Last time I visited my dentist I had to have 3 fillings ...

I had tooth coloured (more expensive) fillings and it cost me £170 even though I was on benefit at the time.

I've just been wondering tho ... how much the dentist makes for doing this ?

If they make money from doing more fillings ... then they may be more inclined to give you a filling when you may not actually need one (just to make more cash from you).

What mechanism is there to stop this !?

Surely if you were on benefit you shoudn't need to pay, or is your dentist private?

That's the price of private medicine I'm afraid Jamie.

From memory, a dentist receives something like £5 for a standard filling from the NHS. That's why it's so hard to find an NHS dentist anymore.

BTW, this is the same NHS that pays consultant doctors from the moment they step out of their front door until the moment they get back home - why do you think so many live on the other side of the Peak Distict. :mad:

There's something wrong with the NHS in Blairs Britain methinks. If you can afford private healthcare insurance, it's worth every penny when you need it.

Not related to Dentistry but I once waited in the Northern General with a cracked shin and blood pooring outta my foot for 8 hours. I was kept being told I would be seen in 20 minutes, however it occured they had just forgotton about me. Kinda hard to say anything to someone when all you can do is hop about in large amounts of pain. I was eventually seen and had my foot cleaned with a scalpal etc. Afterwards I was given no painkillers or even cruches. Whilst I was lying there I swore to myself I was going to get private health care. Soon as I get the cash I definately will. NHS sucks!

Originally posted by Skatiechik
Surely if you were on benefit you shoudn't need to pay, or is your dentist private?

I could have had 'metal mouth effect' fillings for free ...

I didn't want to look like 'jaws' from james bond so I opted to upgrade to tooth coloured fillings ... at a cost of £170.

The thing that concerns me is ... do dentists have our best interest at heart ... or are they just 'on the make' ... and see their patients as a way to make money ...

Dentist thinks ... "he doesn't really need the fillings but lets not tell him that ... my holiday fund needs a boost".

What safeguards do we have in place to prevent that kind of thing !?

Also ... is it worth trying to sue coca-cola for the £170 !?

I have just forked out £ 300 and spent far too much time in the dentists for root canal treatment and a crown only to have to have the tooth pulled out. This was on the NHS. I wonder if the tooth fairy can stretch to £ 300......:D

The problem, in my opinion, is the way dentists are paid. Instead of being on a fixed salary, they get paid for each treatment they carry out either directly from the patient or from the NHS.

This system encourages dentists to do unececary work to make more money, or at the least to allow teath to go bad so they can make more later on. The whole system discourages proper decay prevention and works against the benefit of the patient.

I think all dentists should be on a salary and that way there is no financial link between what they get and the work they perform.

Originally posted by Jamie
I could have had 'metal mouth effect' fillings for free ...

I didn't want to look like 'jaws' from james bond so I opted to upgrade to tooth coloured fillings ... at a cost of £170.

The thing that concerns me is ... do dentists have our best interest at heart ... or are they just 'on the make' ... and see their patients as a way to make money ...

Dentist thinks ... "he doesn't really need the fillings but lets not tell him that ... my holiday fund needs a boost".

What safeguards do we have in place to prevent that kind of thing !?

If the teeth in question were front ones you should have been entitled to free coloured fillings.

I go to a dentist which has always been free for everyone (the origional idea of NHS dentistry in 1948), but they are now starting to charge. It's a shame this is the way things are going.

I am going to have 2 or 3 dentist now .... and get second opinions whenever they tell me I need treatment.

Only way to be safe.

Have you tried the Charles Clifford dental hospital. They provide free dental treatment for everybody. The dentists there don't get paid according to how much work they do.