BUPA NHS dental work cost £500!

I’m with an NHS dentist and recently had a crown fitted.
But because I went with the non NHS option was £550, which had to paid up front, plus the appointment charge!!
As for my GP Surgery I can't fault them 😬

Mel1967

I’m with an NHS dentist and recently had a crown fitted.
But because I went with the non NHS option was £550, which had to paid up front, plus the appointment charge!!
As for my GP Surgery I can't fault them 😬

Have to add I can’t fault my Dentist, but I really don’t like the Nurse who talks to me as though I were a 2 year old 👶

Crikey!!! I went to a private dentist a few years ago & they gave me a print out with everything that would be done at a schedule of appointments and the price of each, that was much more professional. I just think since the Tories don't want the NHS if they get into power again they will probably extend this to the GP service so most people won't be able to afford it

I have an NHS contract with my dentist but a fat lot of good it done me ,back in October my dentures broke, as I had a check up appointment coming up I would get it sorted then , when I went to see them he said he couldn't replace my dentures, they never fitted properly , only repair them and it would take 3 weeks , which would mean I would have no front upper teeth for that amount of time, but if I went private I could have a completely new set at a cost of £859, I gulped at the cost as the maximum I would have paid on the NHS was £200. No impression was done it was all done with a laser type pen and my teeth and the gaps marked out on a screen. The new set arrived back , I must say they fit much better and don't wobble like the last ones did. But I have been told since , by someone that was working for a different dental practice, that the 3 weeks I was quoted was untrue and they could be back in 3 days, which I would have managed with. The dentist I am with is part of a huge company and have recently moved into bigger premises with about 15 dentist in one building . All the players in the new building refer to the private work they offer and they no longer display the NHS price list like they used to in the old place. It is definitely privatisation by the back door,

Posters not players

There are 3 price tiers of dental treatment with the nhs which should be displayed where they can be seen.
Will have a look tomorrow as I have an appointment.

I had a crown a few years ago and it cost about £180 on the nhs,

I’ve been trying to get my 2x remaining bottom teeth removed for over a year. I can’t use them as they are so wobbly.
One of my grandchildren recently removed her own hurting tooth by the old fashioned string and door method.
I’m tempted to do the same myself as no way am I paying £400 to anyone to do something so simple.
20 yrs ago a NHS dentist removed a similar wobbly tooth by getting an assistant to press down heavily on my gum while he removed it. No anaesthetic. No pain just a big tug. He didn’t charge me but said I should drop in a few packets of biscuits for their tea break.
Oh how I wish there were still dentists like that about.

Here are the NHS dental charges. There are three bands and you should not have paid more than £306.80. There is a link telling you what you get for each band:
www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/dental-costs/how-much-will-i-pay-for-nhs-dental-treatment/

Before starting treatment the dentist should explain the charges and complete an NHS Personal Dental Treatment Plan which you sign. If anything was being done privately this should have been made clear.

I've not been able to register with an NHS dentist for years but don't mind paying more if I get good treatment, which the OP clearly didn't.
Our latest dentist always give a quote before doing the work, takes a lot of trouble and honestly doesn't seem to charge much more than I would expect to pay on the NHS. I've had a couple of tender teeth refilled recently and he tested the height after he'd finished. Total cost under £100.
My dentists always seem to retire relatively young so I am dreading having to find somebody new before long.

My dentist has changed to private, so prices are astronomical now. I have a very receded gum, which is very sensitive, so keep using Sensodyn. and two horrible discoloured teeth, but it's soo expensive. Know I'm not the only one by far who now doesn't dare use the dentist unless it's really really necessary.

