Private Dentists

[Chugger]

Having just lost part of my tooth, the time has come for me to darken the dentist's door again.

This time I'm considering giving the NHS dentist a miss and going private. So I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions or advice for how to go about it. I've been looking at private dental insurance and it seems to be under £10 a month with instant coverage although I'd check the small print to see if claiming within a certain time frame would effect premiums etc.

As for scare stories, an American friend of mine has said that every time she goes back to the states and has a check up, the US dentists are always horrified to see what the NHS dentists do to our teeth, such as giving fillings at every visit, whether they are necessary or not, and generally doing a piss poor job.

[worzel]

Having just lost part of my tooth, the time has come for me to darken the dentist's door again.

This time I'm considering giving the NHS dentist a miss and going private. So I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions or advice for how to go about it. I've been looking at private dental insurance and it seems to be under £10 a month with instant coverage although I'd check the small print to see if claiming within a certain time frame would effect premiums etc.

As for scare stories, an American friend of mine has said that every time she goes back to the states and has a check up, the US dentists are always horrified to see what the NHS dentists do to our teeth, such as giving fillings at every visit, whether they are necessary or not, and generally doing a piss poor job.

I don't think £10 per month is going to buy you very good insurance. I just went for the first time in a while, was charged £180 for my first two fillings (aged 32), didn't seem too bad considering it was over an hours time + assistant and other costs. No doubt there are good and bad nhs and private dentists, get a recommendation and see if you like em.

[Bruce Banner]

I had a private dentist for most of my life, but when we moved a few years ago the wife was lucky enough to find an NHS practice that was taking new patients so we gave it a try.

The comparison...

Treatment, much the same.

Price, a third to a quarter of the cost.

Waiting time in surgery, private dentist often kept me waiting for as much as an hour, NHS dentist are very punctual, ten minutes max .

I'm no fan of the NHS, but this dental practice is excellent.

[Bruce Banner]

I don't think £10 per month is going to buy you very good insurance. I just went for the first time in a while, was charged £180 for my first two fillings (aged 32), didn't seem too bad considering it was over an hours time + assistant and other costs. No doubt there are good and bad nhs and private dentists, get a recommendation and see if you like em.

I've got an appointment in a few weeks for four fillings, one for a chipped tooth and the others replacements for old fillings. The dentist said that the other three didn't really need doing yet, but since the £45 I have to pay covers any number of fillings, it makes sense to do them together.

[LiveinHope]

Having just lost part of my tooth, the time has come for me to darken the dentist's door again.

This time I'm considering giving the NHS dentist a miss and going private. So I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions or advice for how to go about it. I've been looking at private dental insurance and it seems to be under £10 a month with instant coverage although I'd check the small print to see if claiming within a certain time frame would effect premiums etc.

As for scare stories, an American friend of mine has said that every time she goes back to the states and has a check up, the US dentists are always horrified to see what the NHS dentists do to our teeth, such as giving fillings at every visit, whether they are necessary or not, and generally doing a piss poor job.

Storytime

I have lost all faith in NHS dentists. I had a great NHS dentist who had only given me one filling in 14 years and that was at my request, he didn't think it was necessary at the time. On retiring he said to me "you have good teeth, if the next dentist says you need a filling you know you can always get a second opinion". How prescient.

Well at the first visit to my new NHS turk I was told I needed a filling, so stupidly I "went with the flow" and had the deepest filling I have ever been given. I ended up with persistent toothache that lasted for 6 months while the dentist waited to see if it subsided. In the end the dentist's solution was:

To extract the tooth next to the one with the filling to 'see if that fixed it".

I asked "what if it doesn't ?"

"Oh, then we'll extract the tooth with the filling"

"Oh, I'll think about that"

Haven't been to a dentist now for 2 years and I used to go every 6 months. Toothache comes and goes. My old NHS practice seems to have become a 'proving' ground for newly qualified dentists from the European mainland with a high staff turnover.

