Is NHS dentistry ok or would you go private?

[coffeepot]

that?s it really ? do you think NHS dental care is good enough or should we look into dental insurance? I?ve not had any problems with my teeth as an adult but dd?s teeth are coming through crowded and she?ll probably need some work doing when she?s older ? I?m asking because we went for a checkup the other day and it seemed more cursory than it used to ? I wondered if there is pressure on dentists to cut back on NHS work.

TIA

i've gone private for my girls - although only 5 year old has been, 2 year old not yet. First time I took her to see a dentist he only looked in her mouth, about 10 seconds. Wasn't impressed at all, so quickly registered her elsewhere.
prob depends on area and recommendations - am sure there are good ones out there, but it's finding them i think

I actually don't have a dentist here - I see my 'old' dentist every time I go home. It's not uncommon with his practice , and I go home every year, so not a problem

Thanx for your reply Hana, I know what you
mean about the 10 second inspection - that is more or less what my dd got, and my check up wasn't much more. We've been out of the UK for a few years so this is the first time I've been to a UK dentist for about 10 years - NHS dentist checkups were always more detailed in the past.

I think generally NHS dentistry is ok. If you think there is a specific problem and are not happy with the NHS then you may want to consider private.

I have just managed to find an NHS dentist and I am so relieved as the private dentist was costing a fortune. I would pay £45 for just a check up and I had to have a period of thorough cleaning and plaque removal over a 6 month period (3 visits) which cost £400!

I have to say, I've been very happy with my NHS dentist - I have private medical health insurance I might add,and have used it for the kids medical needs.
My NHS dentist spotted an early problem with DS and referred him to the Dental Hospital which has been excellent. DD has recently been referred to an orthodontist for a potential problem that may need correcting in her teens. The appoitnment with the NHS orthodontist came throught very quickly unlike any medical ones, so again, I've been very impressed so far.
Maybe I've been lucky though with a good dentist and good services locally. Plus, I do take good care of all our teeth!
I do know that dentists are cutting back on NHS patients - our surgery doesn't take NHS appointments after 4pm.

I think it varies depending on the dentist
I recall all the NHS dentists up to when I was 25 being awful. Rude, doing unnecessary work etc
My current one and the prior one have been very good though

It isn't the same,the new NHS contract means the dentists don't have enough time for each appointment.

Our surgery was going to be allowed 10 mins max per patient on the NHS they chose to be a private practice because they feel they need more time than that to give good professional service which they do fantastically.

We switched to them from an NHS practice that rushed and left me and dh with a very sore mouth after brutal (rushed) fillings.

I'd choose private every single time, ours is only 25% more in cost than nhs though we do have to pay for the kids. Worth it though they use much more cutting edge treatments on my daughter who has weak enamel.

I have to say I agree with the blonde. It varies depending on the dentist, I'm a dentist who does both NHS and private work - I particularly work with people who are scared of the dentist, which means I get them to talk to me about their fears and often their bad experiencces to help overcome them - and to be honest there's as many NHS as Private dentists out there that have cocked up. Private dentists should spend more time, and have more money avaialable to buy better products. The government is crap and has really reduced funding to NHS dentists recently, I'm honest with my patients n just tell them if i think they're better off having something done privately if the NHS materials for that procedure are rubbish. So you're prob best off finding a dentist that does both NHS and private, so that for check ups n routine stuff you can go NHS - but have the private option available if you want a tooth coloured filling or crown/implants/veneers etc etc. Hope that helps.

We had a great NHS dentist but the practice was sold and now they only do private work but I am trying to find one who does private and NHS.

I have found an absolutely fantastic orthodontist who does NHS and private work and he is treating my teenage daughter's fairly complex orthodontal work on the NHS.

Braces top and bottom, surgical exposure, orthodontically moving teeth to replace missing ones. Quite a complicated job - all free and without using implants which other (private) orthodontists had recommended at enormous expense (but we didn't like the sound of). When the NHS works, it is fantastic!! We have had some bad medical experiences with the NHS, so it is so nice to get some really excellent treatment - I believe as good as you would get anywhere.