hi I am new to this just been diagnosed and I'm very confused I must inform all medical practitioners I'm diabetic...I get free prescriptions because I am a diabetic but when it comes to dental hygiene and treatment I have to pay? The dentist said that due to my diabetes that reoccurring gum problems will happen so again I will ask why do diabetics have to pay for fundamentally very important treatment? I'm very angry about this and wonder if anyone out there is fighting to get this changed? Be good to know other people's thoughts on this
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Dental charges for diabetics
- Thread starter LickLick
- Start date
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Mini-Vicki
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
Hi LickLick and welcome to the forum. How long have you been diagnosed?
Dental treatment is not free for diabetics, or many people really. This isn't something that has ever made me cross, I work in the medical field and I'm aware of just how expensive things are. In fact, even though my diabetic prescriptions are free, I tend to order my other medications separately and pay for those scripts. It is expensive, but still heavily subsidised. I feel very lucky to live in a country where healthcare is available to all, I have a diabetic friend in the states who has incredible difficulty getting his medication due to insurance issues
Anyway, back to dentistry, dental problems can be more prevalent in people with diabetes, but if you practice good dental hygiene and try to keep your BGs reasonable, hopefully you shouldn't have too many problems x
Dental treatment is not free for diabetics, or many people really. This isn't something that has ever made me cross, I work in the medical field and I'm aware of just how expensive things are. In fact, even though my diabetic prescriptions are free, I tend to order my other medications separately and pay for those scripts. It is expensive, but still heavily subsidised. I feel very lucky to live in a country where healthcare is available to all, I have a diabetic friend in the states who has incredible difficulty getting his medication due to insurance issues
Anyway, back to dentistry, dental problems can be more prevalent in people with diabetes, but if you practice good dental hygiene and try to keep your BGs reasonable, hopefully you shouldn't have too many problems x
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Well said Mini-Vicki 🙂Hi LickLick and welcome to the forum. How long have you been diagnosed?
Dental treatment is not free for diabetics, or many people really. This isn't something that has ever made me cross, I work in the medical field and I'm aware of just how expensive things are. In fact, even though my diabetic prescriptions are free, I tend to order my other medications separately and pay for those scripts. It is expensive, but still heaving subsidised. I feel very lucky to live in a country where healthcare is available to all, I have a diabetic friend in the states who has incredible difficulty getting his medication due to insurance issues
Anyway, back to dentistry, dental problems can be more prevalent in people with diabetes, but if your practice good dental hygiene and try to keep your BGs reasonable, hopefully you shouldn't have too many problems x
Thank you for the welcome the dentist said my teeth are perfect due to my high dental hygiene regime I do myself but she said that reoccurring problems will happen due to my diabetes I just think that it shouldn't all be seperate dental the mouth is a part of the body an important part especially with diabetes and as this is happening due to diabetes then it should be free, if a problem is not due to diabetes then I would understand but when it's linked it linked and she be treated as such. Just my opinion of course.
Pumper_Sue
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
There is no reason what so ever for having reoccurring gum problems just because you have diabetes.
Oh sorry yes there is it's due to not managing your diabetes properly.
So if you manage your diabetes then you are no different from anyone else. Thus no reason why you shouldn't pay the same as everyone else has to. 🙂
Ljc
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
Hi Welcome . So far I have never had any gum problems. I was diagnosed in the early 90s. TBH I have found that some professionals tend to tar us all with the same brush, ie This will happen because you're diabetic, when the reality is , they really can't say with any certainty.
Sorry I thought that this was about being newly diagnosed so I don't know what 'managing diabetes means' and I was under an assumption that it was ok to post my opinions without getting battered very sorry pumper sue if I've offended you in some way but as I did state it was an opinion didn't think that bitchiness would happen here!
Thank you so much someone who actually seems to know what they're talking about (t2) and dental problems! I can't believe I've just got slammed for highlighting something which in my view is very important. Your very kind X
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi LickLick, welcome to the forum 🙂 Don't worry, no-one was having a go at you! 🙂 All Sue was saying was that well-controlled diabetes (that is, taking good care of yourself) is the major cause of....absolutely nothing! It's usually people who neglect their diabetes who suffer problems, but you've already made an excellent start by seeking out information and support 🙂 As mentioned previously, some healthcare professionals will always look on the gloomy side and assume that you are going to have problems, but that really does not have to be the case. I've been diagnosed for 8 years and no problems whatsoever, and we have many members here who have decades of diabetes with no problems.
How did you come to be diagnosed? Have you been given any medication?
grovesy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Welcome.
Unfortunately even if you have an NHS dentist you pay, and Dental Hygienist tend not to be on the NHS any way.
There is more to gum disease than Diabetes,.
I saw a Dental Hygienist regular for a number of years and she said that as I was a mouth breather because of Chronic Nasal problems, I was more prone to gum disease. I also know a smoker who as severe gum disease.
If you aim to have good control then it helps minimise the risk of gum disease.
Unfortunately even if you have an NHS dentist you pay, and Dental Hygienist tend not to be on the NHS any way.
There is more to gum disease than Diabetes,.
I saw a Dental Hygienist regular for a number of years and she said that as I was a mouth breather because of Chronic Nasal problems, I was more prone to gum disease. I also know a smoker who as severe gum disease.
If you aim to have good control then it helps minimise the risk of gum disease.
