups
i didnt make an appointment during covid

If it was bad before the tories and they haven’t made it better/let it get worse in 12 years then it’s acceptable to blame the tories.

I only had experience of this yesterday!

Called my dentist early in the year to make check up appointments for me and DDs only to be told to call back in 6 months time as they could only deal with emergencies.

Fair enough.

Called them again yesterday only to be told that they were now a private practice only and, as my dentist had left the practice, I hadn't been told by letter and was no longer on their books!!

But you can come in for a private appointment said the receptionist who then gave me the prices.

But judging by this thread, I've been lucky to have had an NHS dentist for so long!!

I have many students who go home back to their countries for dentistry and blood tests etc

I have an NHS dentist had a gum problem and rang for an appointment 6 weeks, asked if I went private would it be quicker, no. Saw my dentist after the 6 weeks gum now better had polishing and two Xrays all for £28. How can the Nhs expect dentist to make a living? I'm in Northern Ireland.

NHS dentistry almost killed me.

Me too, except in my case the infection was going down my throat. I had trismus - I couldn’t eat, drink or talk. This after going to my dentist and dental department, complaining of the pain. They gave me oral antibiotics - nobody told me they might not work. I just assumed they would work - but they didn’t! Hence the trismus. I would have died of dehydration, if I had lived on my own. Luckily DH came home from work, saw how ill I was, called out the GP, who sent me straight to hospital!

Mizu, something similar happened to me and the kids, we were quietly dropped during covid

So what are people doing if they have raging toothache or an abscess and can't get a dentist? It must be horrific what is actually in place for when this happens?

I’ve been on NHS waiting list since I moved to my area…11 years ago 😱 I’m just lucky to be able to afford private. It’s crazy really.

Our family of four, two adults two children have just been removed from our nhs dentist as they've gone completely private we all had an appointment in Jan/Feb we can pay £16 per adult monthly for two appointments and two hygiene appointments and £6 a month for the children to get two appointments a year. All other treatment will be at a private separate cost. Can't find anywhere in our area (20miles)to take as nhs patient and most aren't accepting private patient either.