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Original poster

Dentists what a load of crap!!!

29 replies

daisey · 06/04/2005 22:05

Having just had ds1,I decided Id better make the most of my maternity exemption certificate and go to the dentist for a checkup especially as one of my wisdom teeth is coming through and causing me alot of pain. I thought if I go now get them checked, cleaned and whatever else I can get done for free I should be ok and covered until ds/d2 comes along.I mean this is one of the perks of being pregnant free dental treatment and perscriptions. Well what a load of crap I only rang ever nhs dentist in the yellow pages to find out there are absolutely none in my town taking on patients and the nearest one is 30 miles away! I mean what is the point of the mat exemption certificate the only thing I managed to get is a measly bottle of gaviscon.

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ks · 06/04/2005 22:08

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Original poster
daisey · 06/04/2005 22:10

Im in plymouth, I know tell me about it!

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mummytosteven · 06/04/2005 22:11

yes I do commiserate. do you have a GP walk in centre with an attached dentist/dental hospital that might see you for free?

liverpool oddly enough seems to be surprisingly good for NHS dentists - my old one turfed me out (owner of practice retired, new owners are only doing private) and I found a new NHS one convenient for me. think by the sounds of it this must be unique for this country.

jane313 · 06/04/2005 22:14

Are you sure you can't go to a private dentist? I went to one when I was a student and got everything done for free. My understanding was that nhs and private dentist charge different amounts to people who can pay but they were all free for children/unemployed etc. I may be worng though as this was five or so years ago.

Original poster
daisey · 06/04/2005 22:16

Yeah there is a walk in centre somewhere but apparently I have to ring up on the 11th becuase no ones there until then. My dp is telling me just to go priviate but I refuse to pay when im now entitled to it for free. We all pay enough taxes in this country. And dental care should be part of my postnatal care.

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Jimjams · 06/04/2005 22:47

I was about to say our local paper is always going on about it - but my local paper is the Evening Herald so you know that already! I think Plymouth is one of the woorst places in the country for finding an NHS dentist. I'm lucky- when we moved back down here 3 years ago my old childhood dentist took us back on as a family even though he was officially full (think he likes my mum and did it as a favour to her).

jane- I expect you saw an NHS dentist who also took on private patients iyswim. There are NHS dentists in Plymouth but they are all full.

ks · 06/04/2005 22:56

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mummytosteven · 06/04/2005 23:00

oh I agree on that KS - that it's the NHS that should be sorting this out one way or another, rather than it being the dentists' fault overall.

Jimjams · 06/04/2005 23:02

They make more than doctors! For less stress....

Something does need to be done though. It's a mess.

lockets · 06/04/2005 23:03

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irishbird · 06/04/2005 23:07

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Jimjams · 06/04/2005 23:08

It is true Irishbird- but the nearest ones taking on patients here are 30 miles away!

mummytosteven · 06/04/2005 23:08

the NHS direct website should also do that too.

SecondhandRose · 07/04/2005 06:47

Having worked in the dental profession for some years. There is no such thing as a poor dentist. If they are allowed to get away with their behaviour then they will.

Original poster
daisey · 07/04/2005 09:27

I was on the nhs list when I was a student and then got moved on to the priviate list by my loyal dentist when I started working. Then I fell pregnant shortly after that, had to give my work up because of complications so I havent had any entitlement to maternity pay. This was the only thing im entitled to.My antenatal care was crap too, appointments being cancelled, midwives not turning up no wonder I eneded up with high bp. The government just seem to be cutting back on things all the time.

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ks · 07/04/2005 15:23

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ks · 07/04/2005 15:25

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Jimjams · 07/04/2005 15:29

possibly depends on what you mean by a lot ks. SIL -a dentist- earns almost the same as dh (a lawyer) in 2 and half days. DH works until very late each night. think a GP's job is faaaar more stressful personally.

professionals will alwyas have high suicide rates- goes with being a high achiever (which you have to be to be a dentist).

ks · 07/04/2005 15:33

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Jimjams · 07/04/2005 16:34

ks - guessing from other posts....... but i think your definition of a lot may be very um - putting this politely- south east based. SIL's earnings would not be considered huge in the SE. They would here (and the part of the country she lives in). Certainly her household income is at least double ours (and ours is good for the SW) - and her dh doesn't earn that much.

She doesn't have the responsibility that GP's I know have (but then she doesn't run her own practice- she is self employed but not a partner in the practice).

mummytosteven · 07/04/2005 16:36

i would also have thought that in some ways dentistry would be a lot less stressful, as you don't get involved in the nitty gritty of your patients' life. if you bear in mind that lots of consultations with GP are to do with depression/mental health issues, and the sort of child protection issues that they might be involved with, I can imagine that it could be extremely stressful;.

Bozza · 07/04/2005 16:40

Daisey can't you just go to your usual dentist and give him your exemption certificate. I think the problem here is trying to find a new dentist.

Am going tomorrow for my last check up before my cert. runs out. Kids also have appts so have to take them along. Hmm really enjoyable experience thats going to be (not).

SeaShells · 07/04/2005 16:44

We relocated last Oct and even before we moved we started looking for nhs dentists in the area, eventually found one that would take us on, this is 20miles away, 6 months to get our first check up, which we are due to go for in May!

I thought it couldn't get any worse when the only gp surgery that could take us on was a temporary one staffed by locums in a porta cabin ffs but this is just not on!

We have tax credit exemption cards for free dental care, honestly I do not see the point in wasting the plastic making them, they aren't worth anything to anyone!

ks · 07/04/2005 16:46

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Davros · 07/04/2005 17:30

My dentist is fab, did a lot of work recently and I was worried about the cost but it was very reasonable, no long waits for appts or on the day of appts. I took DS to his special needs dentist this morning as an emergency appt at The Eastman Hospital. She is abso-bloody-lutely fantastic and worth every penny she earns. She saw us immediately (and her other patients have SN), we went for x-rays, she booked us in for treatment and sent us to the nurse for pre-treatment assessment, all in one hour and with no appt.
The problem is that it is OUR responsibility to stay registered with an NHS dentist. If you don't have an appointment in something like 13 months then you have to go back private. So it is up to us to keep on top of it.

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