AIBU to question being charged five x NHS band 3 fees?

[Shockedbycost]

Last week I had a dental checkup at a dentist which has both nhs and private patients. I’ve always had nhs treatment and paid the relevant band charge. Last week they told me I need multiple fillings (7 in total) in all 4 quarters of my mouth. Some of these have the potential to be inlays but they won’t know until they drill them out. They had said if I want this on the NHS, it will be four separate band 3 charges, for the four quarters of my mouth. They also recommended a mouthguard and said this would be another band 3 charge. So that’s 5 x band 3 charges for recommendations that have come from one checkup (and therefore to me seem to be under one treatment plan)
is this correct? My understanding and googling indicate I should be paying one band 3 charge for all of this treatment. Please can someone clarify?

Are you having white fillings? - If you want white fillings at the back, they can charge privately per tooth. Standard is white at the front and silver at the back.

Other than that - you are right - it should be one single charge for the whole course of treatment. They can't charge you per quarter of the mouth on the NHS.

I would expect to pay per filling so I think you’re getting off lightly!

If it's NHS treatment it should be one charge, even if it takes place over a number of appointments. I'm not sure about the mouth guard, whether the NHS cover those. I'd find another dentist.

I've always thought that would fall under one treatment band for the fillings, and possibly a separate charge for the mouth guard.

The question is whether the dentist is following NHS charging rules.

That is not how the NHS works so I guessing you are a private patient? If not you've been ripped off and should report your dentist.

Get them to put that in writin, I bet they won't because they know it's wrong.

I can understand them not wanting to do it on the NHS because they'll make a loss on it, but that's part of a much bigger argument about the ridiculous NHS funding scheme. It's not your problem to fix, and if they're paid by the NHS they need to follow the law on charging.

This would all be silver fillings/inlays/crowns - I wanted to understand the total NHS cost to then decide whether I should look into getting any of the more visible ones done privately so they would be white. I did contest what they said and was told fairly definitively it would all be charged separately for each quarter as each appointment (for each quarter) would have a 2 month gap. I also felt pressured to have the whole thing done privately, which I cannot afford.

Ask them to put it in writing.

And ask them to set out why each quarter of the mouth needs a two month gap.

I think they’re having you on. Thats not accurate at all, it should all be one nhs band charge. The whole 4 quadrants of the mouth is not applicable.
I would heavily push back and ask for all their reasoning in writing from the practice manager.

That's a huge amount 5 x £332. Although probably still not what it costs to provide the care.

Are they planning on doing it all at the same time. Or with significant gaps between - as a poster above said, if more than a 2 month gap then can charge again.

That might be a worse case scenario. If you need 7 crowns I would think this would be hard to do all in one go?

No that doesn't seem right. We finally got an NHS dentist and my partner needed 7 teeth just pulling. All done in one appointment for one single band 2 charge, had he wanted dentures they would have only charged us the difference between band 2 and band 3 at the next appointment (if it was within a certain time, I think it was 3 months)

They're right that they won't do them all at once for a) time and b) to avoid numbing all of your mouth. But, they should do it in two appointments - left side right side - and no need for a big gap between.

And yes, one charge, but band two not band three unless you need the inlays,
and even then only one band three charge.

Yes private patient and I can understand why NHS dentistry is fucked and many are going private! It’s a shocking funding system that an appointment for 7 fillings and a mouthguard should only be charged a one cost the same as if a patient was only having one filling! Obviously not the original posters fault but the system needs overhauling or we won’t have any NHS dentists left!

Have they changed the rules so it per quarter of the mouth rather than whole mouth? If all of the fillings are a band 3 then it should only be one charge.

I mean there are only 8 including wisdom on each quarter of the mouth anyway so I don't really understand. Other than they just want more money.

But you can see why they don't want to do it. They mustn't make much on it!

If it works out cheaper than private I guess it's still worth it.

But if not you may as well go private elsewhere. As it does sound a bit dodgy.

I agree. A PP suggested OP should find another dentist. I wish her the very best of luck finding an NHS dentist taking on new patients in this day and age. It’s indicative of the problem with the current system that those who got in with an NHS dentist get all this stuff for virtually nothing but the true cost is considerably higher and most of us are just paying it.
My guess is the dentist is fed up of people turning up after years of poor dental care, needing loads of work, and one checkup appointment reveals so much work that it’s financially unviable and would have been charged separately if the person had kept on top of their checkups. I think this is why so many NHS dentists take patients off their list if they go too long between appointments.
No wonder so few dentists offer NHS dentistry.

Can you name any other business where buying one unit of something is the same cost as buying seven ? This is a time based business with materials on top of this. When they changed the system in 2006 I couldn't believe that it was real. Its brought NHS dentistry to its knees and quality of work with it. OP you are right to question it but thats why they are doing it - to try and survive.

Maybe people need lots of work done as they couldn't get a bloody NHS dentist in the first place???

And I've found one in the next town to me They were advertising for patients.

As for the comment "the true cost is considerably higher and most of us are just paying it". Well bully for those who can afford to pay it. Not everyone can

Hmm anything in the NHS really. Costs a patient nothing if they have one operation or 7

Why on earth would anyone think that NHS dentistry should charge anything approaching the actual cost ??? The NHS founding belief is ‘free at the point of care’ .. funded through general taxation. The fact that there is ANY charge is a betrayal of that principle alone. However it is what it is and that is the banding system. A single charge for one COURSE of treatment. The reason people pitch up to a NHS dentist with years worth of treatment required is because successive governments have not made it a requirement to ensure universal access to nhs dental care. Therefore when they finally get one , they have years of issues to be addressed.

Does anyone really believe that it’s perfectly fine to have a free triple heart bypass on the NHS but for some reason pulling out teeth and treating abscess/gum disease (with its now well established links to Dementia) should be paid for on the NHS at close to its actual cost ?

if you want to pay privately for healthcare and dentistry then that’s your prerogative. However the UK has a NHS that covers doctors and dentists - and it should be provided. Free .

Thanks. Appreciate there is a wider discussion around costs (though I personally I agree that dentistry should not be any different to the rest of the NHS) but interesting to know most agree that in this case the dentist is not adhering to the nhs pricing rules, as I thought! Requesting them to put it in writing is a good idea (all I have in writing currently is how much it would all cost privately) and I will also look into trying to find a new nhs dentist.