beckiwoo

I may still be a resident again in 1-2 years time ( it's an IEC not PR - so nothing is guaranteed).

£100 for a cleaning!!! Wow!! I paid £40 odd for filling and a scale and polish! £18 for just a check up.

SchnookoLoly

Is that the price on NHS or for a private dentist? What I posted was for a private, and included a checkup with the dentist afterwards. Was a bit more when xrays were involved, which they did every 4-5 visits (2-2.5 years).

I know you're on IEC so it's a bit different, I generally get grumpy when people talk about not properly becoming non-resident when they move away so they can still take advantage of health care etc. If you're in Canada for a year then you're not paying National Insurance for that year and hence aren't contributing to NHS... (and to be clear I don't want to sound like I'm saying it to you specifically, just more of a general comment, so "you" in the general sense, not you specifically!)

I went to an NHS dentist once. Never bothered after that. They barely did anything - cursory cleaning (like 10 minutes) and a cursory check to make sure my teeth weren't falling out. Really not anything like what I was used to in Canada.

The private dentist we had in the UK was pretty good. 25 minute cleaning (scaling, polishing, etc) and a checkup with the dentist every other visit. They were pretty good.

My experience in Canada is just way more thorough. As I said in my last post, cleaning is about 40-45 minutes, more thorough checkup with the dentist every visit instead of every other visit.

Just about every company has dental benefits as part of their employment package, hence OHIP (at least in Ontario) doesn't cover dental stuff beyond a certain age.

beckiwoo

Mine is an NHS dentist, I'm usually in there about 30 minutes when I have a clean. I think some NHS dentists are a bit hit and miss so it does depend on where you go. Mine is in a nice little upmarket village in Northamptonshire so I suppose the level of service might be better then other areas.

I totally understand about people sponging off the system and there are plenty in this country and I suppose across the world that will do this. I disagree with it as well. I usually go for check-ups once a year so it would me going for a check up in Canada (if I can afford it - although I may look I to a dentistry teaching school but then again this is my teeth and not my hair lol)

I'll be looking at BC healthcare but concerned that working for minimum wage jobs such as serving/ bar work etc won't come with a company dental plan so it's up to me to find the money.

MarkG

Yeah, I don't think there were any NHS dentists left around where I lived. Plus, my memories of smoke-filled waiting rooms and 'fill it or pull it' treatment in my younger years didn't make me eager to go back to any .

iaink

You think? Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, but now I suspect jobs with comprehensive benefits are becoming increasingly rare, and those benefits are getting pared back all the time to keep costs managable. A few years ago my own benefits were unilaterally "upgraded" (thats what HR tried to sell it as ha!) to me paying 80% of all (eligible) dental instead of 100% coverage after $100 annual deductible. Its probably only a matter of time before the % is further cut, or the eligible treatments further restricted.

For the average newly hired hourly employee I would guess many would be happy to have full time hours, never mind benefits

beckiwoo

Eww that sounds grim. I can just imagine so many decaying teeth and some people completely toothless

Almost Canadian

We had a good dentist in England and have a good dentist here. Our dentist here was recommended to us.

When I was employed, our dentist here applied whatever percentage was appropriate and we were responsible for the shortfall. Now I am self employed, I have coverage with Blue Cross and the same applies.

Except for the time when I had 100% coverage, the cost to us has been remarkably similar either side of the Atlantic.

We adopt the JonboyE approach, and it has worked for us.

SchnookoLoly

I'm just going off of my own sample... so maybe that's wrong. The corporations I've worked for, that my parents have worked for, that my husband works for, and that my brother works for, have all included comprehensive benefits. Coverage levels vary company-to-company (I had better benefits at my previous company than I do now, but my previous company was a much bigger consultancy, I'm at a much smaller independent company now) but all companies have offered some level of coverage, both medical and dental.

So maybe I'm not right there, just going off of what my experience is!

The only instance I can think of where a friend didn't have benefits was when she was working on a contract somewhere, so the contract position didn't have benefits, but during that period she had private insurance through I believe Blue Cross.

bats

Provincial health plans do not cover dental at all. You will get some cover from your employer if you are full time but most likely it won't cover crowns, and other fancy stuff for a while, if at all. I have had facial and teeth pain for two years now which isn't dental in origin but as the fix might involve changing my bite I would have to pay for that. So I have pain instead.

Cookie

We have 80/20 coverage under our dental plan for most treatments but 50/50 for crowns, bridges, partials etc. our dental plan is free from my husbands employer. His previous company plan - we paid $83 bi-weekly for family medical/dental cover.

At my dentist I pay around $23 for a dental cleaning and check-up. Fillings are are usually $30-$40 for amalgam and my white filling cost $46. Insurance picks up the rest of the bill. Dentist always wears a mask and gloves. He also puts numbing gel on my gum before an injection so I don't even feel the needle. He's a great dentist

4 Wisdom teeth removal. Son No 1 was $1650 and son No 2 was $1450 (different oral surgeons). Insurance picked up $1000 from each bill and I paid the rest. Be aware that can max out your treatment levels for the year under insurance.

All out of pocket expenses can be submitted at tax time. That includes your contributory bi-weekly payments.

iaink

Im going to have to have a word with my dentist. Ive never even been offered a numbing girl

iaink

Trying to claim medical expenses off your tax bill will only work if you are substantially out of pocket.

If memory serves unless its more than a couple of percent of your gross income it wont meet the deduction threshold. Hence dbds plan to have several years of orthodental treatment billed at once in order to get over the threshold.

Cookie

Hahahaha damned autocorrect

scrubbedexpat091

In my experience in low wage jobs, your not likely to get any benefits from your employer. I've had one job in 10 years in Canada that offered benefits, higher wage jobs your more likely to have benefits. Now some companies do offer benefits to low wage employees, but better to plan on not having them and then be surprised.

This is the only time MSP in BC will cover dental of any sort as its considered a medical procedure as its done in a hospital.

"dental and oral surgery, when medically required to be performed in hospital"

MSP - Medical and Health Care Benefits

Cookie

Tim Hortons and McDonald's have staff medical plans and they are minimum wage. Maybe it's small companies that tend not offer medical plans.