Why good dental hygiene is so important.

No free dentistry here in Australia
Had an extraction & it cost me nearly $400
Ouch !

I would love to do and see a dentist i cant afford it I earn too much but my earning cover rent and bills only. We live frugal so dont know what else I can do

I am lucky because I have an NHS dentist and she is lovely. I went on Wednesday and I was in and out in a few minutes because everything was fine, just a gentle reminder to be extra careful with brushing the gums above my front teeth. We have appointments every ten months (which usually ends up around once a year in practice), which is fine for generally healthy teeth. I needed a filling last year - the first for around a decade and it was so easy: painless from beginning to end. I think our age groups have to be particularly careful, in part because of over-enthusiastic dental treatment in years gone by. The wartime and postwar generations have been called the heavy metal generations because of the amount of often unnecessary treatment given.

I agree that the twice yearly NHS dental mouth check is not enough.

For me, the game changer was in an emergency paying for a private assessment with an established dentist who removed a very diseased tooth - rather repeat root canal treatment recommended by my then NHS dentist - & immediately referred me on to a periodontal specialist as although my teeth were OK enough, I had advanced gum disease.

I embarked upon a strict remedial plan with an experienced dental hygienist, learned far better how to look after my mouth & teeth. I now have a clean bill of dental health.

Overall my health has improved, no more bleeding gums, tooth tenderness, mouth soreness or teeth sensitive to cold.
Cost a fortune at the time - had to cancel any holidays plans & discretionary spends for a couple of years - but overall the cost & effort has been well worth it.

My teeth look bright & clean, my mouth feels good, I have a great smile & feel better in myself.

Because I cannot get to see an NHS dental hygienist, I have hard coded into my budget the routine private appointments.

The NHS dental payment schema is deeply flawed, the dental profession is no more happy about this than are patients.

It is a disgrace that state provision of dental care is so patchy & variable.

My OH fell out with our Private Dentist after being quoted hundreds for treatment.
He managed to get in with a NHS Dentist by one of his friends, who asked the Dentist to do him and OH a favour.
Telling you this as a piece of advice. Try this tactic - which depends on the Dentist of course - for what can you lose?

grannydarkhair Scotland gets free or cheaper medical and dental care on the NHS than we do in England. I think it was a kind of 'bribe' to get you to stay in the Union.
Our NHS dental care is divided into 3 bands and pensioners pay these charges too.
Band 1 costs £23.80 and covers examinations, xrays, scale and polish.
Band 2 costs around £65.20 and covers things like fillings and extractions.
Band 3 costs £282 and covers crowns and dentures etc.

Pensioners do get free prescriptions and I'm not sure what people under pension age pay for theirs. I think its in the region of £9 per ITEM.
So we are very envious of your NHS service, and some of us wouldn't mind if Scotland broke from the rest of the UK.
(sorry - that's not getting at you personally although it may have sounded like it )

Over the years many of my dentists have retired and this has just happened again. I dread going to a new one.
I've gone to private dentists for years and don't think I could find an NHS one around here.
I think the comment about taking teeth out rather than attempting another treatment is right, this has happened to my daughter.

Has anyone else tried a waterpik? It seems as if as I've got older I have lot more little crevices in my teeth and I was struggling with flossing. It's great now - anytime I get any bits or meat fibres stuck I just use my waterpik and my mouth feels a lot fresher. I still use my electric toothbrush twice a day too.

ExDancer

grannydarkhair Scotland gets free or cheaper medical and dental care on the NHS than we do in England. I think it was a kind of 'bribe' to get you to stay in the Union.
Our NHS dental care is divided into 3 bands and pensioners pay these charges too.
Band 1 costs £23.80 and covers examinations, xrays, scale and polish.
Band 2 costs around £65.20 and covers things like fillings and extractions.
Band 3 costs £282 and covers crowns and dentures etc.

Pensioners do get free prescriptions and I'm not sure what people under pension age pay for theirs. I think its in the region of £9 per ITEM.
So we are very envious of your NHS service, and some of us wouldn't mind if Scotland broke from the rest of the UK.
(sorry - that's not getting at you personally although it may have sounded like it )

I hadn't realised our check ups are free but now I know so thanks for the info. It's only the check up that's free. Also prescriptions are free which means if you have a lot of medications you don't have to choose which you can afford. My dentist has only starting seeing patients again recently and is not taking on anyone new. DGS2 has never seen a dentist yet as his Mummy's practice is only seeing emergencies. Does anyone else feel the all these services have gone back to what it was like many years ago?
To start another point - when I started nurse training in 1974, it was the junior nurse's job in a medical ward to go round cleaning the older patient's false teeth. Now most people have most or all of their own teeth! I used to enjoy that job ? When I think of it now - we didn't wear gloves, sometimes had 2 people's sets at the same time and I liked getting rid of the stuck on food ? and I'm surprised more people didn't get the wrong set back!!!

I use denplan and it costs £38 a month. For that I have three monthly checkups. My teeth are old and not terribly good but having regular dental checks is essential.
Recently I had the upper back tooth removed and to my amazement A wisdom tooth is coming down rapidly. I am 62. I joked that the wisdom tooth might erupt as I knew it was there and my dentist said that never happens. Anyone else with a growing wisdom tooth?

