Rotten English Teeth

Probably not, Bagitha, but I'm afraid my experience has not matched yours. I was perfectly happy with my dentist (not the one I had in childhood, who disliked children and made no bones about it!), until I took my then 2 or 3 year old DD to have her teeth checked and he decided she'd have to have them all out . I immediately moved to another practice who did not take that view, and she had everything, including orthodontic treatment, on the NHS.

Several years ago, however, my current dentist went private and now he won't take on children, so DD is left trying to find an NHS dentist for herself and her twins, or another private practice which will treat children. The expense is not inconsiderable for a woman on a very modest income.

The more I read of other people's experiences with dentists, the more I realise I have been very fortunate.

That's the thing Bagitha, one only gets to hear about bad experiences not positive ones.

Bagitha when I lived in the USA I noticed how much sugar my relatives children ate. Just the same as us in the Uk but with one big difference. Over in the USA the children brushed after every meal because of the cost of going to the dentist in the USA is so high if you need something done. In 1986 my cousin took her daughter to the dentist for a check up and is cost her $84. some of the cost is reclaimed from insurance but they have to pay first so my family always made sure the kids brushed after eating food. Sweet drinks etc were for the weekend only unless it was a special occasional like a birthday or a visit to grandmas. I brought my daughter up with the same rules as we saw in the USA except when she was in school. Out of school she always brushed after every meal and she has lovely teeth. I have taken it to the extreme now as I brush our Yorkshire Terriers teeth every weekend as our previous Yorkie had awful teeth and don't get me started on the smell. Vet is also thankful fro this routine. :-)

My childrens and grandchildrens teeth are good. I always took my children to the dentist regularly and they now take their children. They do not seem to have a problem getting a NHS dentist. However when I was young I only saw the school dentist. Luckily I did not have a sweet tooth so my teeth did not need a lot of attention. My mum was not a great one for buying me toothbrushes and I did not regularly brush my teeth. When I was 16 and started work I started going to the dentist regularly but was told by one dentist that I suffered from gingervitis and would lose all my teeth. I am now quite old and have only lost 3 teeth, still have all the rest. I put this down to having had several really good dentists over the years and not having a sweet tooth. Or, just good luck. Oh, I think using an electric toothbrush really helps too.

chuckles, I wonder if the perceived difference between American teeth and British teeth is down to taking care of them oneself rather than visiting dentists (though I'm not knocking that). As for cost, well the private dentist I had, who had been my NHS dentist for many years and was very good, cost me at a time when I was least well off, but I reckoned it was worth it. I just accepted that it would mean going without some other things that I regarded as less important in the long run. In short, I wonder how much is about attitudes rather than anything else.

Dentistry is bound to be expensive because it is so high tech and needs a well qualified practitioner. We just need to accept that, I think, and you either pay through taxation or through insurance. Which brings me to wondering how poor people in the States manage? Presumably they have less or no dental insurance. What happens when they get toothache?