Dentists

Merlin the Magician

Merlin the Magician

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
3,556
Location
SOUTH WALES
I went for my 6 monthly cheque!! up yesterday and need two fillings and I have had a back tooth thats been playing me up for a very long time now so I ask him to take it out its like a tusk in size second one in from the back so I have my first appointment in NOVEMBER he did a scrape and polish yesterday ......

But as one knows there's a shortage of NHS dentists..... the thing I want to highlight is here we have a Dental College in the University Hospital where Dentist are trained people from all over the country I think they have to train for 5yrs in which to qualify.....

This is paid for by the NHS but as soon as they qualify they go private and I cant for one minute feel that this is correct, surely if they use the NHS to train and pass the exams they should be forced(like doctors) to give something back say work for the next 5 yrs as a NHS dentist or pay the cost of the course for the duration...

I looked at my estimate for my work to be done I.E. cheque up!!! and the NHS pay 10% of my costs so the bill is obviously minus 10% after paying (like you) national insurance for years.....

Eveyone has a phobia of dentists but they never worry me I ask how he intends getting the back one out which is solid as a rock he said oh pull this way and that way etc and I'll need to have a big breakfast to which I replied I'll bring you a bottle of lucozade as well....it made him smile....
 
My elder daughter is a dentist and does all the work on my teeth free. She is part time now, having given birth to my two grandchildren, but was ´forced´ to go private by her practice parners on her return from maternity leave. She had done NHS work for 5 years after qualifying. She tells me she earns the same now for 3 days private work as she did for 5 days NHS previously. I never had much problem with dentists anyway but have absolutely none now. As you might expect I think she is brilliant. She tells me she has long standing patients who have gone private just to stay with her.
 
The dentists I use does private work too........... But I have been with him since he started in this practise having taken over from the original one I was with who retired through age......THATS POSSIBLY 18 YRS AGO NOW OR MORE
 
Sugarfree gum saves National Health Service millions (UK)

If the entire British population chewed sugarfree gum, dental decay would fall so much that the National Health Service (NHS) could save over £100 million per year on dental care – and solve the desperate shortage of dentists. Costs for private care would also fall drastically according to a new study by the University of York Health Economics Consortium.

The study calculated the economic impact of chewing sugarfree gum, in terms of NHS and private money saved and dentist time freed up, which would otherwise be spent on treating dental caries (decay), either with fillings or extractions. The report also calculated that chewing sugarfree gum is already saving the time of up to 263 full-time dentists or almost £19 million per year in the UK.

Chewing sugarfree gum has been proven, in a number of clinical studies, to reduce caries by stimulating the production of saliva, which neutralises the plaque acids that cause tooth decay. It has been calculated that people chewing sugarfree gum three times a day reduce their risk of caries by 35.3% compared with those who do not chew gum.

On this basis, the University of York Health Economics Consortium set up three possible scenarios: first conservatively suggesting that those chewing less than three times a day derive no benefit from chewing; second, a linear relationship between chewing and caries with zero benefit for non-chewers and the full 35.3% reduction for those chewing three times a day; and the third a more complex exponential relationship, again with non-chewers getting no benefit and those chewing three times a day obtaining the full reduction.

Under scenario one, it was calculated that chewing sugarfree gum currently prevents sufficient dental caries to save the time of approximately 32 whole-time dentists per year,with an estimated cost saving of £1.45 million. Under scenario two, the time of around 263 dentists is saved, with a cost saving of £18.99 million per year, and under scenario three, around 118 dentists and £8.07 million is saved. The biggest savings are likely to occur with children, who are the most frequent chewers, and likely to benefit most.

More dramatically however, the report’s authors calculated the impact of encouraging the entire UK population to chew sugarfree gum. They calculated that if everyone chewed three times a day, the reduction in caries would be so great that under any of the three possible scenarios the time of over 2,600 whole-time dentists could be saved, with a cost saving of almost £250 million. ‘A policy to promote the use of sugarfree gum would lead to the freeing up of valuable resources and the relief of capacity pressure on an already stretched dental health care system,’ concluded Arran Shearer, chief researcher on the project.

Reference

Shearer A. The economic impact of chewing sugarfree gum on NHS and private dental care in the UK. The Dentist, July 2003.

Note to editors: In the financial year 2001-2 the NHS spent approximately £346.5 million on performing 24.2m fillings and 4.5m extractions. This accounted for 28% of NHS dental expenditure. It is estimated that around 50% of extractions are due to caries.
 
Haven't seen one in over 12 years. One bad experience has turned me off for good, on top of the expense (we don't get the system you guys have in England), and the wait of getting in.
 
There isn't a system any more in England Grand Armee - well, technically there is, ie you are supposed to be able to see a dentist on the NHS but it doesn't happen. You will really struggle to find a National Health dentist & if you do happen to get lucky you'll generally find that either 1) they are not taking on new patients or 2) they will only take on new patients under the age of 18 or thereabouts. The private dentists cost the earth too so we're not much different to Aus really.
 
A dentist along the road from me was found in the canal after a member of The E. Dead Group complained he was involved in a "teeth yellowing" racket.
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The amount the dentists charge here is horrendous here. A colleague at work of mine got charged $300 for a consultation, x-ray and filling. Back in the day when the health care system helped out, it would have cost no more than $120 at the most to visit one and have the above done.
I asked her "Was it really worth the cost", the answer "No its not, but at the same time its my teeth, so its a win-lose situation."

And it is that....a win-lose situation. At the end of the day, how much are our teeth honestly worth?

The complaint I have is, if dental care is so important, why doesn't the government health system (we have Medicare here in Australia), pay half the bill?
I mean its no different honestly to seeing a doctor for a consultation.

One bad experience has left me determined that I will never see another one again.
 
$300 would be roughly equivalent to just over £100 and even though I haven't been to a dentist in around 5 years I'm pretty sure it would cost more than that in the UK for a consultation, x-rays & filling. I saw a private dentist back in about '97-'98 & it cost me £50 then for a consultation plus the routine x-rays. You're not on your own out there you know - and don't forget that your cost of living and house prices are far, far cheaper than they are in the UK.
 
Last month - dental hygienist, check-up, one filling + £103.

I go to the hygienist quarterly - £36.00 and the dentist for a check-up six-monthly - £25.00 so onefilling is £42,00.
 
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