Dentist visit under NHS

Had my first dental appointment here in London and thought I'd jot down a few notes about the experience in case anyone else is curious.

Found a dentist through the NHS site: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/ [nofollow] . I chose one based on proximity to our house and whether they were taking NHS patients. The closest one (about 0.15 miles away) also happened to have good reviews.

Setting up the appointment was very straightforward: just called during office hours and was able to book an appointment less than 2 weeks in advance. They had earlier spots available but those were in the middle of my work day.

Went in this morning and filled out a 1-page medical history form from the practice itself and a short NHS form. Took about 5 minutes. Was seen immediately by the hygienist who did a thorough exam of each tooth, poked my gums, took x-rays of my crowns to ensure there's no decay under them (they're about 20 years old), and then cleaned using an ultra-sonic scaler, and finishing up with hand-scaling and a polish. I was out in under 30 minutes. Literally the fastest cleaning I've ever had.

And despite putting "yellowing teeth" in the "any concerns" part of the 1-page medical history form, no one tried to up-sell me on any whitening or other treatments.

Charges are by band and begin at £21.60 (or free for children): https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/ [nofollow] . For my visit, all the services fell under Band 1, so I paid £21.60.

My two boys (ages 8 and 10) are going next Saturday, so we'll see how that goes.

Was seen immediately by the hygienist who did a thorough exam of each tooth, poked my gums, took x-rays of my crowns to ensure there's no decay under them (they're about 20 years old), and then cleaned using an ultra-sonic scaler, and finishing up with hand-scaling and a polish.

You will have been seen by a dentist, not a hygienist. 

You will have been seen by a dentist, not a hygienist. 

She referred to herself as a hygienist. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Went in this morning and filled out a 1-page medical history form from the practice itself and a short NHS form. Took about 5 minutes. Was seen immediately by the hygienist who did a thorough exam of each tooth, poked my gums, took x-rays of my crowns to ensure there's no decay under them (they're about 20 years old), and then cleaned using an ultra-sonic scaler, and finishing up with hand-scaling and a polish. I was out in under 30 minutes. Literally the fastest cleaning I've ever had.

Charges are by band and begin at £21.60 (or free for children): https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/. For my visit, all the services fell under Band 1, so I paid £21.60.

Jeepers!! That sounds like good service!! My dental person charges the same, pokes my gums and says, 'see you in 6 months!'. No cleaning, no scaling...  no more than 5 minutes of poking around. Every once in awhile he tries to get me to spend an extra £30 on a 'deep clean' which seems like a normal scale and polish to me... Hey ho, it's still cheap!

And now that I'm pregnant, it's free!!

She referred to herself as a hygienist. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Strange! 

That's interesting that yours was done by a hygienist.  I get good exams by my NHS dentist, extremely similar to yours, but I get a check up of the glands and jaw, but I haven't needed a cleaning in ages.   But the few times I have needed a cleaning, the dentist did it quickly. No need to come back in and get it done under separate charges.  I am super impressed and happy with my NHS dentists. 

Wow, that's way better than I've been getting at our local NHS! Good for you!

I have learnt that to get my teeth scaled and polished during a regular exam, all I have to do is ask. I had one where they did not, then one when they didn’t. I asked at the next one and they were happy to do a quick job of it, and now I ask every time. Otherwise they basically just count your teeth.