What are dentists doing exactly?

[musicalfrog]

Genuine question as I don't think non urgent dental care is available (still). Nobody can get check ups which surely is bread and butter work for dentists. What are they doing with their time, and aren't they worried about losing their regular income?

I have no idea how the system works but there must be an imbalance of some sort at play here.

I have the hygeinist next week, it has gone up to £65. The dentist is only seeing emergency patients (NHS).

I almost started a thread like this on Monday.

I lost a filling on Sunday night. My dentist saw me incredibly quickly (Monday afternoon!) but it was like Fort Knox:
Monday morning - I phoned the surgery. Recorded message about emergencies only then wen through to receptionist. She booked me a lunchtime appt but said it would have to be a phone appt (I was confused about how that was going to replace my filling but took it as an opportunity to speak to the dentist at least).
Monday lunchtime - dentist phoned. Took all details and said I could come in later in the afternoon. Asked to bring pen and mask.
Monday afternoon - arrived at dentist which was all closed up. Knocked. Door opened a crack and receptionist checked who I was then asked me wait and closed the door again. Waited outside for 10 minutes. She then let me in and made me stand in a box to do a temperature check and sanitise hands.
Appointment - waiting room has been totally cleared. No chairs or toilets. No other patients there. I signed in (with my own pen) and was taken straight in to the dentist. After all that he only had the same disposable mask and visor that are available on Amazon and seen in schools and shops. Wearing only that he replaced my filling (didn't require drilling, I'd have had to go elsewhere for that where they do wear proper PPE). Made me worried for him. I don't what all the precautions were for - if I'd had Covid, he'd probably have caught it anyway.

What made me really sad was that the board in the waiting room which had photos and names of all the staff had had more than half the photos ripped off it. I only got a quick glance but several dentists as well as a couple of hygienists, nurses and receptionists appeared to have gone. I don't know if they've been made redundant but there's certainly not much work there atm so I wouldn't be surprised.

Oh, that's a larger than average NHS surgery.

Ours seems to have stopped all NHS check ups since March. No information from them, no text, email or anything - just silence. I hope they aren't being paid.

www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/2020-04/COVID-19_easy_visual_guide_to_PPE_poster.pdf

This is the PPE you will see dentists wearing. For check ups etc IIR mask, visor, plastic apron, gloves.
For AGPs long sleeved gown, gloves, FFP3 mask, visor.
I hope that doesn’t mean we get the virus!
We have closed the waiting room as it’s too small to maintain distance and our receptionist is ECV. We have a gazebo and a bench outside instead. It will be chilly in winter but it’s chilly inside the practice with all the windows wide open for ventilation!
All patients who attend have to be triaged - either a phone call or you might get Covid questions by text/ email. I ring all my patients the day before then text if I can’t get hold of them.

I have only ever had two fillings. One is a tiny chip on my front teeth where I grind them if I fall asleep without my mouth guard, the other a quarter of one of my bottom back teeth which was fine until this year. Was booked to have the latter replaced but lockdown happened.
Chipped off the front one a few weeks ago and called up my dentist, they said they weren't doing aerosol work and would put me on a waiting list.

The big back filling finally broke and came out this morning
The dentist can't see me until the end of October and that will only be a check up and to ascertain how long it will take to do the work. Then I've got to wait God knows how long for an appointment to actually do the fillings. I've rang round and nobody can see me any sooner.
It doesn't hurt yet but I have no idea what I'll do if it does. My tongue keeps searching out the hole, it feels disgusting!

I've just been for a check-up (including x-rays) and hygienist appointment this morning. I had to call when I was approaching the surgery and they were waiting at the door to let me in. I was given a mask, handgel and they took my temperature. I sat on a chair until called through by the dentist and then waited there for another half an hour for my clean, as the appointments weren't back to back. DD is due to go in two weeks. Very impressed with how well organised it all was.

My dentist is still not doing check ups. Really annoyed as my children were due an appointment at the start of lockdown. They now haven’t had a check up for almost a year.

Yes it may well be resulting in lasting damage to the teeth of many nor even to get check ups.

