Needing a dentist is never fun - but it seems a bigger problem is finding one in the first place - and at the right cost.

A survey of thousands of patients and hundreds of dentists found some people have even resorted to pulling out their own teeth either because no dentist was available or it was too expensive.

One in five said they put off treatment because of the bill.

We want your tales of woe: Are you having trouble getting an NHS dentist? What about the cost? How have you got round the problems?

Comments

[James London May 15, 2008 1:20:15 AM]

I am a dentist about to qualify in London. There is going to be a large amount of unemployment of dentists within a couple of years as the Government has not provided enough vocational training positions, the same problem that has faced newly qualified doctors. The new contract is fundamentaly flawed in that it does not take into account complexity of treatment and amount of treatment. The dentist is paid the same amount for doing say 10 root canal treatments as opposed to 1, which can take a considerable amount of time to do if done to a high standard. The governement wants to rid itself of NHS dentistry as it is too costly, and what better way of doing this than by forcing dentists to go private. NHS dentists want to provide treatment but not if it is not financially viable, you cannot provide care if you cannot pay the bills. PCT's are also not renewing Dentists contracts as they have limited funding, also causing unemployment. The old contract was not perfect, but it worked.
Recruiting foreign dentists is also not the answer as they must also now take part in a 2 year vocational training scheme in order to gain an NHS number, for which there are limited places. Foreign and UK dentists must compete for the same positions, however the number of training posts available are reducing due to a cut in government spending.

[paul seaman, wirral Oct 22, 2007 3:49:05 PM]

Having lived in both North London and the Wirral, i have never experienced any problems whatsoever in finding a dentist. i have literally just walked into the nearest surgery, registered, and have been seen within a couple of weeks (which is a perfectly acceptable waiting time). However, trying to register and get a DOCTORS appointment is a totally different story.....!!

[james southampton Oct 17, 2007 10:39:45 PM]

Much is being said about the lack of dentists and dental care. There has been no mention about the new Dental access centres in the news or ways to get emergency treatments available within a PCT service.
This topic seems to be brought up every few months without any further mention about underlying factors, which makes it appear biased against the NHS system.
There is no mention as to the reasons of high cost of private care, no discussion of the causes of high rate of dental problems in the population.(For example, if obesity numbers are rising it is an indication of the kind of diets we are eating also.This has a consequence in the Oral health too.)

Especially in dental care,patients often turn up only when pain is present, and fail to turn up for treatment completion. That leaves with a high probability of the problem coming back at some time. The attitude would be different if it was a heart or eye treatment. Therefore, there is a high rate of missed apointments within the NHS dental care.If one can check the levels of appointments missed by patients in NHS practices every week, it gives some idea of compliance and attitudes towards oral health.
And these are even when the treatment is free, or when the cost has already been paid. It is proportional to the emergencies turning up somewhere else later. Missed appointments are also a factor for rising costs of treatment in practices.Unlike NHS clinics, some private clinics apply a charge for cancelled appointments. It may be justifiable if you take into account the costs involved in a dental treatment.
After ringing a NHS dental helpline number and being alloted an Emergency appointment, patients have rung up late to cancel the apointment because of "other comittments". Makes you wonder whether it was an emergency in the first place and that the appointment slot could have been offered to someone else in genuine pain!

These issues need to be included in the discussion otherwise anyone reading the messages in the debate gets a one-sided opinion of mismanagement of the service.Providing a service is one part of the solution. There needs to be better understanding to accessing and utilising the service also.
Lastly comparing the cost of dental treatment in UK with other countries is not taking into account the fact that so are most things in the UK compared to other countries. Are the same treatment and hygiene standards maintained in all parts of the world?

[Kirsten, Sale Cheshire Oct 17, 2007 8:24:50 PM]

I am absolutely shocked by Mr Bradshaw's comment that anyone would could see a dentist in an emergency - this is absolutely not true! British dentistry is the worse I have come across so far! I needed to see a dentist in an emergency in January and I called every surgery in my area, begging for an appointment and even telling them I would pay privately if they would see me ASAP. None of them would! My fiancé then called his dentist and explained what had happened and that I was in agony. The dentist's reply was: we are fully booked but can fit her in in about 8-12 weeks. Half my tooth had broken off and I had a bad infection in the jaw bone cavity which had been caused by a bad sinusitis. Since I have to travel to Germany for work once a month, I decided to call a dentist in Hamburg that a colleague recommended and they agreed to see me within days, no problem, whenever my flight would get in... So I have had to travel forth and back to Germany for dental treatment since January!! I have to admit the treatment is much better there and also not as old-fashioned and backwards as in Britain but it is getting very expensive to fly back and forth. So, I really would like to know in which fantasy land Mr Bradshaw lives??!! The next question: will the NHS be covering for the costs that I have to pay thanks to their horrific "service"?! I know of many people who travel to France, Germany or Hungary to see a dentist just because of the bad situation, service and treatment over here... Maybe the question that the Labour party should really be asking themselves is why this is and what they could do to make it better ... But I guess that is me dreaming now ...

