To think Dentists are greedy and disgrace

[Thisismynamenow]

I have a hole in my tooth (thanks pregnancy for the poor teeth!)

My nhs dentist has apparentpy cancelled their nhs contract to go private (without telling patients) and not a single dentist within 20 miles is willing to take on nhs, but everyone can offer same day private appointments.

I know the nhs is underfunded but it's disgusting dentists are allowed to be only private, they should be made to be half nhs!

My tooth is killing me, I can't afford the £400 I've been quoted for the filling (it's a tiny hole, literally a pin hole!) And the hopsitall will only pull it which I don't want. Its annoying me more as i currently have a maternity exemption which I can't use.

Aibu to think dentists are greedy, and that it shouldn't be allowed?

Yes YABU. The state of NHS dentistry is a direct consequence of the govt’s actions in relation to the NHS contract. Take it up with your MP.

NHS dentists usually leave at some point, and they'll never have 0 patients on the books.

Be angry that the government has let it get to this point.

YANBU but they’re so underfunded that they have no choice. Can you put it on a credit card and pay it off over a few months? Once you start losing teeth it’s a slippery slope.

Be angry with the government who make it unviable for dentists to work within the NHS.

so no, the dentists aren’t greedy or disgraceful.
the government is .

Fill it yourself then!
Oh no, wait. You need around 7 years of training and massive uni debts to be a dentist.
Do you have any idea how little further sing a nhs dentist gets? It doesn't even pay enough to run a practice and employ staff.

YABU
Dentists are Business people. They own manage and run their own Business, they are not a public service or charity.
Like any Business they can choose not to take on clients who are not profitable.
Blame the government for making it unprofitable for them to do NHS work

YABU I have never had an NHS dentist my whole adult life, the poor state of dentistry funding has been an issue for a lot of people for decades. This is on successive governments not the individual dentists.
Secondly it costs about £100 for a filling privately not £400.

Aim your anger at the government and don't vote Tory in future - this will be the same with GPs if the Tories get their way!

I sympathise with the pain but not the sentiment. There are loads of practices in my area advertising that they take on NHS patients.

I think it's awful that so many people are unable to access affordable dentistry - or indeed no dentist at all .

I have been lucky so far with my dentist (NHS) although they have recently been taken over by another group as the main dentist in my large practice has retired - so fingers crossed it will remain that way .

You can get home temporary filling kits easily ( most supermarkets/chemists have them ) to alleviate it temporarily, and there’s a chain in the south ( at least!) called My dentist or something similar - I used them for my stuff as they were taking on nhs patients - they were pretty good. Toothache for any reason is the worst, hope you can get it stopped soon.

Dentists are not charities, they are highly qualified professionals who deserve to be paid fairly for their work. If you were running a business and it cost you £100 to provide a service, would you do it for £80 so that everyone can have access to this service? Why should they be forced to accept NHS contracts that don't cover the cost of their services?

If the OP has been quoted £400 then that’s what she’ll have to pay. Comments like this aren’t helpful.

I haven’t had an NHS dentist since 1997, so through both major party governments and a coalition. I have accepted that it is a service I need to go private for a long time ago.

OP, I think you need to shop around because there is absolutely no need to pay £400 for a filling. I have paid not much more than that for a crown and my dentist is not cheap, a filling is about £150 and I am sure you can do better than that.

I also sympathise with your pain and frustration. There is hardly any such thing now as NHS dentistry. My dc has been on a waiting list for braces now for 3.5 years.
Dentists aren't the problem, the privatisation of dentistry is.

YABU. The contract the government has put NHS dentists onto means that they're literally losing money to treat people. It's not sustainable and it's not their fault- blame the government.

I'd get another quote for that filling- £400 is very steep if it's as simple as you say.

I had a dentist who got struck off for trying to help patients. He did NHS and private and what he did for some struggling people was do something more expensive than was allowed on NHS, claimed the NHS payment for what would have been allowed and then the patient just paid the balance. Well that is what was reported, it was a long time ago so might not be the same now but I felt it was harsh as he was trying to help and there wasn't a financial gain for him.

You need to ring around several dentists and might have to travel a little bit further out. Its annoying buy yabu as you have no idea how dentists work. They have to do the work and then submit ro the nhs to be reimbursed and the government have been reducing the levels of reimbursement for years. They also have overhead costs, rent, utility bills, wages and have to spend money servicing equipment too which all eats into profits. As the government bleeds them dry many have no option but to privatise, it's just another ploy for the government to privatise healthcare and to encourage people to have health insurance.

I suggest you complain to your MP

YABVU - people will happily frequently pay £100 for a hairdresser to dye/cut hair, yet complain at £400 for a dentist. One takes a year of college training and limited debt whilst the other takes 7 years and significant amounts of debt. This isn't a dig at hairdressers but puts things into context.
And as pp mention £400 is high - get a 2nd opinion

Yabu. Most dentists carry some nhs customers. Plus they don't set the rates of pay. That's the govt, who had plenty of warning this would happen.

If it's not worth their while, of course they will go private. Why should they offer their services at a loss?

I just had a private filling when I had check up £139 !
tbh I don’t think it’s that bad the care is soooo much better than nhs dentists !!
I think people rely to much on free nhs

£400 for a simple filling as you’ve described is very expensive. That’s what I paid for my root canal. Is it that they won’t put amalgam in because you’re pregnant and are saying it needs to be a different one?

Similar situation in Ireland.

Absolutely extortionate unaffordable prices.

I need a wisdom tooth removed.

I notice EE have beautiful teeth due to excellent affordable dental care.

YABU. The NHS doesn't own their staff and until they start paying us properly this situation is going to recur time and time again.

Current doctors and dentists are graduating with around £90K of debt. For longer serving staff we have seen a 30% payout over the past 15 years.

Even education allowances have been allowed to stagnate. I need to do 50 hrs of CPD / year. Yet my allowance has been £500/ annum since I qualified. £500 now barely covers the registration fee for the main conference for my specialty. So I end up paying for hotel/ travel etc. out of my own pocket and the rest of my CPD requirements.

Contrast with my brother (lawyer) - his firm pays his professional registration fees, membership of his specialist area society, for all reasonable CPD etc. I spend around £3k year on all that lot.

Enough is enough. I predict strikes.