[cells]

As for scare stories, an American friend of mine has said that every time she goes back to the states and has a check up, the US dentists are always horrified to see what the NHS dentists do to our teeth, such as giving fillings at every visit, whether they are necessary or not, and generally doing a piss poor job.

I hate dentists.

Keep in mind that they are paid per job hence they have a bug incentive to do work to your teeth if needed or not.

I went in once just for a checkup and the bitxxh drilled 3 teeth although I said I didn't think I needed it but some pixel on the screen looked funny to her.

Soon as the meds wore off the teeth were painful to the bite so went in no prob came out big prob.

Worse yet went back to the same bitch for her to put it right she just gave antibiotics and tricked me into getting another 3 tether done on the other side of ky mouth and guess what.....she fracked them up too. So I go in writhing no pros...she screws my left teeth so I can't eat with that side....then she screws my right teeth so I can't eat with either side. I spent the next week eating my sandwiches with me frekin incisors.

I then book another appointment to give the bitch a piece of my mind and bite her with my now blade shape incisors from all the use.....however when I get there I find out she has left the practise........

Dumb bitch. Her only redeeming feature was that she was dam sexy and cute.

Oh make sure your dentist is a man preferably and older guy.

[cells]

I've got an appointment in a few weeks for four fillings, one for a chipped tooth and the others replacements for old fillings. The dentist said that the other three didn't really need doing yet, but since the £45 I have to pay covers any number of fillings, it makes sense to do them together.

Don't they have to cut away yet more tooth to place the new one in?

Forget the 45 quid if it means risking pain or infection or more bone grinned away if they are fine as is.

[Bruce Banner]

Don't they have to cut away yet more tooth to place the new one in?

Forget the 45 quid if it means risking pain or infection or more bone grinned away if they are fine as is.

He's not actually replacing the old fillings, just filling a few gaps around them that have appeared over the years. Very minor stuff, but two of them have been annoying me for years, I keep running my tongue over them. I suggested taking a couple of Paracodol before hand if they were going to be small as I don't like injections, he said there was no need as he's not going closer than a couple of millimetres to a nerve.

[Wahoo]

I hate dentists too.

Another bunch of grossly over paid semi-professionals.

It’s a semi-skilled job imo. All you need is a bit of tooth anatomy and a steady hand.

I’ve given up on the local NHS dentist, because they cannot speak English, and every time I turn up, either the dental hygienist or the actual dentist is off sick.

I’ve gone private. You get a comfy sofa in the waiting room and newspapers and a telly, and no chavs or chavvy kids. It’s worth the extra money.

Most people only need to go once every two years - not six months, so a bit of a saving there.

Still bloody expensive though. The cost alone can leave you ‘down in the mouth’. Boom boom.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

What people forget is that your teeth, your mouth, is part of your body. You need a GOOD dentist first and foremost. In the South East and NHS dental surgery felt like some chaotic third world affair and now I go private.

I've learned that a dental qualification is a bit like a driving license - it's only the first step to becoming good. I've also learned that there are many different 'philosophies' in dentistry depending on what further studies the dentist has done or where they trained. So one might give you a clean bill of health while others will diagnose all sorts of things, which may or may not have validity. I would avoid an obviously 'cosmetic' dentist as they just want to place as many crowns and veneers as possible.

So some private dentists just want to give to a mouth of hollywood veneers and over-diagnose all sorts of potential problems, others are perfectly ethical. I would look for a dentist that stresses the 'health' aspect of good oral care not ones that come across like cheesy salesmen or dodgy plastic surgeons.

[Tiger Woods?]

I've got an appointment in a few weeks for four fillings, one for a chipped tooth and the others replacements for old fillings. The dentist said that the other three didn't really need doing yet, but since the £45 I have to pay covers any number of fillings, it makes sense to do them together.

Many dentists have a habit of over-treating.

The paper you need to chase up is:

Sheiham, A. Lancet vol 2, 27 August 1977, Is there a scientific basis for six-monthly dental examinations? p 442-444

The research is a little old now, but I suspect it is still valid. Basically, the more often you go to the dentist, the more fillings you have.