This says that with NHS work carried out by BUPA in England, the NHS subsidises the cost and the patient pays the rest. I don’t think your solicitor gave you the best advice. www.bupa.co.uk/dental/dental-care/services/nhs-services

spabbygirl

We have no-one taking NHS dental patients round here so when I saw BUPA Oxford were taking NHS patents I thought that sounds great, I can have a nice day out in Oxford & mix it with the occasional paid work I do. So I went for a checkup & the dentist said I needed lots of work done but if I booked an hour appointment he could get the NHS work done. I was fine with that & booked the appt to get the NHS work done. Once that was finished I went to pay expecting it to be about £70 but it was over £500!!!! And an extra £30 as a deposit for my next visit!!! I felt so lousy & my mouth sore I just paid it on my credit card & left. As the anaesthetic wore off I could feel one of my repaired teeth was so high I couldn't chew, cos none of the other teeth were meeting.
I rang and asked for an emergency appt but was told there were none till the following weds, this was Saturday & they were open. I begged for an earlier appt & explained, but was told there were none and I'd have to wait to ring on Monday. I spent the whole weekend unable to chew and almost choking on my food which had to be pureed, so I emailed the practice manager really, really cross now & thinking she'd get my email 1st thing Monday, but I heard nothing and eventually on Monday late morning I rang & got an appt. that afternoon.
This dentist was much more careful & tested my teeth with bits of paper that I had to bite on so she could see how well my teeth were meeting, which the other dentist hadn't done nor did he ask how they felt, and now they're ok. This dentist did say one of the new teeth was very high.
I posted on trust pilot about their service and head office apologised & the practice manager rang and said did I really want to complain and I said yes.
My complaint is two fold, first about the charge, it wasn't NHS charge at all, and the dentist who was very slapdash & more interested in talking to the dental nurse than me.
Over a month later I've still heard nothing except for a brief note from head office saying they'll get back to me. A solicitor said I should have the £500 back plus £100 for the extra cost of driving into them to have their woke repaired.
If the Tories get in again next time this will be what they do to our GP service now - God help us! Am I alone in this type of experience?

What makes you think Labour are any different? Blair OPENED the doors, he said ALL welcome and because of bleeding hearts, not one person except Braverman had the balls to say ENOUGH!! The NHS was created for the people of this country and between those who have no right to be here, and groups that think certain treatments should be done for free, the ALL governments think nothing of bleeding the taxpayers WITHOUT asking us if we'd mind! So Labour win, what then for BIOLOGICAL WOMEN'S RIGHTS? You can probably say goodbye to BIOLOGICAL women ever feeling safe again!

Labour are just as bad and the problem is there isn't a decent 3rd choice!

bring back the nhs dentistry, people pay into the service, so it should pay out. We are seeing the nhs being systematically destroyed , when is this rot going to end? We were banging pots and pans every thursday in 2020 for the nhs,now we are struggling to see a doctor,the complaints go on and on. Do we want a health system like the USA or none at all?
i live in hope........

spabbygirl

Crikey!!! I went to a private dentist a few years ago & they gave me a print out with everything that would be done at a schedule of appointments and the price of each, that was much more professional. I just think since the Tories don't want the NHS if they get into power again they will probably extend this to the GP service so most people won't be able to afford it

Why do you think the Conservatives, proper name, don't want the NHS. That statement is silly , they could have got rid of it long ago, yes?Remember it was war monger Blair that increased private out sourcing. The private sector works well in the EU, beloved by many on here. alongside state funding, why can't it here.? It does. Provides NHS patients with choice.

I've had both private and NHS and a few years ago a private one offered to 'save' a front tooth by putting on a veneer. I wanted a second opinion and went elsewhere and they offered to clean off the offending brown spot and 15 years later the tooth is still fine, so I guess a narrow escape there. My previous dentist charged privately but not much more than NHS would have cost and my current dentist is NHS and excellent. Having had toothache a few times over the years I think the government is evil in not ensuring everyone has access to good dental care and it stores up problems for later as poor dental health can cause so many other problems like heart disease as well as pain and misery. There are services out there providing unnecessary fashion fixes for slightly less than perfect looking otherwise healthy teeth that could, if funded correctly, keep the nations teeth healthy and pain free. Imagine being a child with toothache and not a single available, affordable dentist - not the sign of a caring society.

