dentists

[carly1]

just been to the dentist , 987 for a filling a crown and root canal on 2 teeth !! they just tell you the price like its peanuts!! anyone else been to dentist lately?
Carly x

[Ethel]

How much????????

[carly1]

yes that what i said , damn terrible price , includes x rays too /

[Ethel]

Nearly �1000? That's shocking.

[edwardian]

http://www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/DentalCharg es.cmsx
I had a single denture about six months ago.I cannot recall the exact cost, but it was well under �50.If I need one in the future, it will cost nearly �200 ! One filling will now cost over �40.Six fillings will cost the same price.Isn't this going to encourage people to put off going to the dentist until 'hey can 'get their money's worth'.I wonder which 'genius' came up with this scheme?

[buildersmate]

Private, presumably Carly, not NHS?

[carly1]

yes private dentist , will pay in instalments . no wonder i have been putting of going for 2 years but they were starting to get very sensitive to cold things .
i just dont understand why they are SO expensive , does anyone know ? is it the time , the tools ?
Carly x

[Fitzer]

Well if we're going to play the "How Much?!" game, I paid a total of �1600 to have two rear molars re-root canalled (NHS bodged them 10 years ago) and then two crowns replaced. Thank heavens for 0% credit cards. Thinking about it there was a total of 9 hours work with the dentist and assistant, plus ancillary staff (receptionists etc) plus all the little files they use and then the dental technicians fees. All in all the labour charge seemed to be about what a main dealer charges to service a car.

[matchmade]

And I thought I was being ripped off - private dentist, an inspection plus a "clean", which consisted of a bit of picking around and a brushing with that special paste they use. I was in and out in 22 minutes including handling the documentation, total cost �80, and a demand to go in for a second cleaning session for a further �45, as if they couldn't be bothered to do it properly the first time. They also wanted to do an X-ray for a further �30, which I refused as I've no signs of decay and no fillings (I had a fluoride childhood).

Of course I've got off lightly, but it's still a rip-off.

[matchmade]

I should qualify my last reply by saying that there are of course good dentists and they provide an essential service. However their profession has over-inflated ideas of what salary is appropriate for dentists, and there seems to be no category like a nurse who has less training but can do simpler tasks like checkups and cleaning at lower cost (as with GPs and nurses doing minor operations). Most people need no more than fillings and cleaning nowadays, and it's silly that we have full trained dentists doing this work.

[squiperly]

Looking at this from a slightly different aspect, I think dental insurnace is a complete ripoff! I recently submitted a bill from my dentist, and after all the "discounted items" I worked out that they were paying me a lot less than I was paying them in premiums!!!
My son was recently charged �80 for a checkup and he's still a sudent!! Needless to say he's not going back for the 3 fillings the dentist recommended!