11-year-old has not seen Dentist for over 12 months!

All I can think of is how bad the Queen’s teeth are (dark front teeth!) 🙄 If she can’t afford to go to the dentist, how can anybody afford to go?

Gundy - I think you're not UK based (can't remember where you are) but over here we aren't so bothered about the colour of teeth if they are strong and healthy - though I admit whitening is creeping in.
My 99 year old mother-in-law has not-very-white teeth but they are in good condition- so that's good enough for her. My son, living in America, with fantastic strong and no-filling teeth is whitening them for his wedding! 🙄

Anything America does we will surely follow here eventually!

NotSpaghetti
Some people are just deathly afraid of dentists, I suspect the Queen is one of them, as I cannot believe she would take on such a highly visible role without wanting to look her best.

Her problem (whether naturally dark yet healthy, or whether she has teeth with old fillings) is so easily fixable. She’d smile much more broadly and happily even if it’s just a cosmetic treatment. Come on, she’s the Queen!! But maybe she’s afraid just like an 11 yr old could be.

Look at the work Kate has had - she looks confident and glorious every time she smiles. 😃
USA Gundy

Quite off topic but I don't like seeing older people flashing a dazzling white smile, it looks ridiculous and very unnatural . Plenty of older celebrities are guilty of buying themselves perfect, ice white gnashers. In reality, teeth aren't that white & certainly not after life has happened to them!

the disabling professions by ivan illich forgot to mention dentists in it, but i dont imagine he saw it coming. ITs a national disgrace for one of the richest countries in the world

I've been going to private dentists since I was 21 and was surprised to find recently that having a filling was really not much more expensive with my dentist compared to his NHS patients. It's a big practice and very efficiently run.

I remember when there was a School dentist visiting schools on a regular basis. Has that all stopped now?

susytish

I remember when there was a School dentist visiting schools on a regular basis. Has that all stopped now?

My oldest child is 32.....was no school dentists when he was a chilf

susytish

I remember when there was a School dentist visiting schools on a regular basis. Has that all stopped now?

Well, my oldest is late 40s and there were no school dentists then either!

B9exchange If lucky enough to have or find an NHS dentist, the new regulations will, from 1st November change 6 month check ups to yearly in Scotland. I have friends in Scotland, different areas, and yes, all changed to private.

The frequency with which one needs to visit a dentist depends on how strong your teeth are and how well you look after them. I'm lucky to have strong teeth and was told many years ago that I need only go every 2 years. I had a couple of small fillings when I was younger and neglected them. Since then the only treatment has been when these very old fillings eventually broke. One was repaired but then broke again and I needed a crown which was very expensive. Part of the cost was covered by medical cover paid for by my workplace but since retiring I go less frequently again due to the cost! This thread has reminded me that I recently had a text reminding me I was due a visit. My dentist is NHS so they do sometimes send out reminders! I must book an appointment next week.

Sadly if you are not blessed with strong teeth the present situation will result in people being unable to get the checks and treatment they need. We are not all the same and if the OP's grandson has an appointment booked I'd wait for that to come round if he is not experiencing any actual problems.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

@USA Gundy and Hithere, despite the old myths, British teeth are statistically better than American teeth these days. We don't generally want the Hollywood smile as it looks unnatural to us, especially as we get older. I believe that British teeth are better than Australian teeth these days too, Nanna8. We have come a very long way from the days of drillem and fillem, which was how many NHS dentists seemed to operate in the fifties, sixties and seventies. I believe school dentists were the worst for this. I would imagine the dark coluring on the Queen's teeth is probably due to het lifelong habit of smoking, which she has successfully given up.
Hithere, you obviously have issues with your own parents/inlaws but many people live in happy families, where questions are only asked out of concern. You seem to delight in being deliberately provocative at times.

I think I read she'd had them "dealt with" tbh.

BlueBelle

Oh Hithere that’s totally irrelevant the mother has secured a dental appointment the child has no known problems the dad is working All is well
If someone posted about a baby seagull falling out it’s nest you’d say well it’s the male seagulls fault as much as the mothers You are just so stuck

I wonder how your seagull is?

Yes, unbelievable; sometimes one parent just has more time than another to deal with these things.

