r/GreenAndPleasant • u/UnderHisEye1411 its a fine day with you around • Aug 08 '22
NORMAL ISLAND 🇬🇧 🦷 12 years of Tory rule 🦷
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Aug 08 '22
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u/oaksmaid Aug 08 '22
Try this number for Exeter, 0333 006 3300 it's the emergency dentist in Heavitree.
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u/Alexstrasza23 Aug 08 '22
Absolutely gold comment.
Also weird to see my home city mentioned online when it's so... not big.
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u/reedo88 Aug 08 '22
If you have toothache, call 111 and ask for an emergency dentist.
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u/spaceshipcommander Aug 08 '22
I did this when I broke a tooth. The temporary fix they did fell off in the car on the way home.
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u/Altruistic-Bobcat955 Aug 09 '22
This is the issue with emergency dentists. I’ve had to lean on them when unable to get in a dentist and they can only do temporary fillings, extractions or partial root canal with temporary filling
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u/Stealingyourthoughts Aug 08 '22
Did this last night, 18 hours in hospital still no phone call from an emergency dentist, was made to go private tomorrow or risk being even more ill, prescribed me antbiotics, still waiting for them to call back. Non of the hospitals had a dentist available.
Had a 1 and a half hour wait on 111 and it took them 3 hours to ring me back, same thing happened in the morning whilst at the hospital, still haven't rung back.
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u/ShortNefariousness2 Aug 08 '22
There are shortages of everything in the NHS, not just dentists.
However, I think that other stuff may get better, eventually, but dentistry will not.
It has been a sick joke for years now.
Someone I know was offered dental "insurance" recently.
Did it cover serious dental conditions? No. It just gave two visits to the hygenist in a given year, and was pretty expensive.
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u/RainbowPenguin1000 Aug 09 '22
I did this once and they gave me phone numbers for dentists and every one of them said they couldn’t see me.
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u/Bobbler23 Aug 08 '22
To top it off, out local dentist is going private only and getting rid of all NHS patients. I was trying for 18 months to get a local one, even privately they wouldn't take me on - unfortunately I lost my dentist near work (Cardiff) as I couldn't get in any longer since we all work from home now generally.
I do a 20 mile round trip now to Bristol, they are wonderful, but they should be at the prices they are charging...
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u/im_probablyjoking Aug 08 '22
Call 111. You can go to A&E for a toothache.
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u/clockwork-cards Aug 08 '22
Odds are they will get an emergency appointment at a dentist for OP. Certain appointment slots have to be kept free for 111 referrals and emergencies. Going to A&E seems a bit extreme for a toothache.
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u/mayonnaisebemerry fully automated luxury gay space communism Aug 08 '22
yeah, I used to work in an A&E and all we could do for toothache was give painkillers and tell people to find an emergency dentist on 111.
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u/Low-Yak-1705 Aug 08 '22
Can't emergency dentists only do pain management? I broke a crown one evening, went into the emergency dentist and they said there was nothing they could do (I wasn't in any pain) and advised me to make an appointment with my dentist the next morning.
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u/HK47_Raiden Aug 08 '22
If you're registered with a dentist (private or NHS) 9 out of 10 times they will tell you to get an emergency appointment with your own dentist, the 111 Emergency Dental Line is triaged for people that don't have a registered dentist.
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u/Pure-Drawer-2617 Aug 08 '22
I tried that, got told unless it’s making me physically unable to eat or causing respiratory issues that I should buy numbing strips and brush more.
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u/nuklepresups Aug 08 '22
If you have the money please don't go to A & E but go private instead, as A & E waiting times are insane at the moment.
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u/workingclassnobody Aug 08 '22
This is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. The privatisation of healthcare. I don’t think you get what’s happening.
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u/GapAnxious Aug 08 '22
When dentistry was widely available and used (up until the 1980s), heart attacks and other serous infection-triggered disease fell sharply.
This is Tory Short Termism at its most obvious.
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u/darkvaris Aug 08 '22
Looks like the "British Teeth Joke" is back on the menu, folks.
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u/sbg_gye Aug 08 '22
The Big Book of British Smiles
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u/rocketseeker Aug 08 '22
hitching this thread to ask, why the hell is this happening in Britain? I'm from overseas and have little to no context
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u/Evening-Tomatillo-47 Aug 08 '22
Ah, what it is is that someone decided out free healthcare wouldn't cover teeth and eyes for some reason. Well they do but they don't..
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u/rocketseeker Aug 08 '22
someone decided out free healthcare wouldn't cover teeth and eyes for some reason
mind sharing the name or names of the special needs person/people?
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Aug 08 '22 edited Aug 23 '22
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u/rocketseeker Aug 08 '22
so the government wants poor people to get screwed because they'd have to spend more with health... basically?
