uk_grenada

I believe normal dentistry is classed as primary care by the ccg’s, so accessible after registration. I do also believe you are generally right in as far as public intent from hmg, -

BUT read the linked gov website advising the nhs on how to guage this - i can see it might not be so straight foreward IN SOME CASES, especially as ultimately its a lawyer deciding... There is also still a 3 month moratorium on specialist services though unlikely to be a dental issue unless orthodontics etc involved.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...R_Tool__1_.pdf

spouse of scouse

I haven't heard of a 3 month moratorium on NHS specialist services - mind you, you'd be lucky to get a non-urgent consultant appointment in under 3 months anyway!

uk_grenada

No, its not 3, its 6 months, and thats when you enter the q.

Incant find anything concrete, but in a previous trust i was told 3 months, but the if one has to pass the habitual residence test first - im betting thats a 6 month process, though i feel the nhs would q you immediately but the pencil lickers would be waiting with the bill should you fail. The nhs is a mighty focussed place when getting money from punters or potential fraud is concerned - its another target...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...rom-Spain.html

spouse of scouse

I thought you'd said 3 months, maybe I should get in the queue for a good neurologist

I think the waiting period you're talking about is for certain benefits, which is definitely the case. I'm certain that there's no waiting period for NHS services such as consultant appointments or dental services - by that I mean no waiting period based on having just returned to the UK. If a person is deemed to be ordinarily resident, they get the full wallop straight away. How long it takes to actually secure an appointment depends on the wait list for your location, but that applies to everyone.

As I said previously, it's not difficult to prove that you're ordinarily resident.
Just as an example, my husband returned to the UK after living in Australia for 25 years. He and I (Oz citizen on UK spouse visa) registered at our local GP. Husband provided passport and Council tax notice for our UK address, I provided both those plus my biometric residence permit. We were both issued with our NHS numbers immediately.

As (bad) luck would have it, both of us required referral to a consultant within our first month. There were no problems at all.

BristolUK

If you have insurance and it's still valid, you need to see how your share of the cost compares with £2000, I imagine.

spouse of scouse

Yep. Some comparative UK/US prices are given here although I don't know how reliable or recent the prices are https://www.dentaly.org/en/teeth-implants-cost/

As a guideline, the total dental implant cost per tooth can be anything from £700 to £2,900 in the UK and $1,500 to $6,000 in the US. It’s often the case that front tooth implants cost slightly more than those at the rear of the mouth. If multiple single implants are needed, the cost per tooth should reduce slightly since some costs (such as x-rays and scans) only apply once.

Just as an aside, I don't think it's possible to get a single dental implant including all the associated costs in the UK for anywhere near the quoted cheapest price of £700 - maybe if you're getting multiple implants. From speaking with my dental surgeon here (UK) the highest cost of £2,900 is more like the average cost for a single implant.

I had an entire lower jaw rehabilitation in Australia, which involved 4 titanium implants in my jaw supporting a full row of permanent and very natural looking falsies, the cost was AU$28,000.

BristolUK

Then, of course, there's Mexico. It seems quite a few in North America do that.

I remember a time when people in the UK could take a trip to have dental work in places like Czech Republic and the cost of flight, hotel and treatment was cheaper. Mexico seems the equivalent for North America.

spouse of scouse

Yep. People in Oz look to countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

It was something I considered given the cost of my treatment in Oz, but decided against it for a few reasons. It's not a single stage process so I'd have had to travel back and forth, if something goes wrong you have no recourse, and despite the glitzy marketing of the overseas clinics there is not the same rigorous oversight by dental standards organisations.

I'm sure there are overseas clinics that do a great job, and I'm equally sure there are those who don't.

Brigette

Thanks so much for the link. It would appear that it would be cheaper to get the implant done in the US regardless of insurance or not. Why? well been with my dentist for years. Could go on a payment plan etc and in the UK would have to start from scratch (credit etc).

uk_grenada

My london based uk nhs dental surgeon charges 2000 for a single implant regardless. He said he could afford to charge half that but to include all aftercare, bone implantation where needed, redoing it if theres infection etc plus the reassurance of a fixed price makes it a reasonable deal. Its paid in chunks over the treatment or you can get interest free loans to do it. He’s in chiswick, pm if you want info. He uses swedish implants and 3d printed crowns, lifetime warranty.

A half mouth is about 10-12k, you need 4 implants possibly up to 6, plus the magnetic crown so actually reasonable value compared with many other countries. He refuses to do the all in a day thing, saying the implants are stressed during healing and have higher problem/failure rates.

uk_grenada

For surgery generally i think people should be looking to western europe. Belgium has excellent hospitals and surgeons, low prices and very advanced management of their healthcare systems. Heres someone i can recommend.

Dr. Patrick Dedoncker - Plastisch chirurg - prices

BristolUK

I see there's a separate charge for general anaesthetic. So there's a way of saving up to €600 if you fancy it.

spouse of scouse

Apparently lots of people opt to just have either a local anaesthetic or chair side sedation for a single implant. Not this little black duck, knock me out!

BristolUK

I hadn't actually thought about it. I was offered implants in Montreal but opted for a bridge instead because the series of follow up appointments didn't fit with a time scale for moving.

That price list with the separate charge wasn't for dental treatment though

morpeth

Maybe different parts of country have different experiences in practice. In my experience if one has a British passport and proof of where one is living, no problems with NHS or Dental, including specialist services from day 1. Was never asked a question about habitual residence. Any waiting times I experienced were maybe a week longer than what I experienced in USA for more serious issues. Private insurance very affordable if needed to avoid waiting times ( though I haven't had any problem with waiting times).. Only bother is local GP insisted on quick discussion on phone prior to appointment, but then again policy at GP is always to schedule appointment the same day. Much more efficient than USA- had to go to emergency room for minor issue, they asked my name and address, looked up my NHS number on computer, and seen 15 minutes later. Just my experience but no complaints. Even some friends on the continent seems to ave ore costs or time required than UK.

i would guess perhaps down south maybe NHS looks closer at residence issues for major operations.