To ask who has an NHS dentist etc?

[girlfriend44]

I am Lucky to have a dentist?
Would be really worried otherwise. Reports that nobody is taking anyone on NHS?
If you haven't got a dentist? Are you worrying about it?
What are people doing ?

Yes, we have a NHS dentist.

Twenty plus years ago, the dental nhS contract changed and many dentists went private then as a result.

my NHS dentist is in my home town, where I haven't lived for about 15 years, but just stayed with because it's impossible to find one in the city I live in now. The local health board has a waiting list for NHS dentists taking on, but there's a 2 year waiting list to even get on the waiting list! Luckily it's "only" about 30 miles away but the dentist only does NHS work 1 day a week so I have to book a check up 5 months in advance. I assume if I ever needed emergency treatment I'll probably have to pay privately tbh.

My nearest NHS dentist ACTUALLY TAKING WORKING ADULTS NOT ON BENEFITS.. is SOLIHULL.. (I live in East Sussex)

I went to Budapest... significantly cheaper than the rail fair to SOLIHULL .. had 7 teeth removed by a dentist who used to practice in Bristol...

€80 vs £200..

My private dentist sees my children under the NHS free of charge. I’m happy with private dentistry as the outcome is a 100% better than anything I had on the NHS growing up.

I do not have an nhs dentist and can’t afford private. I can’t really afford the nhs ones either even if I could get registered but I could just above shove it on a credit card.

There is no nhs dentist in our county. The closest nhs dentist to us that is taking adults is over 40 miles away and we don’t have access to a car (no public transport to get us there either) so it’s not remotely doable.

I haven’t seen a dentist in over 6 years, I’m mid thirties and had beautiful teeth in my 20’s that are now crumbling in my mouth (I have good dental hygiene but I need at least 4 filings I’m sure, and possibly a root canal etc)
luckily cosmetically they still look lovely and white and straight but actually have a lot of problems that I desperately need fixing and I’m now used to being in pain/discomfort daily with my teeth.

Luckily managed to register our two dc with an nhs dentist. When I think about the state of my teeth and what they possibly will be like in a year or two if I don’t get treatment I burst into tears.

I have an NHS dentist, which I am very grateful for. In some sense they are fantastic with if you need minor treatments like fillings. But as soon as you have a major issue such as needing wisdom teeth out, there is such a long waiting list and you’re just left to struggle. All 4 of my wisdom teeth are impacted so I’m in agony, constantly getting ulcers and infections, my cheeks look like chipmunks because they’re digging into my gums. And likely the worse of all, because I have been waiting over a year for them to be removed all of my teeth are shifting onto one another becoming crooked and changing the entire shape of what my teeth were like before. It’s awful because I am disabled and my health means that i have a weakened immune system and all these complications with my wisdom teeth are not doing me no good but I don’t have the funds so I have to sit and wait.

Have always had an NHS dentist. Thank God. Even all through Covid/after Covid. Me and DH and the DC didn't go to the dentist for a couple of years when the DC were about early teens. Just lots of shit going on at the time, (deaths of close ones, house move, financial difficulties, depression, hated my job, DH hated his job etc,) and before I knew it, it had been just over 2 years - literally 2 WEEKS over, since we had been.

I tried to make an appointment for check-ups for all of us. Receptionist said 'oh you have been de-registered Mrs Birdsong. All 4 of you.' I said WHAT? I had no notice, no warning, no 'you will be taken off our lists if ....' etc. She said 'we don't tell people now. The onus is on you to keep up with your appointments. You needed to have come within 2 years.' I said it been 2 WEEKS past the deadline. She was just like 'demz da roolz!'

I was devastated at the time, and rang around about 12 dental practices within 20 miles. All had no spaces. Only 2 took us onto a waiting list. Luckily one called us up after about 3 months and saw us and put us on their books!

We moved to a town 30 miles north after a few years, but still stayed as it's not like a GP; with a dentist you don't have to live nearby. Just as well as the 3 dentists near us/in our little market town were not taking anyone on. But it became a bit of a ballache to do 60 mile round trips to the dentist, and became particularly apparent when DH had a filling fall out.