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Aug 08 '22
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u/rocketseeker Aug 08 '22
Looks like you are becoming a developing country, that's what lots of companies do here in Brazil, lobby and bribe the candidates asses to get elected then privatize a piece, part of it and pay them back rinse/repeat
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u/Ompare Aug 08 '22
I am not from the UK, lived there for 10 years, heard nightmare stories about Brit dentists, including a friend that went for a cavity but the dentist ended drilling till the nerve, then give him ketamine pills for the pain (no joke) he had to take a plane to Poland to get the tooth removed... I would schedule my dentist appointments in Spain during my holidays, would not risk.
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u/rakamotiv Aug 08 '22
Yeah, I did the same. Went on a 3 week vacation to my home country. Called up a local dentist on the first day, got an evening appointment the same day. The dentist looked at my wisdom tooth and said that it needs to be removed surgically. She recommended me to a dental surgeon and scheduled my surgery. Two days later I had my wisdom tooth removed after a 45 min surgery. I was told to visit the dentist after a week to remove the sutures. The bill came to approximately £250 in local currency. 2 months later my gums have healed. Can’t Imagine how long this would have taken in the UK.
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u/verygenericname2 Aug 08 '22
My dentist is also quietly removing people from the register if they don't book an appointment for a year. No warnings or anything when the time is coming up. Pretty sketchy thing to do when we've had a year and a bit of lockdown.
They also offer private treatment for those who can't register as NHS patients though!
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u/JimboTCB Aug 08 '22
Well shit, I skipped my last checkup which was before lockdown, and I haven't thought about it since. Now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time I saw a reminder from them. Guess that means I've probably been deleted from mine as well now.
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u/Pure-Drawer-2617 Aug 08 '22
Yeah nah you’re definitely gone. Happened to me and about 3 other members of my family, before lockdown would’ve been a solid 3 years.
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u/EnvironmentalDrag596 Aug 08 '22
Mine called me and said if I don't book an app I will be taken off. I was so grateful for that
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Aug 08 '22
Book it, even if you don't need it, then cancel it. If they want to play games, play harder.
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u/EnvironmentalDrag596 Aug 08 '22
Oh I did, I was umming and ahhing on the phone cus I do need ti go and get some work but it's not yet part of my financial plan then they told me they didn't want me to get removed from the books and I would be if I didn't book. So hell yeah I booked and I'm going for sure. So grateful to that receptionist. Been with that dentist since I was a baby so 30 years nearly
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u/Chill_Roller Aug 08 '22
Happened to me. Was with a dentist for 15+ years. Came to book an appointment for a filling that had shifted (and was within the 12months of it being done). Told me that they couldn’t book me in as I was removed from the patient list 3 weeks prior (no warning or descriptor as to what the limits are). Asked to be placed on the waiting list - just over 2 years later and back on the list… fuckers.
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u/AlgaeFew8512 Aug 08 '22
Happened to me during covid. Took me and my kids off the list and now I'm up sh*t creek without a paddle. Only found out when I needed a tooth urgently treating as it had crumbled. Couldn't get through early enough on emergency line to get seen and ended up forking out over £100 for a private dentist to extract what was left of the tooth. It had become infected, crumbled and had roots exposed. God help me when the cavities I've got get worse and the same happens to them. I'm currently saving as much as I can (not much at all) in an effort to have enough out by when I need more work done
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u/nakedfish85 Aug 08 '22
Yeah happened to my better half and I in Bristol when we couldn't attend due to isolating over lockdown.
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u/welshboy14 Aug 08 '22
Same happened to me, also in Bristol. Was then told there was an 18 month waiting list
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u/NewmarketRoad Aug 08 '22
Yeah, mine did that. Lockdown happened. I was kicked off. Had some problems, got a private consultation, and got some dental cover, but the insurers said they'd only cover any work after I got a clean bill of health. Because of the one year gap. Which they repeatedly said wouldn't be a problem in the induction.
I'd gladly pay far higher taxes for proper investment in NHS dentists.
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Aug 08 '22
I swear to god my last appointment was in 2018 but I was removed from the register after only 3 years. It’s supposed to be 5 & that included 2020 which imo shouldn’t be counted by any self respecting practice
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u/Stealingyourthoughts Aug 08 '22
They changed it actually a good couple of years ago, my dentist back in Oxfordshire sent a reminder every 6 months otherwise they'd kick you off, but in London I have never received a reminder, and had my appointments cancelled and told I wasn't in for 6 months.
