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

(82 Posts)
Shinamae Thu 10-Aug-23 12:02:17

I was astonished when my grandson’s mum told me this.I thought it was the right of every child to have a dental check up every six months, or is that too a thing of the past? šŸ¤¦ā€ā™€ļø
I then rang my private dentist to see if they would take him on but as his mother is not one of their patients they won’t, I am by no means well off but would pay to get him to see a Dentist..

Jaberwok Tue 15-Aug-23 13:08:52

I must admit that I have never been aware of our Queens teeth looking anything out of the ordinary for a lady of 76 years. To have flashing white teeth at her age would in my opinion look totally ridiculous. No, I doubt very much that she is terrified of Dentists! She's far too sensible, and matter of a fact to be afflicted in that respect.Catherine (not Kate) is 41 years old and maybe does whiten her teeth,though I doubt at her age it's necessary. No, I don't think you can ring 111, unless it's for an emergency, particularly if you already have an appointment booked!!

Shelmiss Sat 12-Aug-23 11:31:39

So Shinamae you rang 111 because the appointment had been moved on by a couple of months? And not because he needed emergency dental treatment?

Unless I’ve completely misunderstood, then yes, ringing 111 is ridiculous.

Theexwife Sat 12-Aug-23 11:21:23

Probably a good thing that you could not get through on 111, they would not have been happy that you called a busy NHS service to complain about not getting an appointment for a check-up before the one you have in two months' time, especially when there are no problems with the child's teeth.

Jillykins3 Sat 12-Aug-23 10:58:36

So ..let's get this into perspective. An 11 year old boy (who at this present time actually has no dental problems) finds that his NHS dental check up has been cancelled for two months .The grandmother (not the parent)
takes it upon herself to ring 111.....then complains because she can not get through after waiting for ages.Lets hope the reason for that is not because other people are ringing 111 for other non urgent reasons whilst someone who really needs help goes without.

Callistemon21 Sat 12-Aug-23 10:18:09

NotSpaghetti

I think Kate had micro-rotations.
I read it somewhere ages ago Meryl

I think I need those.
Am I too old?

NotSpaghetti Sat 12-Aug-23 09:54:42

I think Kate had micro-rotations.
I read it somewhere ages ago Meryl

Freya5 Sat 12-Aug-23 09:46:05

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.

Calendargirl Sat 12-Aug-23 09:09:27

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

She looks too ā€˜no nonsense’ than that.

Shinamae Sat 12-Aug-23 08:49:20

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!

MerylStreep Sat 12-Aug-23 08:25:07

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 Sat 12-Aug-23 08:12:13

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

Ellymae Sat 12-Aug-23 07:58:20

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

NotSpaghetti Sat 12-Aug-23 06:22:52

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!

Tamayra Sat 12-Aug-23 00:25:44

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

Cold Fri 11-Aug-23 23:49:19

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.

rafichagran Fri 11-Aug-23 23:21:05

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

Callistemon21 Fri 11-Aug-23 22:41:12

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.

NotSpaghetti Fri 11-Aug-23 22:33:04

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

Musicgirl Fri 11-Aug-23 21:17:41

@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.

Biggs Fri 11-Aug-23 19:45:45

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jocork Fri 11-Aug-23 18:45:58

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.

4allweknow Fri 11-Aug-23 18:43:40

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.

Callistemon21 Fri 11-Aug-23 17:01:39

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!

LOUISA1523 Fri 11-Aug-23 16:58:30

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 Fri 11-Aug-23 16:43:21

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