Dentists

[Duane Charles]

Sorry it’s me again, my DN has suggested that I find a dentist as I’m not currently registered. I have been trying for the best part of a month calling all the local practices that take on NHS patients, unfortunately I’m not in a position to go private. Has anyone else found that this is looking for a needle in a haystack?

 

[Sally71]

Unfortunately the NHS is in a bit of a state at the moment. We are registered with an NHS practice but our dentist left, apparently they are looking to replace her, will add us onto the new one’s list as soon as they find one and won’t throw us off the books in the meantime, but they can’t make appointments for us with any other dentist at the practice unless we pay for it! All to do with contracts or something, all the NHS places are full. So at the moment we are in limbo, I think if we tried other surgeries it would be a similar story.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I had a similar problem some 5 or 6 years ago: registered but no NHS dentist available. Using the NHS was still fairly expensive for the statutory fees that NHS dentists are allowed to charge and when I was in trouble I had a preliminary consult with a private Dentist; I can't remember what that first cost was. But thereafter my private annual visits are surprisingly reasonable. Before assuming going private is prohibitively expensive you might find it worth checking out the relative costs. The service I get is excellent.

I 've been told that minor gum diseases can be deceptively bad for me as an insulin dependent diabetic. I don't remember the exact explanation, but it made sense at that time. I now make more effort to look after my teeth.

 

[harbottle]

Personally, I would never go anywhere near a NHS dentist again. After years of problems with gum diseases I eventually had to go private and they sorted it in six months. This was around the same time I found out I had T2D. Since then then I’ve read that dentists are supposed to use gum disease as a possible sign of diabetes, but a mine didn’t and it just got worse. All they did was tell me to use different toothpastes and gels, but didn’t try to sort it out. I may have got my T2 diagnosis a few years earlier.

I use a private dentist now and the costs are not much more than the NHS for checkups and they are also making sure the gum disease is under control.

At first I was going to go back to my NHS dentist after getting the gum diseases sorted, but he told me they couldn’t take treat if it came back…

I don’t blame the dentists, I blame the government for destroying it.

 

[Martin.A]

I don’t blame the dentists, I blame the government for destroying it.

Specifically the 2006 Government, who brought in the current contract system. There have been moves recently to address the issue:-

NHS England » Dental contract reform

www.england.nhs.uk

 

[Leadinglights]

I have been in Denplan for years and pay an amount each month but it has gone up year after year and just been informed of a increase of 8% taking it to over £70 a month. I was seriously thinking of cancelling it but may reconsider from what you say about NHS. My other half has been very happy with the service he has from his NHS dentist.

 

[Sharron1]

I also go to a private dentist. I see her once a year, look after my diabetes, clean and floss my teetth regularly. The cost isn't much more than NHS, but obviously if I ever need any treatment that is when the costs will escalate. The dentist also checks that my gums are ok and there is no bleeding another potential gift of diabetes.