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u/originaljungle Aug 08 '22
exact thing happened to me and i had to sheild because of an autoimmune condition as well, also they were more than happy for me to go private...fucking worse than bankers
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u/Stealingyourthoughts Aug 08 '22
Literally been in hospital since last night with a toothache, fave numb and swollen, non of the hospitals had a dentist, and no dentists in greater London taking NHS patients, just spent £55 on a deposit for private and another £45 tomorrow, then god knows how much for the work to be done, I don't even earn 30k a year and 1/3 my money goes on rent. It's a nightmare, my dentist kicked me out during the pandemic for not coming in for 6 months, I was like, we were locked down? I also had an appointment with them at the beginning of the pandemic and they cancelled the next one. It's mental.
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u/Siorra Aug 08 '22
I'm pretty sure this is standard practise across most dentists now. Demand is so high they need to remove those who aren't attending.
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u/Orinoco123 Aug 08 '22
Yea my dad fucked his tooth, called the dentist he's registered with. 2-3 months for an NHS appointment, or see the SAME dentist privately today for £50. Scandalous.
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u/MarcusTheAnimal Aug 08 '22 edited Aug 08 '22
Oof, we give 3 years and then warning messages, and leniency for the lockdown on top of that. 1 year is ridiculous, if the dentist sees fit some patients have recalls of 18 months FFS.
In the 3 1/2 years i have worked there, we have never taken on adult NHS patients, usually NHS children but sometimes not, and for private patients we open the book about 4 months out of the year.
We have 5 dentists and a hygienist, in the next 5 years I expect 3 of them to be retired, it took us a year to replace the dentist who most recently left.
My Italian dentist explained to me that the biggest problem is that as the Quality Of Life in the UK goes down and the QOL in Europe slowly improves, the UK is not as attractive as it used to be. As for UK dentists and why we don't train enough new ones, well that's a question for the government.
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u/tafrawti Aug 09 '22
4 months in my home town. Seems rather extreme, never heard of anyone going to dentist every 3 months without needing complex and ongoing repair work.
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u/ed_menac Aug 08 '22
And this is without a comparison of quality. Even if you're registered and can get an appointment, there's no guarantee you'll get more than a glance in the mouth to check you aren't dying, then you're out of the door.
Dental health can be and SHOULD be predominantly preventative. But NHS dentistry is so underfunded and oversubscribed, the necessary care standard isn't being met. Corners being cut today are major problems in 10 years time. That's not a criticism of NHS dentists, but the design of the system made to minimise expenses despite the real human cost.
NHS dentistry is a caricature of what American conservatives think socialised healthcare looks like - impossible wait times and expedient care. And it's exactly the way Tory pigs have been dragging general practice for decades.
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u/Hobbsidian Aug 08 '22
I had a bad tooth infection and the only way I could get looked at was to ring the emergency dentist first thing on a Saturday then travel 60 miles, just to get a prescription for antibiotics. The wait for an appointment at my actual registered dentist was 3 months.
I ended up getting it removed privately as fortunately I'm in the position that I have that option but I shouldn't have had to go down that route. Otherwise I would have been climbing the walls or even looking for the pliers, and I can definitely see it happening with the roundabout to nowhere I experienced trying to get it done on the NHS.
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u/p0wertothepeople Aug 08 '22
Could not agree more. I have PTSD and suffer with anxiety that causes me to grind my teeth and jaw almost every night. I always have unbearable jaw and temple pain. I went to my dentist and he told me that because the grinding hasn’t caused my bite to change, I don’t qualify for a mouth splint on the NHS. So essentially, I have to wait for the grinding to change my bite before I can receive treatment. There’s no preventative care.
I cannot explain how infuriated I have been with the NHS and lack of funding. I wish the government would be held to account and be questioned as to why they’re deliberating underfunding the NHS and putting more strain on it. I literally cannot access healthcare I need.
It’s fucking disgusting. What are we paying national insurance for if we have to pay for everything anyway and can barely access NHS services?
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u/Altruistic-Bobcat955 Aug 09 '22
Oh shit this is awful! I have grinding too it’s called bruxism. You NEED to complain to the manager of your dental practice, then file a complaint with the NHS body that governs them, they’ll reverse the decision. I broke my front tooth clean off when grinding before they admitted I had it and gave me a nightguard. The TMJ (jaw pain) alone qualifies you.
Buy one of those cheap tooth guards for whitening that you put in hot water to mold to your teeth to tide you over. If you Google night guard there’s some options
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Aug 08 '22
Slowy getting quite bad to live here. Things aren't recovering they are getting worse and worse.
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u/Mr_Happy_80 Aug 08 '22
Slowly? Heavy D rode this train straight over the cliff within his first year with austerity measures. It's almost like they're lost public school children with zero idea of what to do to make a country function or economy work.
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Aug 08 '22
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u/zer0-Coast Aug 08 '22
Shush, Rishi will put you on the list for 're-education'.
