Calling all Mumsnetters...... Can I have your opinions please

[Tas1]

I work for a private Dental Practice and it is my job to try and get more Patients through the door.
When choosing a Dental Practice for your family, what do you look for?
What would make you choose one practice over another?
If a practice offered a Dental Payment plan, where you pay monthly, would you consider it?
Would you be tempted by New Patient offers, if so, like what?
All opinions greatly recieved.

cost is not to much of a big thing for us...but that said the dk's and I are nhs and dh is private (simply coz he can't find nhs dentist).

I found dh's private dentist for him and tbh never thought about cost or offers...mainly as you never know what work will/won't need to be done and its only something you end up paying yearly and dh are free etc...

BUT what swings it for me is the look of the surgery...both dh's dentist an our NHS dentists are quite modern looking and have all the mod cons iykwim...That swings things for me...not ideal I know but you asked.!!!

I would have my teeth seen to in the back room of an abattoire TBH, if it got me an NHS dentist.

I am swung by a practice actually taking on nhs paitients otherwise I am just pissed off.

I had to leave my last pratice when it stopped nhs treatment. took a lot of work to find another one. Their offers of payment plans didn't cut it for me I'm afriad,

I chose a dentist based on personal recommendation.

any dentist will do.

any dentist.

no, seriously, any dentist.

any dentist

I would def consider a monthly payment plan if I were not tax credit exempt. What a lot of people don't really consider is that if you do have fillings etc to maintain it can be cheaper to be private and on a monthly scheme that covers all your treatment than having to pay for treatments on the NHS.

Still not found one then Squonk

am on the waiting list.

They said six months. Am fairly sure it was longer ago than that

Guess that is something

yeah - it took me a whole day of ringing round to get that, so I jumped at it!

There are some places in Hull that have signs up saying "ring this number, we are taking dentist patients on now" by the time you've rang, they say "we're full up" don't know if it happens that quickly, or if they're really, really inefficient at taking their signs down, but the end result is the same as far as I'm concerned.

sorry to hear your struggle squonk..Guess it makes me realise that maybe Im one of the lucky ones..

Awful that people can be refused NHS treatment...

not only are we refused NHS treatment, shhh, but we can't find a fecking private dentist who is taking on new patients either!

• smart, clean premises
• friendly, polite, professional reception
• comfortable and relaxing waiting room
• well-appointed and modern practice rooms
• friendly, reassuring, well-presented, healthy looking dentists and dental nurses
• dentists who use relaxation techniques before getting their patients to open their mouths

personal proffessional reputations o f dentist is the only decidig factor imo
a clean, airy light recetpion room helps, but not essential

DP had to go private. it tok AGES to save up for his iitial check up. what made us choose that on? well they didn't ring round/have a marketing person/advertise fpr patients(seriously, why would you do that with so many people desperate for a dentist and can't aford to go to one??) it was recommended and it was a local one.

The DCs got into a local NHS one because they are children, I took 7 years finding a dentist and only managed (a few months ago!) to get back into the one i had last been to when i ws 17!!! and even then that was only because my mum begged and pleaded!! Its a 2 hour round trip for me!!!

Squonk, there is a dentist taking on privatly near me, know thats no good really but at least you know of somewhere

Thanks everyone for your opinions.
If you are having problems finding an NHS dentist, phone your local Primary Care Trust and explain the problems you are having. They will give you phone numbers for Dentists taking on NHS patients and also phone numbers for Drop in centres for emergency treatment.
Most NHS Dentists have at least a 2-3 month waiting list.
If you live in KENT, there are out of hours emergency dental clinics which are open 365 days a year from 7pm-10.30pm and also sat, sun & BH mon from 9.30am - 11am. This service is called DENTALINE and the phone number is 01634 890300
Hope this helps.