Why is it that if any physical part of my body is sick, broken or in need of treatment....

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I can get it checked, repaired (if possible) or treated, at no cost to me, via the NHS - apart from if its my teeth?

So a broken wrist, a lump in a breast, COPD, sudden onset blindness, nerve pains, a stubborn rash, etc - all justifiable reasons to attend a suitable outlet (GP, A&E, specialist care etc) - ok, there's a waitlist usually, but all ranges of medical needs across the whole human body.

But if the issue is with my teeth, it's not serviced in the same manner. Why?

Literally all other parts of me would be covered by the NHS.

England it's 3 banded charges, depending on what's done: £25.80, £70.70 and £306.80

I may be being cynical, but I've noticed on a number of occasions that you need an 'assessment' before an anticipated Band 2 or Band 3 treatment - sometimes more than one - which then happens to cost you an extra £25.80 each time.

I always thought that it would be included in the Band 2/Band 3 charge, but apparently not.

The trouble is with the NHS contracts, and management getting it wrong.

Lots of practices that were mixed NHS/private lost their NHS contracts in the 00s (local oversupply was the main reason given) but now there's a shortage and I don't know if there has been any move to bring any of those dentists back to mixed practice, which I guess would be a tough ask as by now they've adjusted, built new client bases and probably no longer have the capacity

If you had a terrible accident involving your teeth then chances are you’d be treated by a dentist on the NHS. I’d be partially sighted without my glasses but have to pay for the opticians. It’s a similar thing, shame it’s not under one umbrella but never has been unfortunately.

So you are happy to pay into a communal pool of funds that takes care of many people, you just want your money to be called insurance instead of taxes.

Ok love.

Excellent perspective @Dutch1e 👏👏

It's just madness to me that I can get free (at the point of use) care for damage/illness to any single part of my body apart from the teeth inside my mouth.

It's not like I choose to have them so then need to bear the costs! Even then - people choose lots of things which are provided by the NHS for "free".

I guess the point about insurance is if you don't pay, you don't get. I notice you are not suggesting private dental insurance to the OP.

I think there needs to be a big discussion about how healthcare is funded and all of us need to be a lot more realistic about how much we need to be putting in.

Well lucky you. I'm happy to pay tax to fund a better health service for those who can't afford it. I want to live in a healthy society because I believe it is better for everyone.

I post on every dental thread and say the same- NHS dentistry is dying. In many areas it is dead. On a population level you can campaign to the government. On an individual level the only option is to pay privately. Think of it like opticians or vets.
NHS dentistry has given the U.K. public a weird idea of what dentistry actually costs.
I do have sympathy for people with pain and problems who can’t afford private. That sympathy doesn’t run to charity - ie paying for it myself! Which NHS dentists effectively do.
If I ran the world exempt patients- so those on benefits and children- would have easy access to a core service of basics. Exam, simple scale, fillings, extractions and plastic dentures. The dentists who worked there would be first year post graduation and would be salaried with crown indemnity.
Foundation training as it is now would be years 2 and 3.

My eyesight was damaged by neurological disease. I attend the nhs eye clinic every six months, but they will not do an eye test for my prescription. I have to go to a local optician. My glasses are so complicated, the cheapest I could get this time were £500. That is a huge chunk of my pension and my prescription changes nearly every year.
I worked in the nhs for almost my whole career. I haven't even tried to find an NHS dentist. I just set money aside every month. There are things that are becoming difficult to get on the NHS. God help you if you have a child with mental health problems.

It can be so difficult depending where you live.

Ive always assumed its because a huge amount of dental health is about prevention.

If you provide people with totally free dentistry, do they do their best to look after their own teeth?

Most people shouldn't need a lot of regular dental treatment if their diet and oral hygiene practices are good.

Emergency trauma type dentistry (eg a collision where you damage your mouth) is still covered under the NHS. Children also still get free NHS dentistry.

Cavities etc are largely preventable.

Insurance isn't the same.

I would pay v low premiums because i have v good teeth, zero fillings etc. So actually because most people in the country have worse teeth than me, the tax I'd have to pay for universal dentistry would be higher than my risk based insurance premiums, in order to subsidise those with the worst teeth paying no more than anyone else. Its like the price of stamps - it has to cover the high cost of getting mail to remote locations as well as delivering in densely populated cities.

It is true that a lot of the U.K. population don’t look after their teeth. Sugary diets are a big problem. We could do with fluoridated water in all areas, that might help.
There are some conditions that are bad luck but they aren’t the majority at all. However a lot of problems are historical and good care now won’t fix those heavily restored dentitions.