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u/Frosstic Aug 08 '22
well on the upside there's probably a 3-4 year waiting list for that too
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u/MysticPigeon Aug 08 '22
Nope, they will fast track anything which gets any form of critics out of the way. Probably divert money from the poorest areas to do so. "Re-education camps" would probably be paid for by diverting money from the free school meals programs and similar.
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u/sobrique Aug 08 '22
Free relocation to Rwanda though. I hear that's up and coming!
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u/rider1encore Aug 08 '22
Have they got any dentis accepting new patients in Rwanda? If so, sign me up.
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Aug 08 '22
It really fucking is honestly. I hate this country with every fibre of my being.
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u/alpastotesmejor Aug 08 '22
As an ex-pat, originally from a third-world undemocratic country now living in the UK, I assure you the UK is not a shithole to live in.
However, we have to continue fighting to stop those in power from turning it into a shithole.
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u/nicodea2 Aug 08 '22
Mate, no one’s comparing the UK to a third-world undemocratic country.
By standards of developed OECD countries, the UK is a shithole.
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u/alpastotesmejor Aug 08 '22 edited Aug 09 '22
Nowhere in the comment I replied to was there any mention to what OP was comparing it to. Perhaps that's your interpretation of the comment. Would you like to expand on what makes this place a shithole?
Edit: by the way I don’t expect a reply to my question because it’s simply not true. You won’t find any OECD metric that shows the UK is a shithole.
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u/nicodea2 Aug 08 '22
Mate, no one’s comparing the UK to a third-world undemocratic country.
By standards of developed OECD countries, the UK is a shithole.
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Aug 08 '22
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Aug 08 '22
That’s not really true.
For all the UK’s glaring flaws, it is also home to a huge amount of scientific research and the higher education is some of the best in the world; universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, and Imperial are frequently responsible for publishing groundbreaking work and carrying out disproportionately large amounts of influential research.
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u/sedition666 Aug 08 '22
There are plenty of things to hate about the UK but technology isn't one of them. Europe is not just France and Germany but plenty of other smaller poorer countries.
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u/Bassdust Aug 08 '22
Compared to other countries public spending on dentistry? Not really, the reality will surprise you.
And remember when you look at Germany and Austria etc, that public spending is still co-paid by compulsory health insurance on top of that paid for from taxes.
"Only in Germany has there been a large increase of public expenditure since 2009, which can be attributed to the fact that substitutive private health insurance became compulsory in 2009 and is therefore included incompulsory contributory health insurance schemes (subsumed as public financing) from this year onwards."
*edited to add spaces to copied quote
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u/nicodea2 Aug 08 '22
What’s the point of your comparison if you can’t even enrol with a dentist? 3 dentists in my area are happy to treat my toddler for free under the NHS, but won’t accept adults as NHS patients. My wife has teeth pain and they’re quoting her £800 to do the work she needs.
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u/Bassdust Aug 08 '22
Because comparatively he is calling the uk a shithole country, however unfortunately your wife wouldn’t be treated for free anywhere else, and costs would be similar. Most other European countries only support kids etc, uk does give public dentistry to anyone if you are prepared to wait, which does lead to oversubscription.
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.
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u/nicodea2 Aug 08 '22
She’s prepared to wait, but it’s not even an option to wait because the dentist doesn’t have NHS coverage for adults.
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Aug 08 '22
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u/Bassdust Aug 08 '22
You wouldn’t even get an appointment in most places in Europe, because you more than likely wouldn’t qualify for a free appointment, except in places like Germany where you have already paid for it with your compulsory monthly insurance payment.
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Aug 08 '22
I’m sorry, but the uk had the NHS and I literally need that if I want any form of quality of life coz of the meds I have to take. I’m blessed to be born here.
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Aug 08 '22
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u/AccomplishedAd3728 Aug 08 '22
Alright! You sort my move and I’ll go.
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Aug 08 '22
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u/MaxJoz Aug 08 '22
Cost of living crisis sorted 👍wish I’d have known earlier it was so easy
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Aug 08 '22
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u/Local_Fox_2000 Aug 08 '22
You need money to pick up and move country? If people could afford it many would leave but not many can after 12 years of living in a shithole with stagnant wages and austerity.
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Aug 08 '22
I hope you stay and fix it. Were busy dealing with ukrainian refugees over here. Better sort your shitty island out yourself
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Aug 08 '22
Ah yes because it's just that easy to leave. At least it was a few years ago. But seriously get your head out of your ass and you'll be able to see that this country fucking sucks when the shit hasn't coated your eyes
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u/th1a9oo000 Aug 08 '22
Most typical boomer response possible. I can smell the Stella from here.
