dentist

Hello,

I am moving over this spring.  I have heard terrible things about dentists in the UK--that they are inexperienced, that there aren't enough around to treat emergencies, etc.

Can any of you please fill me in on your experiences?  I expect I will need to replace a crown in a couple of years-- this crown replaces two of my front teeth and has a cosmetic aspect because of that.  Should I be worried??

Others experiences may vary.. NHS dentists are verrrry hard to find. My current dentist practise started out as a NHS dentist then went private and gave all the patients in the practise the first opportunity to join. Basically i pay a set fee a month and it covers me for almost everything barr lab fees to make a crown etc.. So if i get a toothache,filling falls out etc. I call first thing in the morning and they have always been able to fit me in the same day and if it wasn't something urgent usually the next day.
Speaking of which its just after 8am and i awoke this am with a toothache  :\\\'( So just at 830 i will be calling my dentist for a emergency appt..
I have been very happy with my dental care. I don't know about others dentists but mine are very pro active regarding preventative  dental care.
I always see the same dentist unless its a emergency problem in which case i get the other dentist in the practise.

Inexperienced    Surely it depends on how long you've been working.  My dentist has been working for about 40 years I believe.

I've never had trouble getting emergency treatment, it's more a matter of how much it costs.  £££££

I have a private dentist who removed a wisdom tooth with NO PAIN and who did some cosmetic work to a front tooth which is impossible to detect...and neither were that expensive. 


Vicky

In some areas there is a very long waiting list for NHS dentists but once you get to see one they are as good as any other! In Inverness the waiting list was about 4 years!! However, recently moved back down south and was able to see an NHS dentist within days. She is brilliant, although I hate her receptionist!!!

It's the same as in the US - some dentists are better than others. Sometimes it's a matter of nothing more than how you "click" with them.

It's the same as in the US - some dentists are better than others. Sometimes it's a matter of nothing more than how you "click" with them.

Very true!

I will say that many NHS dentists are newly qualified and do their work underneath the more senior dentists who often do private work. But I've had very, very good experiences with a new dentist - she was very on top of the newest techniques, etc. and when she ran into something that she wasn't sure how to handle (in my case a very sensitive gag reflex that was keeping me from being able to have an impression taken) she called in the senior partner for advice and all was fine.

As noted, it's hard to find a dentist in some areas, but this is absolutely not the case everywhere and I do think it's improving.

NHS dentists are contractually required to provide emergency treatment.

P.S. I'm a contracts manager in the NHS so this is straight from the horse's mouth rather than media hyperbole! 

DD who is in London considered herself lucky to have signed on with an NHS dentist and was happy enough.  However, she had to cancel some dental work (fillings) because of a medical situation and then, when it became necessary to get that work done before starting the treatment, they were unable to fit her in and were not at all helpful in suggesting alternatives.  She had to ring around to find a (private) practice who could do the work on short notice.  She lucked out and found a very nice dentist near her.  And not too horribly expensive.

What's a 'Dentist' ...

What's a 'Dentist' ...

What's a 'Dentist' ...

In Inverness the waiting list was about 4 years!!

3 when I joined up. Only 2 years left to go!

3 when I joined up. Only 2 years left to go!

Don't get your hopes up, i've been on it for going on 4-5 years now.   

Don't get your hopes up, i've been on it for going on 4-5 years now.   

Yeah, good point. I don't have too much faith.  But I'll keep a glimmer of hope that it is 2 years 

Don't get your hopes up, i've been on it for going on 4-5 years now.   

Yeah, good point. I don't have too much faith.  But I'll keep a glimmer of hope that it is 2 years 

Yeah, but you're all so hard up there, all you need is a bottle of whisky and a pair of pliers, right?