Warning: If you have a NHS Dentist

[Twiglett]

Did you know if you don't go within a FIFTEEN month period they take you off the NHS list

They do not have to pre-warn you of this according

Only found out today, and by the skin of our teeth the whole Twiglett clan luckily retain NHS status

we went to join the queue in carlisle this week as that was our dentist....hence the was......
we now for the second time in 4 years will be looking for a dentist....nhs or private they are a scarce thing in cumbria.....
the practice had 18000 patients and was only re registering 9000(and you already had to be registered with them on the nhs-alas our ds(20months old wasn't as they told us to do it on our next visit!!)so not really worth the 3-4 hour wait in the queue for 3 out of a family of 4 to get registered privately
such a sad state of affairs

collision - I just rang several local dentists and asked if taking on nhs patients, all gave me same tel no to ring but think it may be local to south Manchester. I'll check when I get a chance.

When my NHS dentist closed I went on the NHS site and got a list of NHS dentist in my area. I phoned them ALL and NONE were taking on NHS patients but were more than happy to take us on a private basis. So they have the spaces available just not for NHS'ers .

Since then been having to travel just over an hour to go to the dentist and have just last week received a letter from them saying they are no longer NHS dentists have gone independent!! Am chucking them and going to the local independent now. No point travelling to pay when there's one within 5 mins that's just as happy to take our cash.

We just cannot get an NHS dentist. It's rubbish.

Have just looked on that link. According to that there is only one dental surgery that may take us on, on NHS. This is my challenge for this week - to get us all registered somewhere with a dentist.

Hullababy - good luck!!

WWB, in my experience you have NEVER been able to stay registered like this. The NHS will only accept registrations when the patient is seen by a dentist. Each time the dentist registers you, he signs the form to say that you are dentally fit & he can't say that you are dentally fit without seeing you.

I am going to ring my old boss & see if this is something new they have brought in, I am not critising anyone on here who does it, it's just that I know it has never been possible to stay registered like this.

Jayzmummy, didn't see your post, but I entirley agree with you. Will still check with my old boss tho.

It's actually a dentist that I used to work for and it was common practice at the time. I haven't worked there for over 5 yrs now so maybe he's stopped doing it but at the time it was the norm.....perhaps thats why he's so stressed when I saw him last!

WWB, my apologies, there is a form that just registers you at the dentsit without being seen. My old boss said that he doesn't do it (why I had never heard of such a form)as you tend to get lots of people you never see signing up taking up places on the list so potential patients who could be regular attenders don't get places & he feels that isn't fair.

When a dentist re-registers you he is declaring that you are dentally fit, however he has no way of knowing whether you are or not, this is also why my old boss doesn't do it.

My apologies, it was a form I had never had experience of, so I called it into doubt. There are some devious dentsits out there (one in Daily Mail today) so wanted to check it out!

I think that dentistry should be dentistry whatever a persons means & situation. In my eyes there should be no comparison in the care that gets offered or given, but RL is not like that. Private dentistry can be, and is way overpriced & should be accecssable to anyone, not just those who earn top dollar.

Being a SAHM we cannot afford private dental care, but I have found a great NHS dentist. My only grievance is that I do feel like I'm being rushed thru & am reluctant to have a filling replaced as I know it will mean a return visit as it will not be right 1st time. This I don't blame on the dentist, but on the amount of time available to her due to the funding she gets.

There are some fantastic NHS dentists out there, but they are few and far between. The government said EVERYBODY should have access to NHS dentistry, but not everyone does. There is a lady on here who posted as she is suffering headaches, I suggested a specialist TMJ dentist, as she could be clenching/grinding. This will only be available privately. Why? She is suffering, as many do (inc me) but the government don't care enough to fund what to me, was a life changing treatment! Because they don't see it as "essentail dentistry"!

In a few years time I believe funding for dentistry will completely disappear & that we will all be forced into going private.

Having worked in both NHS & private practices I know which one I would rather be working in with regards to care given etc, but it shouldn't have to be a choice.

The government is making it impossible for NHS dentsits to give the quality of care that each patient should recieve.

I go to a wonderful NHS dentist, I've been going to him for many years. My dd1 is registered with him also and dd2 will be registered when she's older. But, they won't allow my Dh to register as they don't have the space. Dh was with a different dentist who retired so all the patients had to find other dentists and now they are all full, poor Dh has no dentist. When I asked at my dentists if they were taking on new patients they said only immediate family, so I told them it was my husband and they said no sorry we only count your children as immediate family. So Dh has no dentist, luckily his teeth have always been very healthy, touch wood, but if he is in severe pain and needs something done there is an emergency dentists at a health centre in town where dental students do the work. But only in an emergency.

I'm off to the dentist tomorrow for a check up and will ask again if there is any chance of getting Dh in but I know the answer will be no. they don't even have a list they can add him to which I think is odd, surely they should keep a list that way if anyone leaves the surgery they can add a new person in.

Linnet, your children are registered patients, right? So they should register DH as their immediate family! If he isn't "immediate family" to your registered children, then what is he?

This is just plain awkwardness & I would write to the Practice owner and/or manager to ask them. State that you are all registered & the term immediate family applies to him thru your children.

Unfortunately they cannot be forced to accept him, but it might be an idea to see if you can use the children's registered state to get him in!

I had 3 went private on me!
Last one will treat kids as NHS so dds are ok but I have noone!

Ks, deffinitly. I have worked for some excellent NHS dentists, who regardless of the cost constraints made sure they spent as long as they could with their patients. The nurses were trained to a very high degree which enabled them to take xrays, give post -operative advice etc, so the dentist didn't have to, leaving a bit of extra time for the patient in the surgery. There was always a floater nurse to help with cleaning to aid quick surgery turnaround, esp if the surgery nurse was taking xrays.

This is also where hygienists come into their own, they are dedicated to cleaning the gums & teeth so the dentsit doesn't have to worry with this, allowing more appointment time to be dedicated to other aspects of dentistry.

Saying that, not all surgeries are this conciencious (sp). But all in all, all dentists, regardless of whether they offer NHS or private treatment train to the same degree, so one should be very much like another. If you can get into NHS dentistry, then you shouldn't feel like it's a compromise.

Hope this makes sense, should be in bed!

ks, I often think if you have something good, hold onto it. I see an NHS dentist as does DD & DH.

You can get bad private dentists tho, not all, but some.

It's not an easy choice to make, but if you are gong to make the change, do it by word of mouth, don't just fine 1 in a phone book!

Reminds me that I need to make the appointment for our check-up for ds and me. The rimeinders came through a few weeks ago - biut I was in the midst of a miscarriage.

Can I still claim my "free" check up, even though I am no longer pregnant?

Have a really good NHS dentist in the centre of Glasgow, who even took my dh on this summer (coincidentally, he had been to them before, but many years ago) - and then had to have £1400 worth of treatment done (but we only had to pay £380, or whatever the maximum is). The dentist had to write a report for the Health Board to get it apporved (and to get a second opnion if requested - which fortunately they didn't ask for).

No ks, I choose this dentist purely because I needed an NHS dentist & they were the only ones that had a respectful looking practice & were taking on NHS patients. I was lucky.

Prettybird, I am ashamed to say that I recieved a letter today to say that my registration had lapsed! OMG! So I quickly made an appointment!

Oh, I would have sweared it was after six months... but then I'm in Yorkshire where you have people queuing in the street for days before a new dentist surgery opens it's doors for the first time... I would never thought that going to the dentist was going to be like asking for an audience with the pope...

Check-ups are every 6 months, they did remind me, but I had to cancel & the rest of the time just went.

It's the registration that lapses after 15 months.