[chick_en hampshire Oct 16, 2007 5:21:02 PM]

I live in Winchester, one dentist refused to treat my teeth, said they were all rotten, when i complained, he denied saying they were rotton and to go abroad to get them done, seond dentist told me i got a shadow on my root, but refused to treat it, said go private, then told me i need 3 crowns, but wont do them, but the next time he said, yer, i will do one if you pay me £700..i said, this NHS not private..then he wrote in my notes that he cleaned and buffed teeth, i complained he didnt, i was basically called a lier from the manager of the dentist....the goverment should stop this the way we are being treated by the dentist, they just say, cant treat you, go private..knowing full well we cant afford it. STOP THE PRIVATE DENTISTS I SAY

[Sue B Sheffield Oct 16, 2007 12:01:36 PM]

We as a family living in Sheffield have found it very difficult to see a Dentist. My Husband who has had a broken tooth for months and who has been in quite a lot of pain, has been unable to get an NHS Dentist and as we cannot afford to go private, he has had to get used to the pain. Its amazing though, because although there seems to be no appointments available at most practices, if you go private, its as if by magic you are a priority. It stinks and usual the monetary gain is far more important than the patient.

Our youngest daughter also recently broke a tooth and we had the same reaction, there isnt any appointments unless you go private.
I called the NHS helpline who gave me a list of Dentists in Sheffield who were taking on NHS patients. When I rang, each and every one told me there were no appointments and the chance of registering as a patient was a lottery (first come first served and the few places they already had a waiting list for were snapped up instantly). Also the list of dental practices the NHS helpline had on record was very out of date and incorrect.

This is a case of the usual, if you are rich enough, you can get vital treatment, if you are not rich enough, then bugger off and go without.

[jude, portsmouth Oct 16, 2007 11:46:35 AM]

The problem with the UK is it taxes you till you die and doesn't provide you with any service that you actually need. Only the stuff that is cheap and easy to provide does it fob you off with.

[Dave, Manchester Oct 16, 2007 5:42:55 AM]

I have 4 broken teeth and simply cant afford to get them fixed. the pain they give me is horrible!

[sam,norwich Oct 16, 2007 12:16:53 AM]

The problem of shortage of Dentists is the direct result of both the Department of health and the General dental Council's lack of foresight. They prefer to spend millions on recruiting from all over the world and ignore the thousands of overseas trained BRITISH citizens who are willing and ready to serve the NHS and the Country.Most of the overseas recruits work for a few years and then move on to other countries or return back to their countries. British citizens are even made to jump hurdles that citizens of other countries are exempt from and the General Dental Council funded by our tax blatantly diiscrimintes against British citizens.

[B in Merseyside Oct 15, 2007 10:37:37 PM]

I have no NHS dentist, but here there is an emergency on-call dentist for people without a NHS dentist. I've never had to wait more than a week, and more often than not have gotten in in a few days. The dentist is really great and friendly, as well. They do do appointments by urgency and got in the same afternoon once when a tooth completely cracked in half. Would probably be better to have an actual dentist, but i'm quite happy with the service I get as it is! Maybe more boroughs should just set up a similar scheme and make it come as you need? Kind of like those NHS walk-in centres they're putting places.

[Mikki East Anglia Oct 15, 2007 7:47:33 PM]

I am happy with my NHS Dentist. He is close to home and I can get in to see him if necessary. However, the state of the NHS dentist's office makes me very glad I grew up in the USA where we believe in good preventative dentistry and flouridated water.