Thank you for the welcome X sorry but what or should I say sue said came over as quite something else...I guess she has problems as me in expressing ourselves clearly on the net...anyway more importantly I have bee diagnosed for 2 weeks (ish) and I'm on metformin feel awful atm I don't know what signs too look for in hyper's hypo's don't know what a 'bad' diabetic is and what being a 'good controlled'diabectic is...I take my pills regularly so I guess I'm good I've changed from sugar to canderal in tea but I do have the odd biscuit and portion of chips (not often with chips though even though it's my fav) I'm still coming to terms with my diagnosis got a few other problems in the background - life , I suffer from excruciating pain through my body (back and joints) think I may have fibromyalgia just feel like a train crash tbh
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time
The metformin can take a week or two before the side-effects settle down, but if you find them too much then do tell your doctor or nurse and ask if you can be given the 'slow-release' version as many people find they tolerate this better (they give you the ordinary stuff first as it's cheaper and most people get on OK with it after the first couple of weeks).The key to looking after yourself when you have diabetes is understanding what's going on, and it doesn't sound like your doctor has been particularly helpful in this respect! I'd recommend starting by reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - they are very good introductions. Also, many people have found that the book Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is really helpful - very positive and guides you through the early weeks and months 🙂 People without diabetes will have blood sugar levels that lie between quite a narrow range of levels - something equivalent to a teaspoonful of sugar spread throughout your blood. This sugar, in the form of glucose, is what your body gets from food - mostly carbohydrates - and uses for energy. However, when you have diabetes it can't use the sugar properly and it can build up in the blood to higher levels which can lead to problems over the long term. When we say diabetes is well-controlled we mean that a person is able to keep their blod sugar as close as possible to the same levels that a person without diabetes manages without having to think about it - we just have to work a bit harder by being more selective with what we eat, and also making sure that we are as active as possible as this all helps balance the blood sugar better 🙂
Please let us know if you have any questions and we will do our best to help 🙂
DeusXM
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I think perhaps it's important to remember that free prescriptions are a privilege rather than a right.
The reason people with diabetes get free prescriptions has nothing to do with making life easier for us. It is because the NHS sort of recognises that providing free access to essential (life-saving) treatment tends to provide a better return on investment - in short, patients who get free insulin (instead of paying £8 out of the £50 that it actually costs) are probably less likely to need more expensive treatment later.
Dental treatment is rather different as in general it's hardly life-threatening. It IS however, subsidised. The price you pay for an NHS dentist is astronomically lower than going private. So that's why it's not free. It's not as essential and it's already highly cost-effective. Otherwise, for us to have free dental treatment, the NHS is literally going to have to decide which children aren't going to get free dental care or which people aren't going to get chemo anymore.
Or the other option would be to increase the rate of NI contributions but suddenly people seem to start losing interest in the discussion when someone suggests that.
The other factor that's an issue is that 'diabetes' (with no distinction in type) is rapidly becoming seen by the public as entirely self-inflicted and I can genuinely see a day in the not too distant future where the argument we'll be having with the world is why we deserve subsidised (not even free) treatment.
I know being diagnosed must have hit you hard. I know you're angry. I'd be too, in your position. But I promise you, this will get easier. Hang in there!
The reason people with diabetes get free prescriptions has nothing to do with making life easier for us. It is because the NHS sort of recognises that providing free access to essential (life-saving) treatment tends to provide a better return on investment - in short, patients who get free insulin (instead of paying £8 out of the £50 that it actually costs) are probably less likely to need more expensive treatment later.
Dental treatment is rather different as in general it's hardly life-threatening. It IS however, subsidised. The price you pay for an NHS dentist is astronomically lower than going private. So that's why it's not free. It's not as essential and it's already highly cost-effective. Otherwise, for us to have free dental treatment, the NHS is literally going to have to decide which children aren't going to get free dental care or which people aren't going to get chemo anymore.
Or the other option would be to increase the rate of NI contributions but suddenly people seem to start losing interest in the discussion when someone suggests that.
The other factor that's an issue is that 'diabetes' (with no distinction in type) is rapidly becoming seen by the public as entirely self-inflicted and I can genuinely see a day in the not too distant future where the argument we'll be having with the world is why we deserve subsidised (not even free) treatment.
I know being diagnosed must have hit you hard. I know you're angry. I'd be too, in your position. But I promise you, this will get easier. Hang in there!
Manda1
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I kind of see where you are coming from because as I understand it I may have had diabetes for a while before diagnosis so some damage may already be done .... I truly hope not but its a possibility.. I was surprised that I don't have to pay any prescription fees for any meds but I am grateful that I can get my diabetic medication free as although I work full time my wages are not wonderful x
I sorry for your diagnosis and hope you manage to come to terms with it quickly. You will find lots of good advice on here though and I hope that will help x
I sorry for your diagnosis and hope you manage to come to terms with it quickly. You will find lots of good advice on here though and I hope that will help x
happydog
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello LickLick and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that you have had the dreaded diagnosis. It hit me like a bolt from the blue. It was confusing and there was so much misinformation that I felt really scared. This forum saved me as I found the people helpful and willing to share their knowledge. Believe me I asked some daft questions but was always met with patience and the right information to put me back on track. I had a very poor prognosis from my doctor who said things like "it is not if you will get the complications it is when" and "you can expect to live about 10 years less than you would have done if you had not developed T2". I have learnt that it is possible to take control and probably prevent all the horrible complications. I say probably because all of us are individual and there may be other factors at play. My dentist said that gum disease is an issue with T2 that is poorly controlled but if I continued to take care there should be no problems. Don't forget that many of the population have gum problems even without diabetes. I think there are other issues for diabetics to tackle such as the misinformation that is regularly put out in the media and the scare stories that our treatment will cripple the NHS. I hope that you will stick with the forum and wish you well with your work on T2. Good luck and I do hope that you will feel better soon. (I feel much better now than I used to.) Take care 🙂
Thank you so so much it's much appreciated X God bless X
Thank you so much X God bless X
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