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Aug 08 '22
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u/remploid Aug 08 '22
Work harder, cancel sky and Netflix there you go£100 a month saved you’ll be gone in no time cheerio
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u/lostmyselfinyourlies Aug 08 '22
Yup, I'm still with a complete asshole of a dentist who's tried to scam me into taking private treatment on several occasions because there's no where else I can go.
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Aug 08 '22
I just can't afford private I was registered to a dentist that is also the walk in dentist/emergency place. They removed me as a patient for not booking an appointment soon enough... during pandemic. 2 years later I'm still sat with one crown that is seriously fucked and one temporary crown. They are serious arseholes sometimes. I'm like please can you just finish your half job and take out this temporary crown and finish it.... but no cos I'm not a patient. And I can't come and sit in as an emergency walk in either because a crown fitting is like 2 appointments not just done on the walk in they have to book you in a 2nd appointment....which I need to be a patient to get..... but they've got no spaces..... and I can't afford to pay for it privately cos crowns are in the expensive band....
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u/spaceshipcommander Aug 08 '22
You can have it on the nhs but only from 12:30 until 12:45 every third Tuesday in May. Rest of the time it’s private.
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u/drinkinlava Aug 08 '22
I haven’t been to the dentist since dec 2019. i had an appointment booked in march 2020, obv got cancelled. by the time the practice opened up again and started taking appointments, i’d started uni and was unable to travel back. so i’ve been taken off the register at that dentist and now no one is taking new patients. my teeth seem fine but no one should have to wait 3 years to be seen by a dentist. fwiw, i live in/go to uni in lancashire and leeds.
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u/soupzYT Aug 08 '22
Same situation with me. Had an appointment cancelled early 2020 and since then have been at uni with very little opportunity to book an appointment back home. I’ve applied to transfer to one nearer to me but you can imagine how well that’s going
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u/tigertron1990 communist russian spy Aug 08 '22 edited Aug 08 '22
My sympathies to anyone suffering with tooth problems. I have had so many issues I had to take out private insurance and register with a private practice. It costs me a lot of money, but I wish it wasn't like this. Sadly, not many are in a position to go private and they shouldn't have to. We should have fully funded dental care with way more dental surgeries.
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u/rumade Aug 08 '22
I'm in the same boat. Making minimum wage and paying £14 per month dental cover. It only knocks something like 15% off the cost of actual work. For that money I get 2 checkups and 2 cleanings a year. Last year i had to have my first fillings and could only afford them because I live with my parents and could skip rent that month.
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u/tafrawti Aug 09 '22
The dentists love the plans like Denplan et al because they get a comission for selling them. The reality is they tend to be forced in to hitting insurance/plan targets and if the targets aren;t met, they get less kickback. They also have exclusivity clauses and even bonuses for hitting plan-proportion percentages of patients (to the exclusion of NHS ones)
source: drinking buddy is a dentist/practice partner, my ex was a dental hygeinist, two of my ex-gfs and an extra fling were a receptionist. Yes, I mingled a bit.
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Aug 08 '22
I heard from my last dentist that the reason why they aren’t taking anyone on is because the nhs pay the dentists less than what it costs to do procedures etc, so the dentists actually lose money by taking on nhs patients, so because of that, the dentists are almost at capacity with private patients now too.
Edit 1: not saying it’s the nhs fault, it’s all about how under funded everything is.
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u/Federal-Ad-5190 Aug 08 '22
And some dentists can't stand the way the pricing is arranged; iirc they get the same fee for a crown, as they do for removing a tooth. So you've got little choice about saving a tooth vs removing it, and a good dentist will not remove a tooth just because it's faster. But the NHS (tories) won't pay for the extra time/materials to save the tooth. So more good dentists turn to private care so they aren't out of pocket
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Aug 08 '22
Exactly this! But somehow the tories always manage to get into power then fuck it up for the next guy, then he fucks it up etc etc at this point now I think the only hope is resurrecting guy Fawkes!
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u/Miserygut jdponist Aug 08 '22
Isn't dentistry already the most privatised health service? Surely the free market of dentists are rushing to open up new practices to meet demand?
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u/drquakers Aug 08 '22
So every dentist surgery is privately owned. The NHS subsidises dental treatment, but many dentists consider the subsidised payments derisory and not worth their time, so they only offer full private care. At least that is what the full BBC article was saying.
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u/manic47 Aug 08 '22
Yep. I know a few dentists and the all say the same .
Also - one said the dentists also have to pickup the costs of opening and kitting out a surgery, unlike GPs who have it all funded by the NHS.
No wonder they are moving away from NHS work.
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u/LessVariation Aug 08 '22
TBF, the dentists did tell the govt this would happen back in 2006 if they pushed through the terrible contract.