[Vicky Oct 15, 2007 7:06:22 PM]

I have always had problems with my teeth, and as a child always practically lived in the dentists chair. I was not a child that ate sweets, I would rather have fruit when picked up from school or at shops with parents. My downfall is and has always been pop, fizzy pop! I still should live in a dentist chair but being so petrified I dont go at all, yes I do have bad teeth but as we are all here saying a good NHS dentist is so hard to find, I have always been terrified, and would love nothing more than to find a NHS dentist that could give me a good smile, the last dentist remove teeth that did not need removing in my opinion, but he found it easier to put in two false teeth into the gum instead of one, I would love to find a dentist that could make me feel at ease and sort me out and then enable me to trust them to keep going back. I do often build up the nerve to go once in a blue moon, but would rather chew down on a pain killer than go to a dentist that you tell how scared you are of and they make out they are going to reassure you and dont instead I get told oh these are bad, or how many millions of fillings and how they will be done! makes chewing on a pain killer much more appealing to me. I cannot afford to go private or would in a second, but being a carer to my partner prevents me working and they are far to expensive. I class my self as the little people that the big people like the priminister and co, tend to forget about, and they concentrate on the workers, house buyers, such like, I know these people work very hard and fair play to them, but what about us? yes some are not working but some of us are not working because the system prevents us from working, if you become a carer you get 40 a week from the disability office, and you are only allowed to earn something like £15 pounds a week on top anything else is classed as cheating the system? where is the fairness, I class caring for my partner as a blessing he is alive and I love him and would not change a thing if asked, but if we are being paid £40, a week, then this is obviously classed as employment and surely the legal wage should be brought in for us too?

Ten we would be able to go private, and all the other treatments we require along with dentistry? I know I am going off subject but a lot needs to be said about all of this and nobody apart from the people on here today is listening to the "little people" like me. I hope I have not offended anyone with my comments this is all my own opinion.

[sandra bridger Oct 15, 2007 6:38:53 PM]

I think it is discusting i watched sky news earlier about an old lady having to pull her own teeth out as she couldnt get a dentist and the news headlines underneath read Britain is the most welcoming country to immigrants how disgusting is this the government have forgotten they are there to do our bidding and not what they want its about time the real people of britain had a vote on such devastating effects on our country

[manny chohan Oct 15, 2007 5:14:22 PM]

I am registered with a NHS dentist in grantham but no appointments were available. I eas told that if i needed to see a dentist that day i would have to go private, so I made a appointment due to a lot off pain i was having. when I arrived at the dentist, I saw my NHS dentist as a private patanct. I think dentists are cancelling NHS appointments to treat private appointments which makes more money.

[Ian Devon Oct 15, 2007 4:34:13 PM]

.....and yet we are aware of many willing and very capable dentists on our doorstep desperate to practice who are prevented from doing so! Even though my wife took 6 years to qualify as a dentist (all of her studies being taught IN ENGLISH) and has several years of experience behind her, because her degree was gained outside of the EU, she has to sit qualifying exams which can take years to pass and are very expensive. Unlike many other EU countries, there is little or no help here in the UK to encourage this skilled and willing workforce in to employment that would relieve some of the pressure on the NHS. On the contrary, the General Dentistry Council seem to be making it more difficult for non-EU dentists to register in the UK and even closed the qualifying exam to new entrants for over a year. Rather than waste money recruiting dentists from overseas, how about trying to help non-UK qualified dentists already legally resident here and paying taxes? We would encourage the GDC to replace the qualifying exam with university based courses and if, as they claim, patient safety is at the top of the GDC agenda, then shouldn't anyone wishing to become a dentist in this country have to prove both their proficiency in English and the necessary skills in dentistry, whether they are from the EU or not?

[Emma North London Oct 15, 2007 3:55:15 PM]

It took me 3 years to finda NSH dentist but now thankfully I have. It cost me £43.50 for work which incuded several filings and a tooth extraction (wisdom tooth)which I think is good going. I think its madness that there aren't that many around, its not like the demand isn't there.

In the past I have gone private as I would never dream of doing something as extreme as having a go myself as teeth are so important

[Ollie Wilson Oct 15, 2007 3:49:11 PM]

I had a wisdom tooth infection so I phoned my NHS dentist to book in - they'd struck me off without telling me. I had to ring around for ages and eventually got in to a private dentist. Clean, friendly and the only time I've ever been seen early. I was fearing the worst with the price and it turned out to be cheaper than my NHS dentist. £10 for the check-up, £6 for the prescription. I have since taken out private health insurance.

