Returnee

I've been reading, hearing that dental treatment in the U.K. is pretty costly nowadays. Also, if one moves into a new area it may be difficult to find an NHS dentist, dental clinic. There appears to be a shortage of NHS services and many now have to seek costly, private dental care. What's your experience? Are you satisfied with your dental care?

Grayling

Far better and cheaper in the UK than here in Australia.

How is it on whatever planet you live on?

Cheetah7

I miss the fact that in the uK for NHS dental treatment there is a maximum price.

I am lucky to have a lovely Scottish dentist in Fremantle, I have to have xrays/scale and polish every 3 months due to my AI disease and on the last go, he bulk billed the xrays - he is a real gem.

But dentistry in Oz scares the crap out of me - it appears to be a case of 'make every filling a root one'.

And people wont realise just how good the NHS dentistry standards are until they move here and then it is a very cut throat business unless you get lucky with your dentist and thank god for the guy I see.

Changing the subject though Grayling, I have been under a psychologist for my PTSD and I find it in Perth, that they are far more accepting of counselling than the stigma that is attached to mental illness in the UK.

My Dad tried to tell me noone needs it in the UK - I am not talking about suicide rates, just the fact that more people have a counsellor or therapy here than in the UK.

My friend who has moved backed to the UK has faced some stark criticism for taking medication for her depression that she had in the UK but was never treated.

And I have faced slatings when I have said 'I have a therapy appointment'

I am not saying that mental health is better here, in fact I here that some of the practices are prehistoric but they certainly seem to promote the therapy route.

What are your thoughts on this?

Grayling

There is far more therapy available on the NHS in the UK than is free here.

Australia is still way behind in up to date researched therapy....anyone can set up as a therapist here as there is no accreditation....many 'therapists' and 'counsellors' have very suspect qualifications...in the UK therapists have to be accredited.

Public mental health services here are pretty primitive....private tends to be a scam in my opinion (having worked in both systems).

The UK government has spent a lot of money in recent years on the IAPT scheme (improving access to psychological therapies). This is aiming to have CBT therapists available in all GP practices.

Over here you can get a 'health plan' through your GP but after a limited number of sessions you have to pay.....

There may be lots of private therapy here but much of it is untested and ineffective.

sallysimmons

The private dental care in the UK is a bargain compared to the US. I can't believe how little my family pays. I just think some older Brits came to expect everything to be free and so now think that private dentistry is expensive.

chris955

You are certainly tenacious i will give you that
I have rarely had any problem finding an NHS dentist when in the UK, i did have to pay private charges once which were about a quarter of the cost here.

Cheetah7

I think I am comfortable with the fact I am not judged here but I have heard there are some seriously dodgy practices in Oz.

I have a lovely psych at the moment - she is brilliant but I can imagine it is a lottery out there as to who you get. I dont pay for mine at all as mine is through an assault resource centre.

I know one of my colleagues was referred for therapy and she said it was awful, just a money making scam - you know the employee assistance program?

They still use ECT here dont they? Not sure if they still use it in the UK but its scary the fact they use it here.

BristolUK

I changed dentists twice in the UK to stick with the NHS after my usual ones went private.

In more than five years all I had was a crown re-glued. It cost £9 and my 6 monthly check-ups (no need for anything) were £8 or £9 a year.

I was shocked when I was offered Denplan coverage for £15 a month!!

£180 a year and that was back in the mid 90s. It looks to be £240-£300 for the equivalent now - with lab fees extra.

I see the NHS maximum for treatment is £47 and if crowns/dentures are involved it's £204. Check-ups and x-rays are £17.

So for most treatment under the NHS, the bill will be £47 maximum.

It might be hard to find a convenient dentist but if it's gonna cost $200 for a plan and even more without one, I'd be happy to use one not convenient and even going by taxi it would likely be cheaper.

chris955

Poor old Returnee, wont someone please tell him what he really wants to hear?

luvwelly

UK NHS Dental offering is very basic compared to what modern dentistry can do for you; and definitely of no use to those in middle age with failing 1970s fillings now needing quality root canals (not even any endodontists available on NHS).
It is cheap but if you can afford it and have 'issues', the quality available privately is streets ahead. There are cheap-end private options though which are not necessarily much better than NHS dental.

I gave NHS dental up years ago, when finally sussing that your NHS dentist would always leave by your next 5 minute check-up and that it was basically a training ground for the newly-qualified. Too old to be a guinea pig for someone half my age these days.

Returnee

Thank you for your responses so far.

Jenny22

As I live in the UK most of the year, I have an NHS dentist, but when I'm in Spain, I visit a private dentist there.
Over the last few years I have found that dental treatment on the NHS has become, as luvwely says, much more basic. It used to be that an NHS dentist could pull a few strings to get their patients decent crowns, bridges etc at NHS prices, rather than patching up or pulling teeth, but now those strings have been cut.
Now, I visit the UK NHS dentist for my six monthly check ups, but visit the Spanish one to get any major work done. His prices are on a par with NHS price levels and he doesn't have so much red tape to go through to get the work done in the way it needs to be done. So it's actually not costing me any more, and it gives me a little more peace of mind that my teeth will still stand up to eating crusty bread!

Moggiemiss

I have managed to register with an NHS dentist before returning to the UK. I cannot vouch for the standard of their work but it might be worth a try

www1.thedentalpeople.co.uk

I was with an NHS dentist in England till around 2001 - at that point, the practice was not booking appointments due to shortage of dentists and there was no dental hygienist. I had a different dentist every time I had a checkup and they all seemed to be straight out of dental college.

I went private and felt I was ripped off by two dental practices doing unnecessary work. Finally I managed to get taken on by a third dentist and joined Denplan at 21 pounds a month - which after what I had been paying a year was cheap.

In Canada I am paying $150 every three months to see the dental hygienist plus annual check up with X rays $100 a year, small filling around $110, root canal $500. I had a cyst in my gum which cost $1200 to have removed and a biopsy done - am I right in thinking such treatment would have been on the NHS in England?

Anyway hope the link helps!

BristolUK

So you never pay more than £47 (56 Euros) for treatment including x-rays, root canal, other fillings, extractions etc or £204 (245 Euros) if crowns or dentures are needed? (Those are the current maximums payable with the NHS.)

Is that normal for Spain or just your dentist?

Is it possible that his fees are on a par for the individual things, but that his fees are totted up whereas the NHS ones are subject to overall maximums?

chris955

£204 for a crown :-) How about starting at $3000 here.