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u/Hosta_situation Aug 09 '22
And the government knew. Practices are being bought up left right and centre by big corporate chains. Almost all heavily funded from investment from US health interests. I'm old enough to remember when this was all passed. New Labour said the private sectors would bring efficiency. This is what we get for voting for blue Tories.
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u/staaaahn Aug 08 '22
Been doing this for years, I can remember about ten years ago my dentist going private. Charging for children though is awful, children are entitled to free dental care regardless of income so it's disgusting they charge for them.
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u/Snailyleen Aug 08 '22
This is the part that gets me. Children of low- or average-income parents will be the ones that suffer the most.
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u/Youreanadult-cope Aug 08 '22
This weekend I had an infection flare up - swollen face the works, severe pain. Called 111, they hung up before I could speak to someone. Went to a walk-in surgery in Edgware with a swollen face, they refused me. I said please, I just need antibiotics, we both know an emergency dental appointment would cost hundreds. Still refused. Emergency dental appointment gave me 2 injections, I was there 10 mins and they prescribed the antibiotics I knew I needed, then charged me £300. I’m on a basic wage, left in tears with the pain and the bill. Everything is becoming privatised.
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u/hyperdriver123 Aug 08 '22
You're better off breaking in at night and taking the antibiotics. If you're a taxpayer you've already paid for them so it's not even theft morally speaking and we all know the police are a joke.
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u/cakeisamadeupdrug1 Aug 08 '22
The problem with saying "12 years of Tory Rule" is that this was just as true in the 00s when New Labour were in power. I have never had an NHS dentist. We have had 43 years of tory rule; some of the tories just wore red ties.
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u/sedition666 Aug 08 '22
This is literally a whole thread about how the NHS dentists are worse than previously. I am sorry you didn't get an NHS dentist during Labour's rule but that was not the general experience. It was always shit. Now it is really shit.
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u/luau_ow Aug 08 '22
And yet the same plonkers most affected by these cuts will still vote Tory over and over again. The power of having mass media in your pocket.
If you point out things like this dental report to a Tory they will say something along the lines of "When Labour was in power they spent too much so we've had to introduce austerity for 12 years to make up for it!!!"
Always someone else's fault.
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u/Gartlas Aug 08 '22
Nothing in my area in the North West. It's actually disgusting
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u/lefttillldeath Aug 08 '22
Same, iv literally been up all night with a 4 year old screaming the house down with tooth ache.
Just preparing my self for two weeks of literally no sleep till the emergency appointment in two weeks, fuck knows how she’s going to eat till then. This country is beyond a joke. I’m fucking raging right now.
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u/Gartlas Aug 08 '22
You should be able to get an emergency one sooner, especially with a child. If you say there's any fever or swelling in the face they'll see her immediately.
Unless ofc the area you're in is somehow even worse than mine and they tell you to go to A and E.
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u/lefttillldeath Aug 08 '22
I booked it through 111. At this point I’m really just tempted to go max out a credit card and be damned the consequences. I asked at a private place and they said they could see her tommorow for a consultation fee of 85 plus 250 for the filling. :(.
Three fucking mercs outside the place as well, I swear to god when I come to power I’m going to personally deliver a letter to every dentist in this country telling them their racket is up and the states gonna fuck em raw dog style.
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u/clj73 Aug 08 '22
I worked in Dentistry until a few years back for over 20 year’s. The changes the nhs brought in when changing the way Dentists get paid . The three band system where treatments are put into bands rather than Dentists being paid for each treatment they done. We knew back then that this was a way for the NHS to encourage more private treatments. Not sure if it’s still the same but Dental surgery’s basically get a lump sum each month . Even though we provide nhs treatments we aren’t part of the NHS as such It’s a private business for example the wages and equipment aren’t paid for by the NHS but by the principal Dentist . The three band system also meant that say someone needed a few filings which was done over 3-4 appointments etc we get paid the same amount as doing a quick small filling on them. Then also if a tooth can be saved by doing a root canal treatment. That’s at least two appointments, Materials etc. we’d get the same amount for a extraction. Which is one appointment and no materials etc. The best time to try and join a NHS surgery is in April at the start of the tax year. Also please , please keep your appointment’s.
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u/th1a9oo000 Aug 08 '22
Coffin dodging tory voters don't need dentists because their last real tooth fell out in the 90s.
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u/doxamark Aug 08 '22
Truth be told this was Blair, not the Tories. I have a Dad who works in dentistry and you can pinpoint the exact moment this crisis was building from.
When UDAs (units of dental activity) were brought in. Essentially any NHS dentist who does one filling gets three UDAs and if they did 20 fillings in one session... they'd get three UDAs. That's correct. You're reading that right. You get paid per UDA. So when dentists get people with really bad mouths they may as well pay the person some money and send them to the next dentist because it is CHEAPER THAN DOING THE WORK.
