Why do people attend routine dental appointments when they’re really ill??

[DontWantToGetSick]

I’m a dental hygienist. It’s two days before Christmas. Just had a patient in who I could hear coughing and spluttering before I even called them in. (Busy waiting room so I’m sure all the other patients loved that). Asked them if they are ok when I called them in, they said yes but feel like crap. Really sore throat, slight temperature, feel achy etc. I suggested we should rebook the appointment in the new year. Nope! Patient has a New Year’s party and they need their teeth clean for that! If I won’t see them they’ll write a complaint in as they’ve had this booked for months and I’m “not allowed to discriminate”. Lovely. So yes I can wear a mask, as we all know from Covid times they aren’t fully protective esp when you’re only 6 inches from someone’s face and they are coughing directly at you for a full half an hour. Not to mention the residual aerosol in the air for the next patient or two. That’ll be nice for me and everyone else to get sick just at Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Yes, exactly this. I have to pay £80 for hygienist, non refundable pay on phone when book.

I Completely understand why people can’t afford to lose that money/ pay a second time.

I tried cancelling my for my daughter one year as she had cold/flu type thing and a really sore throat and cough. She is autistic and wasn’t keen on people touching her. Dentist said if I cancelled that close they would kick my off the list and that their were protective stuff anyway so shouldn’t be an issue!!

Parents are getting fined though for absence

Because it costs £120 and you charge for cancellations. I know you've been told already, but it's not rocket science.

I get the impression people in the UK don't really expect to pay for anything health related. I'm in a private system where it's expected that you give 24 hours notice of a cancellation. Most providers operate a level of tolerance - they wouldn't charge you if you cancel because you're sick, unless you are constantly cancelling at the last minute. It means that typically providers don't mess patients around, and patients don't mess providers around. I don't think my dentist/hygenist would treat me if I was sick. I do think your patient was unreasonable to come, but the system is broken - if dentists don't want to treat sick patients, it shouldn't take 6 months to get a new appointment and patients shouldn't be struck off for being sick.

you don't get fined because your child is sick

While I do understand that it feels icky to have to deal with the open mouths of people who have clear cold/flu symptoms, surely you would only marginally decrease your risk of catching colds/flu by not treating those patients? There are people everywhere who are full of virions but who haven't yet shown any symptoms - and there are some carriers who may not even develop any noticeable symptoms, and they're all going to the shops and handling groceries, and going to the dentist, unaware that tomorrow they'll be coughing and spluttering. Any of them could pass the flu onto you, so there's no real point in trying to minimise contact with symptomatic people anyway.

Agree, lots do that even when the only reason they don't want to look after their kids is that they're having their nails done, or they want to scroll in peace, and they couldn't care less if someone else's parents are having chemo.
As for your point about dental cancellation policies, it would be fair to have a limited number of no-penalty cancellations per person, to allow for genuine sickness, but avoid the careless types who don't bother keeping appointments if they get away with it.

Actually... I've had flu-like symptoms a couple of times since 2020 that have coincided with a dental appointment. Each time, I've tested (and had a negative Covid test) and offered to cancel... but my dentist has told me to come in anyway.

I'm not really sure why they ask if you have any Covid symptoms but still ask you to come in... I've masked up and gone in each time.

Doesn’t matter if your in charge of weather or not they get charged. The point is they would be charged (again doesn’t matter if your receive zero of it) people can’t afford to cancel when if they wake up sick because they will be charged and people can’t afford to throw money away for nothing.

This answer nails it. People are terrified, literally terrified of being taken off their dentist's books, and this is why people will often turn up anyway, even if they're not feeling good. Thing is though @DontWantToGetSick many people will be carrying germs and viruses several days before any symptoms kick in, so you could easily get ill even if you treat someone who appears to be fine. You always wear a mask though, so that should protect you a bit.

I'm sorry you are getting a hard time on this thread, and someone spluttering and coughing should really not come in to see you. It's a bit gross for you. But yeah, people are scared of being taken off their dentist's books. I don't think I have cancelled or missed a dental appointment for a decade and a half now, as even before Covid it was difficult to get an NHS dentist, and I don't want to be booted off!

