AIBU to expect dentist to offer some kids appointments after school hours?

27 replies

StaleCrumbs · 09/11/2023 21:14

hello Mumsnet

I’m with a NHS dentist and i just booked my daughters regular six monthly check up, to be told they only offer kids check ups between the hours of 1100-1230.

I guess it’s tricky for dentists because they have adult clients who will also want to have appointments available later too, although my dentist is only open until 5.30 so most people would still have to take some time off work to see the dentist after 3pm.

But I feel like they should offer some after school appointments for kids?! Even if just on a day or two a week? The 1100-1230 slot is so inconvenient, it’s not at the beginning of the day, not at the end of the day…. Im
sure it benefits the practice in some
way (they offer private work too and I assume get very little for childrens check ups). But it’s really rubbish for the kids and parents.

I don’t know if I’m expecting too much from the dentist or if I’m a bit annoyed at them cos their customer service is shockingly bad so I’m generally miffed with them anyway! For example I saw the hygienist and paid immediately after my treatment, then next time I went in the told me I owed them an extra fiver for it, because apparently they’ve put their prices up and hadn’t realised when I had paid 4 months previously….. obvs I refused, which caused a hoohah. Every time I go there I consider going to another practice but it’s so hard to find a NHS one at the moment, so I’m just trying to see if my expectations are unreasonable or not!

OP posts:

AlohaRose · 10/11/2023 08:32

You found an NHS dentist?!

Angrymum22 · 10/11/2023 09:23

BumblebeeFlowers · 10/11/2023 08:27

DH is a dentist and the sad truth is that dental clinics make absolutely no money treating kids. The state of NHS dentistry is already dire with many places barely making a profit and many choosing to go private. Treating kids is of course necessary but going the extra step to offer services like after school appointments is pointless from a business perspective.

The reality is that most clinics try to deal with as few children as possible without having to actively throw patients out. Doing anything which might make it kid-friendly is counter productive because it might attract even more children and lower revenue further. Again, dentists do not hate kids and are fully aware of what appointment times are convenient for parents, but they also run a business. It's comparable to owning a restaurant but dealing with guests who only order a glass of water and sit at a table for hours. You obviously can't chase them away but you're not going to actively do anything to attract more people like that.

Children usually have good teeth and the only things they need doing are checkups or a filling at most. These barely generate any revenue but takes up the same amount of time as an older patient who might need more expensive work. Dental clinics make their profits on complex treatments like crowns, implants, prosthetics etc. Children don't generate any of that. In addition, many children are scared of the dentist so they end up screaming and crying and costing more time than the allocated appointment slot. So there really is no upside to attracting more kids to a practice.

Private is fine because they can charge whatever they need to cover overheads per patient. So it doesn't matter if it's a child or adult. And it usually means the parents are also private patients at the same practice.

Edited

When was the last time your DH worked in NHS dentistry. The fee we receive to carry out a check up on a child is identical to that we receive for an adult. If we carry out fillings, again same fee as adult. If you do 4 child check ups between 4.30 and 5.00pm you are paid exactly the same.

I do think it is unfair to limit after school appointments. Historically, “when women didn’t work” it became popular to exclude children from after school appointments, I’m talking 40-50 yrs ago when I was at school. It just became the way practices work. Today, when the majority of mums work I think it’s ridiculous to limit appointments.

Also, I’m not sure that the contract allows it. All NHS dentists agree to the times that they will provide NHS treatment. If your dentist has agreed to cover 9am to 3pm then they can refuse to see NHS patients after 3pm.

As for not generating revenue, a child check up takes about 5 mins, so you can do up to 12 child check ups an hour which for most dentists will generate between £360 -£420 an hour. A crown will generate about £200 an hour after lab costs.
I think you are mixing up NHS and private treatments.
Some practices do like to offer the more desirable appointments (early morning, after work and Saturdays) to private patients which is perfectly ok as long as they are not breaching their NHS contract.

As a dentist I would happily do check ups that don’t generate treatment all day long, because that means that I’m doing my job to prevent dental disease.

It’s very sad that younger dentists view children as loss leaders, they are the patients of the future and not looking after them now is going to make for far more problems in the future.

Flip

1 2