Teeth Matter
There is a courtesy reminder call with bells on from our family dentist. That should be our erstwhile family dentist. This may be our children's last trip there.
Although we have moved twice since we first joined this practice it is now closer than it has ever been. Virtually at the end of the street.
The practice is the strangest I've ever been indentured to. The leader of this merry crew has the "garden suite" at the back of this converted house. Mozart plays on his stereo. There is greenery. And he is able to watch his fancy sports car like a hawk throughout every consultation.
He is a proficient and genial dentist and an early adopter of state of the art technologies with bijou xray-gun in the room long before this was commonplace.
But our friend has been gradually dismantling his NHS lists for years and years on end. Various ruses have been used. His own list was weeded for anyone who has insufficient check ups, ever missed an appointment, shows no signs of trading up to private.
The most junior of his accomplices are pretty hit and miss. Few stay more than a matter of months. Some are not very good at all. In my case the tooth that broke the camel's back was one which did actually shear under the ravages of a fixed brace. The assistant dentist quoted in writing for a particular treatment. Then he changed this trebling the cost. And fiddling the computer record of the earlier visit to boot.
I asked for a second opinion as he had inexpliquably escalated from a simple filling to a root canal and precious metal crown in less than 24 hours. From one visit to three spread over a month. He even had me ringing my hospital registrar and did so himself to get advice on what was needed. He eventually said 'fine' I could have a second opinion and asked me to ring tomorrow.
When I rang back I was told I was sacked. And they had the cheek to send a pre-emptive letter to the Primary Care Trust saying that we had parted company through a breakdown in communications.
Not then because a surgeon was dithering. Cost of treatment was escalating. And trust was waning. Would you want a root canal done whether on a healthy tooth or not by a man who rang other clinicians for advice repeatedly?
Or (hidden agenda) a greedy businessman was clearing out his NHS customers by hook or by crook. And I can tell you offering clumsy and dithery junior dentists is a top tactic in this war on public service.
The local PDS (Public Dental Service) dentist saw me the next day and charged me £8 not £238 to fix the tooth to everyone's satisfaction. Two years on another £71 has been necessary. But there is still no unneeded crown. The new man is quick, only conservative when it comes to teeth, and I have never once seen him lift his eyes off his instruments to check his car is still new and shiny outside.
Anyway. I was the first to bite the dust dentist-wise. Next came my partner who had become increasingly irritated by the increasingly irritating practices of this practice. She took half day off work as a solicitor managing a case load of Gulf War PTSD cases only to be knocked back for being a couple of minutes late. They made her cry. In front of our children. They did manage some sort of apology and even a grovelling letter but the rot had set in.
When was the last time your dentist gave you £40 compensation when they were running 20 minutes late? The things unfair. But what are you going to do? Leave in protest? Excellent!
That left the kids. Booked in six months ago their mum got a call yesterday to say they couldn't come in if neither of their parents where PRIVATE patients with the practice. We have insisted they honour the appointments. I want to hear the explanation about private patients subsidising my cheapskate NHS children face to face. I will then see the young receptionist reading from the redundancy script instead of hearing it over the 'phone.
Keeping the NHS running well never mind improving is quite a challenge. I've no doubt promises are being made even as I speak by various of the political leaders on free this and free that and more this and more that in the NHS.
What they will probably not dare say is that some dentists are incredibly greedy individuals. They have generally been trained entirely at the nations expense and even in coming days of higher fees there are huge subsidies. They build up valuable practices and huge pensions and frightened private lists. With none of the risk most entrepreneurs face. They do this on the back of NHS work. Then they turn their backs on it saying they can't afford to 'subsidise' it.
At 4.10pm we will face the music for the last time.
Although we have moved twice since we first joined this practice it is now closer than it has ever been. Virtually at the end of the street.
The practice is the strangest I've ever been indentured to. The leader of this merry crew has the "garden suite" at the back of this converted house. Mozart plays on his stereo. There is greenery. And he is able to watch his fancy sports car like a hawk throughout every consultation.
He is a proficient and genial dentist and an early adopter of state of the art technologies with bijou xray-gun in the room long before this was commonplace.
But our friend has been gradually dismantling his NHS lists for years and years on end. Various ruses have been used. His own list was weeded for anyone who has insufficient check ups, ever missed an appointment, shows no signs of trading up to private.
The most junior of his accomplices are pretty hit and miss. Few stay more than a matter of months. Some are not very good at all. In my case the tooth that broke the camel's back was one which did actually shear under the ravages of a fixed brace. The assistant dentist quoted in writing for a particular treatment. Then he changed this trebling the cost. And fiddling the computer record of the earlier visit to boot.
I asked for a second opinion as he had inexpliquably escalated from a simple filling to a root canal and precious metal crown in less than 24 hours. From one visit to three spread over a month. He even had me ringing my hospital registrar and did so himself to get advice on what was needed. He eventually said 'fine' I could have a second opinion and asked me to ring tomorrow.
When I rang back I was told I was sacked. And they had the cheek to send a pre-emptive letter to the Primary Care Trust saying that we had parted company through a breakdown in communications.
Not then because a surgeon was dithering. Cost of treatment was escalating. And trust was waning. Would you want a root canal done whether on a healthy tooth or not by a man who rang other clinicians for advice repeatedly?
Or (hidden agenda) a greedy businessman was clearing out his NHS customers by hook or by crook. And I can tell you offering clumsy and dithery junior dentists is a top tactic in this war on public service.
The local PDS (Public Dental Service) dentist saw me the next day and charged me £8 not £238 to fix the tooth to everyone's satisfaction. Two years on another £71 has been necessary. But there is still no unneeded crown. The new man is quick, only conservative when it comes to teeth, and I have never once seen him lift his eyes off his instruments to check his car is still new and shiny outside.
Anyway. I was the first to bite the dust dentist-wise. Next came my partner who had become increasingly irritated by the increasingly irritating practices of this practice. She took half day off work as a solicitor managing a case load of Gulf War PTSD cases only to be knocked back for being a couple of minutes late. They made her cry. In front of our children. They did manage some sort of apology and even a grovelling letter but the rot had set in.
When was the last time your dentist gave you £40 compensation when they were running 20 minutes late? The things unfair. But what are you going to do? Leave in protest? Excellent!
That left the kids. Booked in six months ago their mum got a call yesterday to say they couldn't come in if neither of their parents where PRIVATE patients with the practice. We have insisted they honour the appointments. I want to hear the explanation about private patients subsidising my cheapskate NHS children face to face. I will then see the young receptionist reading from the redundancy script instead of hearing it over the 'phone.
Keeping the NHS running well never mind improving is quite a challenge. I've no doubt promises are being made even as I speak by various of the political leaders on free this and free that and more this and more that in the NHS.
What they will probably not dare say is that some dentists are incredibly greedy individuals. They have generally been trained entirely at the nations expense and even in coming days of higher fees there are huge subsidies. They build up valuable practices and huge pensions and frightened private lists. With none of the risk most entrepreneurs face. They do this on the back of NHS work. Then they turn their backs on it saying they can't afford to 'subsidise' it.
At 4.10pm we will face the music for the last time.
posted by Chris Paul at 3:09 PM
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