ExDancer

I have just lost (another) filling and am dreading the coming expense.
I know I will be charged whatever the rate is for band One which is quite a chunk out of my basic state pension of £115.35.
Tell me, are there really bad dentists and have I got one?
My old dentist used to check around my mouth each visit and say things like 'we'll keep an eye on that one - tell me if it gives any trouble' - but since he retired and sold out to group I feel, as one of their few remaining NHS patients, I get minimal care.
My teeth are a mess, I've had two recently broken off at the gums and one is at the front. The only treatment has been to remove them, no check on the remaining teeth, just pressure to go private as "NHS dentures are rubbish", and I'm given details of Denplan.
I've looked, but cannot find another NHS dentist.

I don’t know whether you’re eligable for pension credit but do look into it if you haven’t already. The benefit itself isn’t much but it carries other benefits like free dental care which is worth a lot.

I had a check up yesterday and it cost me £23 on the NHS.

By the time I was 18 I had already lost several teeth to decay. I had to go to the dental hospital as all 4 wisdom teeth were in trouble. Students gathered round while the dentist examined my mouth and politely said that I had heavily conserved teeth. In plain speak ....a mouth full of fillings.

When we moved to Devon it was impossible to find an NHS dentist for myself and my children. In the end we found a private dentist who was willing to treat the children free as they had perfect teeth ( still have) and I went onto Denplan. One of my better life decisions.

Last year,at 70, I had problems with my left ear but was surprised when the doctor sent me to the dental hospital again. Turned out I have arthritis in my jaw. To my amazement there were students there again peering into my mouth and the dentist said....well this lady has obviously looked after her teeth. I had managed not to have any more fillings as I had bought an electric toothbrush and mouthwash, interdens and floss.

Same teeth but 52 years later that was something to celebrate.

I gave up my NHS dentist a couple of years ago. Mad probably but I knew my teeth were getting worse and worse; falling out, crumbling etc. He always said oh just keep cleaning and come back in 6 months. I decided to bite the bullet and walk 100 yards up the road to a private dental practice. What a difference, brilliant, hard working dentists who really seem to care about what they are doing. Consequently I spent a lot but I’m paying it off gently over 5 years. You cannot put a price on dental health (well, you can of course) but I’ve seen old women with no teeth and it’s not a look I like.

Going off piste a little. Yesterday I arrived 3 minutes late for my dental check up as I had a deal of trouble parking. I waited 5 mins in the waiting room before I was told by the receptionist he could not see me because I was late. I have waited 3 months for this appointment. On many occasion, I have sat in the waiting room for 10/15/20 minutes before being seen but I was not allowed 3 minutes. I will not be late for the next one.

Round here all the dentists have gone private. My son in Gloucestershire had a letter to say his dentist is no longer doing NHS but can pay £240 a year to stay on his books.

I was at the dentist yesterday ( NHS), I overheard the receptionist telling someone the earliest appointment she could give them was October even though they had been prescribed Antibiotics as an emergency by the out of hours service. My dentist is a mix of NHS & Private . In Wales we are only giving yearly appointment now.

I’m a bit sceptical of all these claims - these seem to include all diseases known and unknown to man. In fact the biggest cause of death is living!

I moved to Scotland in 2021 and haven't been able to find an NHS Dentist at all (I'm in the Northern Highlands).

I have two broken teeth and cannot afford a private Dentist (None of these in my nearest town, either).

I pay £16 per month, through a dental plan. for 2 checkups, 2 hygienist visits and 15% off treatments. But this week, following 2 abscessess's under a crowned back molar I had an extraction at a new NHS dental facility attached to the hospital, and the treatment was free. Amazing..

Is anyone able to recommend dental plans by name and price please? Still, 18 months on, we're on the waiting list to be put on the waiting list for appointments... that may take who knows how long before an appointment comes through. At least the GCs are seen and my DDs, but we oldies don't seem to be having any luck.

paddyann54

Grannydarkhair we have free checkups for everyone in Scotland which means folk dont have to wait until they are in pain to get their teeth looked at.Same with eye tests ,free, that waythings that could cause problems further down the line are caught early

I often feel that scans and other yearly check ups medically could save the NHS a fortune in the long run. Catching things early and treating them before they become a problem and you are showing symptoms

Tamayra

No free dentistry here in Australia
Had an extraction & it cost me nearly $400
Ouch !

Not even for children. DD and SIL are having to pay a lot for DGS to have extractions and a brace.

Mind you, the NHS dentist here in Wales refused to see DGD for 2 years due to Covid and they had to go privately for extractions under anaesthetic and for a brace.
Funny that a private dentist would see her but the NHS one couldn't.

Just on Tuesday I got emergency appointment at dentist same day! I'd some really painful toothache and as I have all but one of my original gnashers that are frankly perfection (allme own!) It's unusual to have a he's? He x-rayed and said I'd probably been grinding them (!) I agreed as I've done it before and I'm a bit unsettled at mo. But he didn't charge me for x-ray. He often lets me off without any charge to checkup . I've sneaky feeling he's rewarding my diligence and care I've always taken with me teeth?! ....or maybe he's forgetful......

My dentist went Private only except for children. I had 3 tricky fillings one under a cap. My bill was just over £800. We’re sensitive for months. He said there was no more he could do and he could refer me to an expert. I told him I thought he was the expert, “oh no” was his curt response. The business folded a few weeks later. Another dentist has taken over and takes NHS.
Trouble is we don’t know how good a dentist is!