Over £100 for 2 extremely quick dental check ups is a bit steep?

[goldenfolder]

Or maybe it isn't. I don't know.

Surgery closed it's NHS service, along with many others. You have to go private in this county to see a dentist.

Took 10yo for us both to have a private checkup for the first time. We were in and out of the chair in about 3 minutes each. It was at best the same as NHS check ups which I always though was a bit perfunctory. I stupidly assumed they would take a bit of time to take some case history now, have a thorough look and was expecting some upselling for other cosmetic type things maybe. Basically want to keep you as a private customer and do a better job than the NHS did.

Cost was £114 for both. In and out the building in 10 mins. That's money I don't really have and tbh, I need the hygienist more but at £97 a go, I can't afford it. I'd rather have paid for that but can't without checkups. If I needed a filling (£280), I couldn't afford it - so why am I bothering with check ups?!

Surely dentistry will be like the GP - you go when your desperate for treatment not for check ups?

Just me then! 🤣

I think our check ups are around £80 each but last at least 20 minutes

These are private charges. They seem a little steep. Are there other surgeries who still do NHS? If they only offer private and no other surgeries in your county offer private, then they don't need to offer a good service (as compared to NHS) because you are a captive customer anyway.

My surgery in London charges £45 for a routine check up and £65-70 for a hygienist. Filling starts at £170. But there is competition and choices between the dental practices so that may keep prices down. That said, prices have gone up fairly steeply since covid.

The best way to afford private dental charges is if your workplace offers private group dental insurance. My current workplace does not and dental treatment costs have been hurting.

That's true actually. Zero competition as virtually nowhere does NHS here. The remaining few surgeries in the county closed their waiting lists years ago and are slowing shutting NHS work down.

Ironically I work for the NHS. No dental insurance for us!

See if they do something like Denplan

Second denplan
I pay about £19pm. That covers 2 check ups and 2 hygienist appointments plus treatment. Excludes lab fees

A check up locally is £85. We only go if we actually require work and that would
mean we have to be in pain. Nothing available via employers that also isn’t prohibitively expensive.

We have a private dentist. They said they couldn’t do work at the standard, they liked for what they were paid on the NHS. They charge a bit more than the NHS. A check up, including a scale costs around £42. Iirc, white fillings start around £120. A wealthy dormitory town for London.

Those prices seem quite high. I’d phone around and compare prices. Also some dentists will do NHS for children if the parent/s are private patients.