sile

I'm planning on moving to the UK hopefully in the Fall this year. I need some dental work (Ugh. Hate going to the dentist)which I was planning on having done here before I leave, however, dental work here in the US is ridiculously expensive, especially if you want it done right and also need to see specialists. But you do get beautiful results!

So, I'm wondering what kind of dental care can one find in the UK. Also, is dental care, good, comprehensive dental care part of NHS coverage? What could I expect to find over there and are there areas that have better dentists than others?

SanDiegogirl

Dental care in the US is excellent but expensive. NHS dental care in the UK is inexpensive but very poor.

Basically on the NHS it 'pays' the dentist to do the miminum for you- he gets an allowance for each patient regardless of what work he does.

When living in the UK I went with a private dentist. Not as expensive as the US but getting up there.

BristolUK

Another way of looking at it is that it's not as 'cosmetic' as the US.

You don't pay for things that aren't necessary.

In North America dentists contact you at the end of the year with a view to having work done and paid for by the insurance not yet used up. Dental work for the sake of it rather than need.

Bob

Found the UK is cheaper but options and quality is just as variable as it is in the US. Can always go private in the UK and it's still cheaper.

lf1

I had my dental work done before leaving Canada. Fortunately, my dentist was not one for pushing cosmetic dentistry, so when she recommended work, which was seldom, my sense was that it was probably worthwhile.
I have signed up with a private dentist and had my first visit recently. Got the all clear and had my teeth cleaned by the hygienist. The cleaning took 20 mins. I was surprised, as a cleaning appt. in Canada usually took 45 mins to 1 hour. That has left me wondering as to what is the appropriate amount of time needed for a cleaning.

J.JsOH

We feel that quality of NHS dental care is not up to the level of quality in USA. Cheaper, yes, (about £17 or so for my last check up) but I guess one gets what we pay for.

aries

I think 20 minutes is too little time. Last year using a private hygienist in the UK the job was very well done taking 50 minutes and cost me about £90. This year with a different hygienist it cost only £46, but it was so poorly done in 20 minutes, she said I needed to return for it to be completed. Thus it worked out at the same overall cost, and I still wasn't happy with her work! She claimed that because I have a pacemaker she can't use the better water cleaning system, yet my dentist in Adelaide managed to clean my teeth well for less cost.

My beloved sister (who died a few days ago) said that she and her husband used the NHS every year, but it was minimally and very poorly done.

windsong

I think I will get my teeth cleaned here before I leave then. I was wondering about dental care over there, too, so this is all good information.

What about teeth whitening? Do they do that over there?

Michael

Many dental problems are caused by poor cleaning. If they don't get at the plaque buildup under the gums and between the teeth properly, many dental problems can occur. Most everything else that is done during cleaning is primarily fluff.

In California, it appears that the hygienist is restricted to what she/he is allowed to do and if plaque build up is great, the majority of the work is done by the dentist.

Mummy in the foothills

My hygienist never takes more than about 15 or 20 minutes to do my teeth. She doesn't rush it's all very relaxed, she's the second of the 4 in the same practice that has done mine, the other was just as quick. No problems here, we have a really good dentist (private obviously)
90 minutes and I'd think that they were faffing about and maybe my teeth cleaning wasn't as good as it should be.

SanDiegogirl

I believe the private dentists do, but its not done on the NHS.

My relatives in the UK have never had their teeth whitened on the NHS and they once told me (don't know if I misunderstood), but the whitening strips we use here in the US (and which I put to good use once a year) are banned in Europe!

Mummy in the foothills

I think some are, it's said they can damage the finish on your teeth leaving you more at risk for other damage.

windsong

I know that if you are careless the whitening strips can be bad for your teeth. Perhaps that is why they are banned.

A few years ago my dentist in the USA gave me some things that looked like injections (but weren't). You simply injected a mouthguard with the solution from them and wore the mouthguard at night for 7 nights. The strength was carefully chosen by the dentist after studying the teeth.

I might try the OTC stuff this time, though, if I know which one to buy. On the other hand, in a few months I will have health/dental insurance and may find a dentist to give them to me again. I really don't want to harm my teeth.

London1947

The dental care in the US is by far better than the UK. Have you often wondered why many Brits have bad teeth or no teeth even at a younger age, that's because on the NHS ( Once they have an opening to take you on the NHS as a patient that is ) after thirty years in the US I had dental Insurance through my employer, of course I paid for part of that and there also may have been a small co-pay at the dentist.

I had my teeth inspected and cleaned every six months or so in the US. The surgery I went to for many years had all the mod cons, here in the UK it was like going back to the 1950s. When I was a child growing up in the UK there were was NO preventative destistry, only the smallest problem out came the tooth. In the UK they use that high powered water pick and you end up with an ice cream headache as the chilled water hits your teeth, put an ice cube on the front of your tooth and see how it feels.

On the NHS they have different bands of service from seventeen pounds all the way up to private at two hundred and fifty pounds. After my ordeal that's the only word i can think of i did ask the receptionist what do you get for the 250 pounds and how does it differ between the lower sum and the higher sum, I was told it's the same service. I did ask that question a second time and got the same answer. So going back to my childhood of the 40s 50s and 60s I bet there are many brits that may remember being dragged of to the dentist. No the quality of service and equipment in the US far out wweighsthe UK.

Now you know why many brits have bad/missing/ and no teeth.

As it now 7pm here in the US and most Brits are in bed no doubt i will get replies on this hopefully from a dentist.

Mummy in the foothills

I have to say the Dental care here (US) is excellent, but as with health care in general, it isn't accessible to all. So many who really need the care get none at all.
As a nurse (UK first then US) I have seen more people, young and old with black, missing and no teeth than I ever did in the UK. So the UK is doing something really right that the US isn't.