Hithere there was absolutely no reason for your posts which are irrelevant and just seem designed to stir.

I agree with you Call I feel the post was goady and stirring. No need, this post is about a Grandmother trying to help.

grandtanteJE65

Tattooedfidelma

My 34 year old son lives in Manchester and hasn’t seen a dentist for 10 years. His NHS dentist changed to private treatment only and he couldn’t afford to pay. Rang every dentist in the area and couldn’t find one to take him on. Luckily he eats a healthy diet and looks after his teeth but has admitted that he has no idea what he would do if he had an issue.

All he can do is go to some other country on a short break and see a dentist there.

Dental treatment is very expensive in Denmark, so depending in which part of the country they live a lot of Danes have a dentist in Poland, Sweden or Germany.

That is interesting - I find Swedish dental prices very high. It's around £80-100 for a check up and you have to pay full costs up to £250 before you qualify for a government subsidy. although I get a government discount of £25 per year.

In Sweden most children only see the dentist every 2 years unless you are assessed as high risk at the first examination as a 1 year old.

Latest research on fluoride is very negative Not good at all.
Here in AUS public dentist has 1 yr wait list
Private is astronomical cost So most folk never go unless it’s an emergency

Tamayra - I'd be interested to know about the latest research you have read as I used to be sceptical about fluoride use and am still interested in it. I know in the UK it was (probably still is) an industrial by-product which businesses used to have to basically pay to get rid of because they had to dilute it to safe levels.

I started looking out for research on fluoride in 1978 and have revisited it occasionally to date. The more recent studies however (now the "dosage" has been firmly established), seem to be universally in favour - especially of topical use for remineralisation without side-effects. Poisoning is extremely rare - I think a child would have to eat more than a whole tube of toothpaste for example.

I was hostile to adding it to the water supply and confess I still see this as "mass medication" which in principle I'm against, but the statistics in favour of fluoridated water are hard to deny (and are supported by the evidence from states which withdrew fluoride in water).

This is the most recent study (a literature review) which I can find (and it is old):

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851520/

There was an alarmist (and not peer-reviewed) piece published about 18 months ago (?) citing an older study (also not peer reviewed) which maintained brain development and behaviour were impacted by fluoride. This "info" got into the media but was disproved by peer reviewed studies from Australia and Spain. The Australian study (Jan. 2023) was a longitudinal study into the executive functioning and emotional and behavioral development of children in relation to fluoride. It found no problem with fluoride at the currently accepted concentrations.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00220345221119431?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

So I would be interested to know what you found. Always open to new info!
Thanks!

I am thinking the same, why on earth ring 111 there is no emergency is there?

It’s all a bit irrelevant
The child’s mother has secured the appointment for a couple of months time
ringing 111 was ridiculous and a knee jerk reaction
Stop worrying Shinamae most children only have a check up once a year he ll be fine

Gundy
Why do you assume that Kate has had work done to her teeth?
For most of my adult life I had beautiful teeth until I was in my 70s and receding gums set in.
People often assumed I’d had work done.

BlueBelle

It’s all a bit irrelevant
The child’s mother has secured the appointment for a couple of months time
ringing 111 was ridiculous and a knee jerk reaction
Stop worrying Shinamae most children only have a check up once a year he ll be fine

I hardly think it was ridiculous bluebell,nasty comment!

I very much doubt if the Queen is deathly afraid of dentists Gundy.

She looks too ‘no nonsense’ than that.

Tenko

It’s not a right to be seen every 6 months but it’s NICE guidelines for children to have a 6 month check. Nhs dentists don’t send out reminders , so it’s down to the patient or parents .if you want a 6 month appointment you often need to book it as you leave after your appointment.
Nhs dentists are extremely busy and often have a 3 month wait for an appointment especially if you want a specific time , such as after school /work .
I’m afraid 111 won’t do anything, they’re medical not dental .if your GS is in pain his dentist should see him as an emergency. All nhs dentists have emergency slots but you have to call early .
To help the shortage of nhs dentists . Dental Therapists are now allowed to do checkups. So you could enquire about this .

111 will give you a dental emergency number to call. My dentist surgery sends reminders. Some are helpful, many are not. Shocking state of affairs.