Crikey!!!! I'm not the only one to have paid an astronomical sum for tooth care! It really should be made clear to people how much they will be charged before the work is done. I've asked for them to refund the whole amount, without a deduction for the NHS so I'll see how that goes. I know lots of people don't go to a dentist now cos it's too expensive. What is really annoying is we've all paid contributions to have NHS dental care and this gov't have removed this service without a mandate, that is what they are doing to the GP service too now, and making the contracts so unworkable drs and dentist won't sign up to them.
I complained to BUPA head office so I'll tell you how I get on, so far I got just one response from Oxford office, I had to email head office when I heard nothing a month later & they seem to be doing something now, 5 weeks on I had an email yesterday saying the dentist was writing a reply.
Even if they do have a poster saying NHS prices, that's no good if you're not told, or given a choice, as to whether your care is private or NHS

Dentist and charges are nothing new 25 years ago i was talked into having crowns fitted privately by a NHS dentist who had taken over the practice they caused nothing but pain and discomfort after many visits to this dentist i went and saw a private dentist who was horrified at the mess the other had made and due to this i had to have all my teeth out fast forward 18 years and sets of dentures later my last set cost me £2000 by my private dentist luckily at that time i just about managed to pay the bill now six yeas later i need them relined as getting loose and hardly any jaw bone left no NHS dentist will treat me and to go private is something i can no longer afford so i have to make do with the loose ones i have with the help of a denture fixative

I am sure that I have seen poster in my Dentist waiting room showing a comprehensive list of NHS and non-NHS charges - the practice has both patients.

It is not unreasonable to expect to be inform beforehand just what the charges will be surely?

I hope the OP does get their money back too.

Read what I posted spabbygirl and tell me why you expect to have the full cost refunded. I have never yet been to a dentist, NHS or private, or indeed any other professional person or tradesman who didn’t give full details of charges up front. If you buy something from a shop you know what it will cost. Dentists have to display their charges - see below. Why did you think the work, which seems quite extensive, would cost £70?

www.gdc-uk.org/standards-guidance/information-for-patients-public/dental-costs#:~:text=However%20dental%20professionals%20must%20make,A%20consultation.

spabbygirl Even if they do have a poster saying NHS prices, that's no good if you're not told, or given a choice, as to whether your care is private or NHS

I don't understand how you would not be told. Everyone knows there is NHS and private, so the dentist must give you the choice before treating you.

They do. Just as when I was a solicitor telling the client about fees was obligatory before starting work.

I was at the dentist yesterday and noticed that a check up and clean has increased to £25.
There are two other levels, fillings and the like which are more and crowns etc woukd be level 3.
My dh didn’t get a clean, but didn’t mention it, and paid £25 and was out of the door in minutes.

Many years ago my dentist stopped taking NHS patients and we joined Denplan ( a dental insurance plan which has different levels of care). For some time I have been on a level where I can visit a dentist privately when away under the plan, but also I have two check ups a year with my dentist and hygienist visits plus x-rays when necessary. I don't pay for any work my dentist undertakes ( root canal, extraction, fillings etc) but do pay for lab work. For example lab payment is £100 for a crown under this insurance.
I pay an amount (fixed by the dentist according to the state of one's teeth) each month. I find this a reasonable cost for the care I receive. I am able to get an appointment as soon as I need care and my dentist is excellent. NHS care is non existent where I live and I find the costs involved for me manageable.
I only wish this could be possible for GP care for a reasonable charge. I am in an area where there is no choice of surgery. The only one that I can use is truly dreadful. You can't make an appointment in person, you can't now use the NHS app for appointments, only for blood work and if you phone you are something like 15th in the queue. I asked for an appointment in August and was put on a list for a phone call from a 'distant' doctor and received a call on 31st October. Six doctors from the practice all left on 1st of April. I believe it is about to go into ' special measures '. What is a person to do? I want to support the NHS but at 77 years of age I now have no named doctor and am told by reception that I can't see one unless in great pain! It truly is a national illness service not a national health service.