[Bea Kayani, London Oct 15, 2007 3:17:26 PM]

Its quite alarming when news of people pulling their teeth and gluing their crowns etc appear when in reality there is no shortage of dentists in UK. Dental Schools have increased their intake by 25% and there is a talk of unemployment for dentists for the first time ever. The current situation is the result of the new nGDS Dental contract. The Primary Care Trusts have capped the dental services and they decide when and where a dental practice opens and how many dentists a dental practice can employ.
The Labour Government should review the new contract giving incentive to the NHS dentists and patients alike. The Government should also help the most dedicated NHS workforce in the form of those British Citizens and Residents who have gained their qualification outside EU and are requalifying in UK because they are facing hurdles at evey stage just to be able to work in NHS.

[John Oct 15, 2007 2:02:02 PM]

I cannot get access to an NHS dentist, so have had no choice but to go private. My gripe is not so much about going private, but more to do with the costs that are incurred in treatment and maintenance. Great Britain is seen as having the worst teeth in the world, you only have to watch The Simpsons when Lisa has to go and see the dentist and he brings out the book of Great British smiles! I don't mind paying, but I think dentists charge too much for what is a necessity. I also do not like having amalgams, so choose to have white fillings/inlays, as this is seen as cosmetic dentists charge through the roof! However, since when does anyone want to see great big dirty metal fillings in your mouth, its barbaric!

[Mike, Reading Oct 15, 2007 1:43:53 PM]

I'm not surprised at all about how bad it is, I came here from South Africa and had to find a dentist in Kent when I cracked a tooth, the guy charged me £20 and once the anaesthetic wore off I found that as he had not taken a cast of my teeth he had overfilled the tooth by quite a margin, the result being that I could not close my jaw properly! After about 2 days I'd had enough and I pulled the tooth out with a pair of pliers - after a few beers to make it less painful, of course :)

[Garry - Chichester Oct 15, 2007 1:39:09 PM]

Well done British government - your continued underfunding of the NHS and your insistence of sticking with an outmoded infrastructure that is creaking at the seams means we are that much closer to the whole thing imploding. With our National Insurance Contribution we are paying for a dentist service we cannot access. I have had to take myself and my family private as my dentist stopped all NHS treatment as it was too much to administer. My choices were, self dentistry, or pay private? will I get a discount on my NI contributions? Not a chance. I would love it if i could opt out of paying my NI contributions and put the money into a medical and dental plan. They stick to this romantic and idealistic vision of the NHS being this fabulous free service for all - but remember, we are ultimately paying for this service through our NI. if we were paying this money into a private health plan and we had to resort to extracting our own teeth, there would be uproar, but that's what we are doing..paying into a health plan that is failing to deliver us a level of service we should all demand. Basic dentistry should be accessible to all - not just those that can afford to go private. No wonder the brits teeth have always been considered a joke by countries like the USA.

[Suzanne, Manchester UK Oct 15, 2007 1:27:10 PM]

I agree with most people on here that it is very difficult to find an NHS dentist. I was registered with one who decided to close without actually informing any of his clients.

I had no choice but to register with a private practice which is now costing me over £2000.00 to have just a few fillings and a crown!! I am very happy with the service and treatment i get but I'm sure paying more than enough for it.

One thing i would recommend to help with costs is the HSA dental plan which is £17 a month and you receive 75% of your treatment cost back!

[Faith, London Oct 15, 2007 12:45:50 PM]

Hearing complaints about shortage of dentists in the NHS is so distressing for me as a dentist & hundreds of my colleagues who like me are British citizens or permanent residents but are not given the opportunity to help the growing citizens who cry for dental help daily. This is simply because our degrees are from non-EU states & we are therefore subjected to lengthened unfair exams which take years &years to get our names on the UK register. Meanwhile, dentists are being recruited for immediate start from other EU non-speaking English countries whose dental schools just few years back was deemed unfit to even accept them to take these qualifying exams. Why is it that the government have closed their eyes to such an opportunity to help the people, rendering people in my group helpless when indeed we can be of great help. This is an issue to really look into if they are ready to provide solutions.

[Kim Hampshire Oct 15, 2007 12:28:38 PM]

Hi I can not get an NHS dentist in my area, I have been trying for 3 yrs. I was registered with an NHS dentist who dumped all his patients unless they joined a very expensive dental insurance company which I cannot afford. I have looked at the costs again and again I simply have not go the money to pay for private medical care for my family. A whole generation of Children are going to grow up without dental care as no provision has been made for them.

[Paul, London Oct 15, 2007 12:27:14 PM]

Does Tony Blair or Gordon Brown have to pull their own teeth out ? They've really improved things for people using NHS dentists since 1997.