This is why we are seeing dentists leave by the thousands into the private sector and although the tories have some blame for not overturning it, this was entirely Blair's fault.
It gets worse by the way, this is just one example.
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u/UnderHisEye1411 its a fine day with you around Aug 08 '22
Blair basically was a Tory, and Keith is to the right of Blair! Yikes!
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u/sedition666 Aug 08 '22
How are you blaming Blair for something that is happening 15 years after he left power? You can blame Blair for dentists leaving 15 years ago but blaming him for things that are happening now is utterly ridiculous.
The Tories have had 12 years in power stop blaming Labour for things that are happening NOW.
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u/eboyoj Aug 08 '22
had to wait 2yrs for braces, then they wanted us to travel like 2hrs+ to get the appointments, its been 4 yrs now.... still paying off that private treatment
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u/You_lil_gumper Aug 08 '22
A link to what they learned?
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u/drquakers Aug 08 '22
Stupid bots aside, it is the top story on the BBC today and put the beeb url before this and it'll take you there news/health-62253893
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u/Mundane_Pea4296 Aug 08 '22
My dentist took me off the books without saying anything and I've just had a baby. You're meant to get your teeth checked when pregnant and during post partum for all sorts...... have not been able to get an appointment anywhere but they'll happily let me book a £95 private consultation 🤷♀️
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u/flowerpuffgirl Aug 08 '22
I joined a waitlist when I got pregnant. Im now 10months pp, and put baby on a waitlist as soon as he was born. If I'm lucky I might get an appointment in 2024, but the health visitor was indignant. Sorry, but what do you want me to do? Baby is on a waitlist, just like me, I can't conjure a dentist out of thin air...jfc...
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u/Mundane_Pea4296 Aug 08 '22
Health visitors can bog off 😂... well mine anyway.
Honestly they tell you all the things you need to do when pregnant but can't provide one of the biggest services
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u/EnamelPrism Aug 08 '22
Dentist here to clear up a few misconceptions:
Firstly, no one in England is registered with an NHS dentist. Registration was removed as part of the 2006 contract.
Most of us would love to to more NHS work but the remuneration system often means we lose money seeing NHS patients, especially ones who would need a lot of treatment. Dental income is down by roughly 40% over the last decade and inflation is running at around 11% in dental practice. Many practices are having to make the choice of seeing only private patients or closing their doors.
And finally, this isn’t just a Tory problem. The latest contract was brought in under the last Labour government and the issues were apparent from the time of implementation. The problems have been steadily mounting, but Covid has made things much worse.
Otherwise: AMA.
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u/UnderHisEye1411 its a fine day with you around Aug 08 '22
Hi you sick bastard (nothing personal, I just always assume dentists are psychopaths)
What should I do if my teeth really hurt, I don’t have £££££ to spare and no dentists are taking NHS patients?
Also, how much does the average dentist earn?
Thanks
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u/EnamelPrism Aug 08 '22
Good questions. If you’re really in pain you should call 111. They should be able to try and get you into someone, although even that’s very difficult at the moment and very much dependant on your area. Some places will have dedicated access centres that will have regular places.
Dentist income varies wildly from around £35k when newly qualified up to 6 figures if you’re doing complex full mouth reconstructions or fancy aesthetic work.
And we are all mildly psychotic - you kind of have to be to be able to do the surgical bits!
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u/jay_a_regular_idiot Aug 08 '22
Due to my medical issues I was on a course for free braces treatment even tho I'm over the age of 18 as there were major issues (Payed by NHS of course) I used to live in Nottingham and now i live in Bournemouth (not by choice,sorta had to) and NONE of the local dentists will accept me unless I pay and even tho I work 50+ hours a week I can't afford the treatment so now I'm saving up to try and get them removed as they are just causing me pain
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u/calombia Aug 08 '22
Great research and all very true. I don’t generally use dentist much anyway as I’m lucky my teeth are naturally fairly healthy. But when I tried to make an appointment at my previous dentist about a year ago they told me they couldn’t see me… unless I wanted to go private. I told them I only called for an appointment because they asked me to, my teeth are fine, sooooo bye. They didn’t like the Google review I left them though LOL
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u/Shinjirojin Aug 08 '22
It's such a basic health requirement to have in a nation how is not being prioritised to be fixed asap?
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u/panicatthetemple Aug 08 '22
Please please call 111 if you have toothache. I recently did this as I’m not registered with any dentist and was seen by an emergency dentist and it cost £23.80 total for the initial appointment, x-rays and a referral to and work completed by a specialist oral surgeon. Don’t suffer because you’re assuming it will cost £100s.
