Can anyone else not afford the dentist anymore?

[ithinkiveseenthisfilm]

Just looked into my dentists pricing as I’m well overdue a check up.

A check up is £250, with 4 x-rays once a year charged at £60 each. That makes it £490 for a check up.

A hygienist appointment (which you must book together) is a further £120 for half an hour.

I think I need a filling, I was told that would be a minimum of £600. So one visit could end up costing me well over £1,000.

All of the NHS dentists within a 100 mile radius are closed to new patients. I check regularly but what the NHS website says is very different to the actual reality.

It’s an absolute travesty. When did something as basic as dental care become a sheer luxury?

Find another dentist. Private here is £50 for a check up, £75 for hygiene and from £150 for a fillling

You need to shop around. Those prices are wild.

That’s the only dental practice in my town (the joys of small town living). There’s a few practices that state they’re taking on NHS patients but when you call them, they’ve “no availability”

That’s extortionate. Have you looked into DenPlan?

I have struggled for years. Now forget about it unless it's very very necessary.

Go to another town

That’s extortionate. How about surrounding towns? Where we are, the going rate is £85-100 for a check up (bit more for new patients because of X-rays). A big filling at my dentist is £250. We are Home Counties and not a cheap area.

All my practices are full too but when I rang around, some were more affordable than others. Yes, you may have to travel a bit further. My dentist is in the nearest large town to me. If you only have one dentist in your town, they can just charge whatever they want, don't they?
I probably pay somewhere around £60-75 for a checkup which insides 3 butterfly x-rays.

That’s very expensive. I’m a hygienist and I work at one practice in outer London that’s £65 to see me (then £60 check up and £15 per xray) and one just outside London that’s £80 to see me (£70 a check up with £20 per xray.)

You say you’ve checked all the NHS practices around, but have you asked what their private fees are as well? You must be able to get cheaper than that even including travel to it!

I genuinely didn’t realise this was out of the norm! No wonder she’s always driving round town in a brand new Tesla 🤣 I’ll have another search around. Only asking as I’ve applied for a new job and if I get it, I’d be able to afford a (cheaper) dentist!

We pay for Dcs plan which makes their appointments a bit cheaper but can't afford the actual cost so Dmil covers the rest of the dentist bill as there are no NHS dentists where we live taking on, Isle of Wight.
We can't travel further to the mainland as then we would loose 2x days pay me and dp and the ferry cost which is extortionate
Dp and I have been on nhs waiting lists for 6+ years
Dp was last seen when we got together in 2010 His teeth are terrible
Apart from 2 emergency appointments to repair a tooth that broke in half and the other to pull it last year I haven't been seen since 2012

Bonkers prices my dentist is £75 and that includes xrays. Also look at insurance
You get a percentahe of the cost back or all the cost depending on cover.

I’m also not sure why they are doing 4 xrays a year? Most dentists do 2 bitewings which is standard. It would be unusual for them to be taking 4 PAs. I’d question why they are doing that.

I'm intrigued, does everyone get new x-rays at the dentist when they go every time?

I paid £57 for a check up inc x-rays and £79 for Hygienist yesterday. I travel quite a distance for my dentist so get the first appointment of the day so it isn't too disruptive for work.

My elderly father has his dental work done when he visits me a 4000 miles away from the UK twice a year. He’s given up on the NHS and private dentistry in the very quiet town he lives in the UK.

To make money, I’m guessing. They always say it’s all fully optional, but then when you get there they get very convincing and start talking about the worst case scenario if you don’t get them.

I have denplan at my dentist .they have practices all over our area. Free check up once a year and free hygienist as well. 15.00 per month

They should only be taken when clinically necessary. So if someone is a new patient, if someone is high risk of decay or they suspect an issue. The frequency they are taken should be dependent on the person. Some people will need them regularly if they have a high rate of decay. Others can go years without.

Same in my small town. I need a filling and it's £1209

Dental treatment is definitely a luxury and I’d only book for emergencies for me and DC.

That’s literally 75% of my wage 🤯 it’s disgusting isn’t it?

That’s outrageous, I live in a hugely expensive area in the south east and it’s 45 for a check up, 65 for hygienist and 130 for a filling, x rays are only done if necessary,

Ive put that yabu- I've never been able to afford a dentist. My teeth need many appointments with a hygienist, but as I have no pain and my gums are in decent condition, I can manage.

It’s the type of xray is more what I’m questioning. “Bitewings” are usually used in check ups. They take an image of both upper and lower back teeth to check in between them for decay. So only 2 are needed. One for each side. Periapical xrays (PAs) are usually taken to assess a problem more in depth.

Obviously this isn’t always the case and without knowing your history there could well be a reason they take the xrays they do. It’s just very unusual to be done as “standard”. Do you have gum disease/issues? PAs can be better to assess bone levels around teeth. So it could be that. As I said I’m only giving the “standard” answer.