One of the studies he cites suggested that half of the holes found by dentists remineralise if left untreated, especially in areas with fluoride in the water (fluoride tooth paste helps, perhaps?) I certainly have a quite large cavity that remineralised. Was commented on by a dentist.

I'd also be wary of having good fillings replaced to save a few bucks. it is a false economy. The process of having a filling can cause trauma to the nerve. When that dies you generally end up with an abscess (which can be excruciating), followed by a root canal and crown (£££), followed some time later by the tooth needing to be removed (in my, and many other people's, bitter experience.)

What made the over treatment clear to me was a period when I regularly swapped between 2 dentists. I'd leave one with no fillings, told my teeth were in good order, and go to another 6 months later and have a drill fest of lots of tiny fillings. I agreed the first time in shock and walked out the second time he suggested it. 10 years on and quite a few dentists visited later, and I haven't needed a filling in any of the half dozen places this f***ing criminal suggested.

However, what really annoys me are the numerous, poor quality, prophylactic fillings that were done to my teeth as a teenager, all of which have since needed to be replaced. Instead of putting a plastic coating on my deep fissures (a technology available at the time) or telling me to make sure I cleaned them thoroughly, the bugger drilled a couple each visit, to protect me from having cavities and hence requiring fillings in the future. I kid you not. In the grim past, this was not an uncommon practice for kids with deep fissures, regardless of whether there was decay or not.

Almost all of my future dental work has revolved around repairing the damage done by that money grubbing butcher. Moreover, the repeated work on two of them killed the nerves and now I have had 2 root canals, one of which failed very quickly. The bugger even covered himself by pointing out to my 12 year old self that these were prophylactic fillings...a word that was not then in my vocabulary. Other than this p****, all the other dentists I had at the time said I had good teeth. He ruined them for a handful of dollars. His son was a dentistry student at my ug college, and he didn't fall far from the tree.

If you ever find a good dentist, never let him/her go. If they leave the district, move house to follow them.

[South Lorne]

Having just lost part of my tooth, the time has come for me to darken the dentist's door again.

This time I'm considering giving the NHS dentist a miss and going private. So I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions or advice for how to go about it. I've been looking at private dental insurance and it seems to be under £10 a month with instant coverage although I'd check the small print to see if claiming within a certain time frame would effect premiums etc.

As for scare stories, an American friend of mine has said that every time she goes back to the states and has a check up, the US dentists are always horrified to see what the NHS dentists do to our teeth, such as giving fillings at every visit, whether they are necessary or not, and generally doing a piss poor job.

...look for a Dentist with the insurance plan Denplan. The Dentist will charge to bring your teeth up to mark and assess the level at which your monthly payments will be set....and then it's free except for certain material costs..and you receive free three or six monthly checks with an emphasis on decay prevention ..I have used for last seven years and have no complaints.....

[MrPin]

I'm no fan of the NHS, but this dental practice is excellent.

It sounds like you are really!

I've had very good NHS dentists! Sure they will do private work if you need something special!

[Wahoo]

Of course, the other alternative is to go to Poland for your work.

I understand the treatment is excellent and the cost considerably lower.

[FedupTeddiBear]

I don't think £10 per month is going to buy you very good insurance. I just went for the first time in a while, was charged £180 for my first two fillings (aged 32), didn't seem too bad considering it was over an hours time + assistant and other costs. No doubt there are good and bad nhs and private dentists, get a recommendation and see if you like em.

Some of these plans are surprisingly good - but shop around - usually have a maximum payout per year but for one visit per year, can get close to covering the cost. Ours pays for any NHS visits too!

We have had several dentists over the years, some private, some NHS, (thankfully none were terrible): 3 English dentists (all NHS) one brilliant lady, other 2 OK. 2 great South African dentists (private) - fillings praised by others, one had an hilarious sense of humour. 1 Polish dentist (NHS) - did minimum amount of work necessary - always a good thing. 2 Indian dentists (private) - both good, one lady a bit filling-happy.