We have to go to the dentist every six months, but we used to go to the dentist once a year pre 2010, as they never requested 6-monthly. (DH and I, and our 2 DC - then school age used to go.) Life got so hectic at one point (as it does - when you have children, you're running a home, you're looking after elderly parents, and you have a job,) and I realised we hadn't been to the dentist for 2 years and 1 month. (Had the last appointment in a diary.) We went June 2008, and in July 2010 I rang up to book us all in for a checkup. I was told we had been taken off the books. No warning, no reminder letter, or text, or email. We no longer had an NHS dentist. We could not afford private.

Yes I know it was down to us not going for 2 years (and 1 month) but a reminder letter might have been nice. I felt I had let my children down, as they no longer had a dentist. I rang about 12 different dentists, some up to 25-30 miles away, to see if we could register - or at least go on their waiting list. Just one said we could go on their waiting list. NO-ONE had any spaces, and no other dentist would let us go on a waiting list.

It would be a full year before the one dentist rang me and said we can register now, and made an appointment for all 4 of us to register. (This was around August 2011.) Fortunately it was one that was only 9 miles away, and not one that was 30 miles away, although I would have accepted anything to be honest, just to be registered.

We moved area about 2 years later, (moved 30-ish miles away,) and put our name on the list of a dentist just 3 miles from where we live now, as our old one was now 33 miles away, and obviously having one closer is better. But we had to keep going to the old one 33 miles away for about 18 months before we could get registered in the one in our little market town. (And they required 6 monthly, and we had to go 3 or 4 extra times for emergency treatment.) Again, with our new dentist 3 miles away, we never miss an appointment. Fortunately, we have never been ill when we go though.

I didn't realise you didn't get paid when people don't turn up @DontWantToGetSick I am sorry to hear that, I really am. I genuinely thought you did.

Discrimination how? Being contagiously ill and selfish enpugh to not mind infecting other people aren’t protected characteristics, so no discrimination case to answer.

There's no point in being sniffy to those posters who have genuinely told you the reason why somebody might behave that way.

The woman you saw might have had different reasons but you asked "why do people attend routine appointments".

What did you actually want from this thread?

In my Dentist of you don’t give 48 hours notice they fine you and if you cancel due to illness more than twice they kick you off their books. Doesn’t matter if you are vomiting or infectious, £15 fine to cancel.

Hi there, Dental nurse of 30 years here, currently studying for DHT at Uni. Sorry you're having a poop time but please don't leave dentistry. You've worked hard to get where you are, we need you! I completely get what you're saying about saying about patients coming in with an illness but unfortunately, sometimetimes they don't have much choice. This is what PPE and cross infection protocols are for. I don't know your circumstances, but you're in control. You can move practice, reduce your hours, extend length of appointments,transfer your skills,diversify etc, but please don't give up. However, you've got to do what is right for you you too. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and exciting times ahead! xx

Anumber of reasons.

Cancellation Charges.

Struck off NHS list if you don't attend (this is what scores people into going more ).

Don't charge for appointments if people cancel and you might find more people cancelled!

Yup, this

Assuming you're self-employed, OP? Dental nurse here so I totally sympathise (and do let me know your exit-from-dentistry plan, if you care to share...no reason, no reason at all...)

It does beggar belief that we're expected to work in a fug of people's aerosolized saliva and gratefully catch whatever virus they've brought in. Not much fun for hygienists (self-employed, so not getting paid if off work sick) or nurses (making around minimum wage). Dental receptionists get spoken to like shit and walk a very fine line between being berated by patients who don't want to pay and being berated by dentists who want to be paid!

Anyway, hope you didn't catch anything; hope you get a rest over the festive period; and hope all goes well with your career change 💐

It depends on the surgery, at our old surgery if you cancelled for any reason within 48 hours of the appointment you wouldn’t receive a refund and you would be removed as a patient. It happened to me when I was in hospital having emergency surgery, I even took in my discharge notes but I was told it wasn’t their fault that I hadn’t prioritised my appointment.

After that I didn’t see a dentist for over five years as I had no way of affording private treatment.