He went to the dentist at 9am the next day - started out at 8am - to see if they'd do it - as he was at the door when they opened. They said they can't fit him in and made him come back 2 days later. So he had to do 120 miles in 2 days to get it fixed!

About 18 months after moving here, one of the dentists we had put our name down for, rang us and said we could now be registered. Still with them now. About a decade later.

I really feel sorry for people who don't have an NHS dentist. If you are private, it's OK if you are only having check ups, polish and scale, and fillings. But when you need crowns, veneers, and root canals, it gets costly. Colleague of mine just paid £1100 for a couple of crowns! I pray that our dentist doesn't decide to drop the NHS, (and go private.) The most we will pay for anything is £306.80. Even if it was half a dozen crowns! Like others on here, we feel blessed to have an NHS dentist!

I wonder if dental treatment is free for everyone over 67? Even if they are not registered with an NHS dentist?

This isn’t new.

Not been able to get an NHs dentist in my town for a good 5 years plus .

i am private. Its more expensive but you get a better service, e.g xray at each appointment not just a quick count

I have an NHS dentist and I'm clinging onto him for dear life. Been with him 20 odd years though; amazed he hasn't gone private.

Why do you need an X-ray at each appointment?

I have. I went in privately as an emergency patient a few years ago, then they put me on the NHS list when a space came up. Because I was registered they accepted DD. Dh's dentist has just sold up and gone back to his home country so we're not sure what he will do. Mine's near work rather than near home, which is about an hour from DH's work so not convenient at all.

Ours turned private years ago and the closest one to us is now 140 miles away. Dh had a tooth taken out recently, had to go private as he was in agony and it cost £600 for one tooth out. They don’t accept payment plans either so had to put it on a credit card. Ive had toothache for a while but can’t afford another visit so I just put up with it🤷🏻‍♀️

I do have a NHS dentist, but they won't see me. My filling fell out the week before Xmas and they wouldn't see me until May even though I was in a lot of pain

I last saw a dentist in 2019. He told me he was about to move and I'd get his replacement at my next appointment. Well, COVID happened, a replacement never materialised, and I (and a lot of other people) were deregistered. However, thanks to someone posting on Facebook, I found a NHS dentist who is currently taking on in the neighbouring county. I have my first appointment next month.

Really good one for the kids. I have a really good private one as no NHS adult places.

Our NHS dentist in the town we live dropped all their NHS patients in the middle of Covid. I rung round loads, couldn't find a replacement, then hit a tip off about one in a town 40mins away - called & got all of us registered & been going there since. I'm hoping we can at least get the children through to 18 on the NHS.
We all go twice a year in the school holidays at the same time & make a day of it (it's located near a local beauty spot, so we have a picnic & walk).

Is that so that they can make more money?

I don't have an NHS dentist but I do have a unicorn. He's lovely.

It’s not always all about the money. The NHS system is unworkable for a lot of dentists. They get paid a set fee for fillings. So the same fee if they do one filling or multiple fillings (on the same patient). It’s the same for crowns etc. This obviously has an impact as material costs are higher and it takes up more surgery time.
Also they have a contract of a certain size. Once they’ve met that contract that’s it… they don’t get paid for any NHS work. Worse still they’re not getting paid for the work and the fee you pay gets taken off them so effectively it’s costing them money to treat people.
it’s a ridiculous system.

How has it gotten this bad? And if people are in this sort of pain - there is no treatment anywhere 😞

How do doctors justify not helping ?

ive been forced private if sucks.

I of course realise it’s the governments aim to disable the NHS to the point of redundancy, but surely they can’t think we can all pay for all of our treatments? Majority in UK are not wealthy enough to buy treatment or insurance.

Why is our health not an issue when Gov claim to want increase productivity ?

I have an NHS dentist, I've been there 10 years. I think it's the only practice that hasn't turned private in the area, I don't know if it will at any point.

I have an NHS dentist. Moved to the area 9 years ago and registered with no issues. It was tricky to get appointments in COVID and we had to be careful not to leave it too long that they deregistered us but luckily that never happened. We go every 6 months.

Yes. I have one.