To ask why my dentist has left?

[girlfriend44]

Just found out that my dentist has left the practice.
This has happened before?
Unless it's a personal reason aibu to ask why do NHS dentists often leave?

I don't think the NHS pays well.

The practice we use lost both their NHS dentists in the last six months due to them transferring to private care only in the same practice.

The NHS doesn't pay enough. My children can't have a check up as there is noone to do it. I will be looking into private care for them by the end of the year when finances allow.

Its ridiculous, but this is what Tory voters want.

Why does anyone leave their job..? Re-locating, they were offered a better salary, offered better prospects, better working conditions... Multiple likely reasons. NHS dentistry is in crisis, it's not surprising they'd leave.

They probably have the experience and skills to work in private practice.

Because NHS dentistry is broken.

Why would you stay if you can have a more enjoyable job for more money elsewhere?

There is a national shortage of dentists. Even some private practices are having to close down due to the dentist shortage.

What a stupid question!
Why does anyone leave their job?!

Long hours, poor pay, lack of appreciation, being run ragged, insanely busy, being made to use poor products as an associate dentist in a corporate company, NHS logistics and poor pay rate per UDA... the list goes on and that's just dental related.

But seriously it could be any reason whatsoever.

The rate at which a dentist has to work to make a living under the NHS means that as soon as they have enough experience and have done enough additional courses they will try to get out by either going into private or hospital practice.

For your band one treatment ie check up ,x rays , hygiene if necessary your dentist will earn around £8 before tax and national insurance (they pay 50 to 65% of their earnings to the practice to cover expenses plus paying lab fees etc) . The indemnity they pay to work will be between £5000 and £25000 plus a year . The GDC membership is an additional £700 ish. Compulsory cpd is on top of this . Then they need to have sickness /illness cover because they have to pay the cost of a locum if they have to have time off. In addition most dentists will not hit their government targets so have to pay money back each year. So in other words they will work over 6 months of the year just to pay their practicing expenses .

It's a crisis that has been brewing for years and the immense increase in expenses after covid has pushed many dentists and practices to the edge. BUPA is closing 85 dental practices ,including 13 purely private.

I haven’t been to my NHS dentist in a while. Last time he put the anaesthetic in my gum he went hell for leather and the next thing I know I was fainting in the chair. I’m going private next, which I’m saving for as need stuff doing but want it done together.
The dentists at my NHS one change and some are part time.

I think fact the profession has one of the highest if not the highest suicide rate… tells you all you need to know

They leave because the job is hell. A couple of other people have explained it in more detail.
I have a friend who was a NHS dentist and left, retrained to become a lawyer and now specializes in dental and medical negligence cases. She's much happier now.