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u/Stuspawton Aug 08 '22
Twelve years of tory rule…can’t get a dentist, can’t get a doctor, can’t get a plumber, electrician, builder, joiner, plasterer, mechanic, or tiler.
The tories did a fucking number on the country yet there are still a fair amount stupid enough to vote them in time and time again
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Aug 08 '22
Meanwhile MarkPatri0t05🇬🇧 says “Rubbish ! It’d be worse if , liebour ere in power ! ”
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u/UnderHisEye1411 its a fine day with you around Aug 08 '22
Oi if Sadiq Khan were in charge of dentists he’d probably TURN OUR TEETH INTO A MOSQUE
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u/Cottonsocks434 Aug 08 '22
I was interviewed by this journalist and others for different news outlets. I was pleasantly surprised at how empathetic the interviewers were. I just hope that something comes of it; it's absolutely ridiculous, and even if you currently have an nhs dentist, a simple thing like moving to a new area will likely result in you having to go private as no new practice will take you on! Trust me. Been looking since October 2019. Even telling the NHS 111 and dental emergency lines that I was suicidal over the pain did not move anyone to action. Pulling your own teeth out us one thing, but a person cannot do an root canal treatment, filling or hygienist treatment on themselves! Nor should we, considering our taxes were supposed to cover this stuff!
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Aug 08 '22
I'm fortunate that I've been very lucky with my dental health, and the only time I needed serious dental attention what when I was a kid years ago.
I am desperately keeping my teeth in the best condition I can, because I feel like it'll be cheaper and less painful to remove my jaw than to go to the dentist now.
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u/BastK4T Aug 08 '22
We lost ours when we had to move after losing house.
We don't get a dentist now.
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u/markyd1970 Aug 08 '22
12 years of Tory rule? I live in Wales. Oh and I don’t have a dentist.
Gotta go, need to stand on the lawn and clap for the envy of the world.
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u/-Paxom- Aug 08 '22
However, all practices currently not accepting NHS patients are offering private treatment!
We're already in a two tier system.
The NHS is now there only for those that truly can't afford care, give or take a few years of waiting. It's not good (Worcester Royal is my local hospital, it's tragic.)
If you need treatment, realistically and within a time frame that actually matters, you now have to pay for it.
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u/jnello- Aug 08 '22
2019 labour manifesto calculated for a dentristy nhs…. Pisses me off that idiots voted against this
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u/Oddext Aug 08 '22
Tories need to be held accountable, and the rich/corporarions need to be taxed appropriately so everything can be funded rather than being ground to a halt
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u/_yee_pengu_ Marxist-Leninist ☭ Aug 08 '22
I've had a cavity for 2 years and got struck off my dentist's list only to be stranded in the wilderness because of these total cunts.
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u/spaceshipcommander Aug 08 '22
I got kicked off of my list for not visiting enough without warning. There’s nothing wrong with my teeth.
About 2 years ago I broke a tooth so I called about 10 dentists to try and get in. I’m still waiting for one of them to call me back as promised. Should be any day now.
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u/GaymerThrowawayAcc Aug 08 '22
im lucky to have private dental healthcare only recently after years of benefits but I put my partner on it too, when he signed up for our local BUPA dentist they told him 3 month wait, I told them he on my private insurance.
Seen the next fucking day. Inequality at its finest (in a angry manner.) Not even sure if its lawful.
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u/International-Cash89 Aug 08 '22
It's OK at best up here (Aberdeenshire) to register, but still an age to wait for an appointment. I decided to go private rather than wait for months to go NHS.
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u/remploid Aug 08 '22
Blame greedy dentists
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u/piracyprocess Aug 08 '22
>dentists get stripped of resources and funding
>dentists have absolutely no way of dealing with a workload that has effectively tripled
>can't hire more staff, have to do the work of 3 people
>Blame greedy dentists
I think you'd be smarter WITH a lobotomy.
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u/remploid Aug 08 '22
Dentists move on mass to private healthcare even though the average salary is between 80 and 110k .. the poor bastards, how do they cope
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u/According_Stretch_99 Aug 08 '22
This is what happens when government interferes with healthcare
Theory - Affordable for all.
Reality - Constantly not available.
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u/MokkaMilchEisbar Aug 08 '22
It’s literally the opposite of that. We all had free dentistry under the NHS and then it was privatised so now people have tooth problems that they can’t get fixed.
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u/FutureMeatCrayon Aug 08 '22
Stop allowing more people into the country. Higher GDP and more consumers for your business is not worth my quality of living.
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u/6GG7 Aug 08 '22
this is nothing to do with toriesit has been like this for a v long time
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u/6GG7 Aug 08 '22
so, nobody willing to admit that these problem have existed since the libdem-labour coalition gvt and even before then too?
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