palacegirl NHS dentistry is funded and heavily regulated by the government. The current restrictive contract was actually devised and implemented by the last labour government. It has never been workable. Covid has given a glimmer of hope for NHS dentistry because the government and its bean counters have realised that it is a far more essential health service than they had previously considered.
Good dentistry is no longer possible under the ever dwindling funding structure of the last 14 years. Patients pay nearly a 100% of the cost in some areas so are effectively receiving a substandard private service.
Only exempt patients are really benefiting from NHS dentistry.
Having devoted much of my career to the NHS because I always believed that everyone is entitled to subsidised service I no longer feel this way. I would like to see out my career providing a good standard of dentistry which means spending a little more time checking and providing preventative treatment. Currently patients pay 22.70 for a 5 minute check up under the NHS, we allow 10mins which includes paperwork and cleaning time (precovid). Post Covid we need 15-20mins, which when we return to normal is just not economically possible.
NHS directives are strongly discouraging routine visits , it is a balance between doing what is right for the patients and losing your NHS contract. We are doing check ups privately but for a similar cost (not exactly NHS fee) to get around this. So we are not profiteering just trying to provide a service when the rules are so restrictive.
When I ran my own practice my income was 20% of my total practice contract value. During Covid lockdown 20% of the contract value was deducted so I would have had no income for 3-4months. Fortunately for me I sold my business a few years ago.
For private practices the lockdown has been horrendous. They had zero income, I have heard of 8 suicides so far in private practices (owners). There are likely to be many more along with many going bankrupt.
This is not a woe is me post but just the reality for businesses across all industry. MN has always struck me as a particularly naive group of women particularly when it comes to the reality of this pandemic. Closing everything down back in March was a simple solution to a very complex situation. There is no point moaning about the increasing cost of living post Covid, this was pretty much guaranteed.

Just to add we opened up on June 8th and have been carrying out a full range of treatments. Just because you haven’t heard from your dentist doesn’t mean they are not working. It has taken us 3 months to sort out the backlog of treatment ( under the new Covid rules) and look after the large numbers of emergencies.
We have suspended our reminder service because with the increasing Covid cases and the risk of the NHS reintroducing restrictions we don’t want to have to cancel large numbers of non essential patients over and over again.
Please remember that dentists and their staff are not able to socially distance to carry out their day to day job. There has been no real studies to see how effective PPE is with regard to Covid. Anecdotally, from hospital sources, it has very little protection.

It all seems so variable. I had been organised this year and booked my DC in advance for a checkup in the Easter holidays. Obviously the appointments were cancelled but they still aren't doing routine appointments now.

@Angrymum22

Just to add we opened up on June 8th and have been carrying out a full range of treatments. Just because you haven’t heard from your dentist doesn’t mean they are not working. It has taken us 3 months to sort out the backlog of treatment ( under the new Covid rules) and look after the large numbers of emergencies. We have suspended our reminder service because with the increasing Covid cases and the risk of the NHS reintroducing restrictions we don’t want to have to cancel large numbers of non essential patients over and over again. Please remember that dentists and their staff are not able to socially distance to carry out their day to day job. There has been no real studies to see how effective PPE is with regard to Covid. Anecdotally, from hospital sources, it has very little protection.

Unfortunately for you I am not writing this as Ive not "heard from my dentist" (although, yes, my daughters NHS dentist wont see them for basic checkups) - Im writing this as a laboratory owner. Who deals with work from both private and NHS dentists. We are lobbying the GDC about it - members of the DLA were on Radio 5 last week. its a scandal and its unacceptable. Im not naive. I work in the industry.

It must be tough for laboratories, but surely if dental surgeries are carrying out private treatments to supply appliances laboratories will be benefitting.
As to only carrying out 20% of treatments, go and spend a day in a practice to see why this is. Also NHS dental practices were unable to furlough. During closedown the only way they were guaranteed contract income was to agree to redeployment of their staff if the need arose. Back at the beginning of lockdown this was a pretty scary situation for staff.

I can see why labs are finding things hard. Dentures ok, will be doing lots of those (non AGP). Personally I won’t be doing any cosmetic stuff except whitening at the moment and will only prep crowns if absolute necessary- broken tooth etc. I also use Cerec so use a lab less for crowns anyway. Cerec works well in this climate as it’s one less visit.

I have had a checkup and a consultation for new implants. The dentist said he could take me on as soon as I'd decided about the implants. They take your temperature in the car and you can't use the waiting room, otherwise was exactly the same.

Just to be fair to our NHS dentist I had a call a few days ago asking to fix appointments for a day or 2 before Christmas which i did and booked in me and my 2 sons for check ups so at least they are getting going again with those. It would have been a pity if for the first year of my entire life I had not had an NHS checkup.

DH paid to go privately. They wont see us (nhs) for a check up

Check ups are a waste of time if on nhs.

Oh i see you need a filling there mrs X but we cant do anything about it. That chipped tooth will need to wait.

My actual story. I had bad tooth pain near start, wouldnt agree to see me, sent antibiotics and mouthwash prescription, 5 days later pain was worse, called back again refused to see me and given more antibiotics. Those antibiotics did nothing, i was in extreme pain. I bypassed my dentist and went to dental hub where only option is extraction.

I have more stories of nhs dentistry but it's just depressing. If i had money i coild have paid for treatment saved teeth and not had 2 weeks of pain.

It just shows money can buy you health.
( prior to lockdown i had almost perfect teeth)

My mum lost a large filling the other Friday was seen the following Monday by her NHS dentist to see what needs to be done. A week later, today, she had the tooth filled. Took 1hr and 5 minutes.

Checkups are not a waste of time on the NHS as a general matter. The dentists pick up on things and they keep people looking after and thinking about their teeth. Dentists also can warn parents if a small child is eating too many sweets and offer advice on brushing and all sorts.