The main differences between private and NHS is that private dentists have longer appointments (hence longer wait?), more "chat", use more fancy equipment, e.g. video screen to show EVERYTHING going on in mouth, pointing out every piece of plaque etc. Was this really necessary???

[gus]

Many dentists have a habit of over-treating.

The paper you need to chase up is:

Sheiham, A. Lancet vol 2, 27 August 1977, Is there a scientific basis for six-monthly dental examinations? p 442-444

The research is a little old now, but I suspect it is still valid. Basically, the more often you go to the dentist, the more fillings you have.

One of the studies he cites suggested that half of the holes found by dentists remineralise if left untreated, especially in areas with fluoride in the water (fluoride tooth paste helps, perhaps?) I certainly have a quite large cavity that remineralised. Was commented on by a dentist.

I'd also be wary of having good fillings replaced to save a few bucks. it is a false economy. The process of having a filling can cause trauma to the nerve. When that dies you generally end up with an abscess (which can be excruciating), followed by a root canal and crown (£££), followed some time later by the tooth needing to be removed (in my, and many other people's, bitter experience.)

What made the over treatment clear to me was a period when I regularly swapped between 2 dentists. I'd leave one with no fillings, told my teeth were in good order, and go to another 6 months later and have a drill fest of lots of tiny fillings. I agreed the first time in shock and walked out the second time he suggested it. 10 years on and quite a few dentists visited later, and I haven't needed a filling in any of the half dozen places this f***ing criminal suggested.

However, what really annoys me are the numerous, poor quality, prophylactic fillings that were done to my teeth as a teenager, all of which have since needed to be replaced. Instead of putting a plastic coating on my deep fissures (a technology available at the time) or telling me to make sure I cleaned them thoroughly, the bugger drilled a couple each visit, to protect me from having cavities and hence requiring fillings in the future. I kid you not. In the grim past, this was not an uncommon practice for kids with deep fissures, regardless of whether there was decay or not.

Almost all of my future dental work has revolved around repairing the damage done by that money grubbing butcher. Moreover, the repeated work on two of them killed the nerves and now I have had 2 root canals, one of which failed very quickly. The bugger even covered himself by pointing out to my 12 year old self that these were prophylactic fillings...a word that was not then in my vocabulary. Other than this p****, all the other dentists I had at the time said I had good teeth. He ruined them for a handful of dollars. His son was a dentistry student at my ug college, and he didn't fall far from the tree.

If you ever find a good dentist, never let him/her go. If they leave the district, move house to follow them.

Dentists are like brickies ; they are paid per yard/filling. So if you have an unscrupulous one you undoubedly end up with more fillings and ultimately fewer of your own teeth .

I had an NHS dentist when I was a kid and his work was so good (highest manual dexterity skills)for years afterwards other dentists would ask me , "who did this filling ?" Poor bugger had a break-down as a result, I suspect, of the conflicts of being a perfectionist working in an environment that required a "bang em in " mentality.

Now the bit that makes me smile when reading all these "I'm so middle class, now I go private" posts. I too, started going privately ,some 30 years ago and I thought I was getting the best of treatment. We were mates (though not reflected in his rates as I recall) until the day he asked me over for a drink to his local ...... at midday and between patients and I was next would you believe.

Private or NHS ultimately has no bearing on the two most important things: the personal integrity of your dentist and his skill set. OK with the NHS you'll only get an amalgam and privately you'll get a ceramic, but as you correctly point out, neither may actually be needed.

Since I've been treated in Indonesia I've realised my UK dentist was a con-man, backed up by technicians who would be more at home in a blacksmiths!

[PunK BeaR]

Im with an excellent private dentist. It is easy to get an appointment and he is fairly cheap. £35 for a filling. I guess its really the luck of the draw. You could always go to the dental hospital at the one of the universities and let the students work on you for free.

[Riedquat]

Since I failed to find a nearby NHS dentist after moving to start work 10 years ago I've simply not been at all.