Dentists - help needed

[guardpig]

OH has false teeth.(well some LOL).  OH has had false teeth for over 40 years so he's had plenty of experience of them.

A few months back one of the teeth anchoring his plate finally gave up the ghost and he needed a new plate making and other work.  His dentist tried to rook him of quite a few quid until i sent him along with the total he owed written large and the NHS page detailing what has to be paid for what(basically they tried to charge him for the inspection, for the band 2 and the band 3 treatment seperately rather than in one charge for band 3).  When he got the plate it didn't fit well and he had to go back 3/4 times for which they didn't make any attempt to charge him.

Anyway at the weekend he managed to swallow one of the teeth which just fell off the plate.  Not even an end one LOL. So they fit him in and along he went.  They only wanted to charge him for fixing the false teeth.

According to the dentist the NHS will not pay for repairs to false teeth and plastic(wasn't offered anything else)teeth are not warranted under the NHS amd OH can either pay the NHS again for the teeth to be repaired or go round with a gap in his front teeth.

Anybody know if Dentist is pulling a fast one or whether I should be contacting watchdog.  After all the teeth sold(and it is sold as the last, excellent quality plate from our now retired private dentist cost a lot less).  are certainly not fit for purpose.

Thank you.

[cookiecookuk]

imho he is being ripped off as i have had a lot of work done over the last few years at my nhs dentist and if i am correct the payment band which it is band a b or c should cover all the work involved in the whole one transaction if that makes sence.at the most i would have expected the cost to be the one top band payment.and that should cover removal of teeth adding teeth on to plate and then any adjustment within a few weeks if needed and mendind if anything should brake,

plus they do not always go up to the limit for each band as i went two weeks ago and had one tooth removed half of a bridge removed and the two teeeth placed on my excisting plate and was expecting to pay £49 as that was the middle band and he only charged me £32 so i was well chuffed

[shelly180]

I'm not so sure.

My son had braces fitted on the nhs, and a retaining wire fitted to the inside of his bottom teeth to keep them in position.

At his last check-up our dentist said that one end of the retaining wire had come loose and to contact the orthodontist to

have it re-attached.

I made the appointment and once it had been fixed, I was told I had to pay as repairs are not covered on the NHS.    

[ed_blackadder_1]

I recently had to have two teath out and a filling, cost band 2 £49.00. However I had gone three weeks before for a checkup and I was given a prescription for anti biotics because I had an absess, and they charged me £18.00 for that as they classed that as emergancy treatment, pah all he did was look in my mouth say you have an absess they will need to come out and wrote a prescription. As far as I was concerned the treatment was continuous and it should only have cost £49. Went back 3 weeks later when he was going to do a checkup and extractions. No checkup performed unless it was by magic, he took out the two teath and filled the other one, but whilst he was taking out one of the teath he knocked out another crown, ooops he says, Took an xray then said he would ring me when he had results! to decide weither to take out that one as well or fix it however I would have to pay band 2 again or if I needed a new crown Band 3. £200 plus - who knocked it out ? - I am still waiting for the phone call, he is on a 3 week holiday and has gone back home to Europe!.

I will not be going back there, and when my Insurance is up for renewal I will be upping it to cover Private treatment. I have had nothing but trouble from rip off NHS dentists.  With having Insurance I don't actually end up paying for the charges (but do pay for the insurance)  but the principle of being ripped off stands.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Also when I asked about a clean I was told that would cost £45. (which my insurance doesn't cover), as it is not done on the NHS, even though a simple scale and polish is supposed to be done at a checkup according to the NHS website and is included in band 1 £18.

The dentists has recently been taken over by a much larger firm, and is full of dentists from other countries which doesn't bother me in the slightest although it does help if they speak English.  My last dentist was from Germany and I saw him for 30 years was a wonderful gentle and caring man who looked after my teath very well so well my crowns lasted for 21 years. Sadly he retired and sold the practice to this new firm.

And................................breath

[guardpig]

Ah yes, I filled OH and the dentist in about the pay for top band treatment only.

However I do not class what he is having done as a repair - he's only had them a few months.  I would have thought anything provided on the NHS should be fit for purpose and therefore last a reasonable amount of time and imo, for dentures that should be measured in years and not weeks(all 13 of them)! And if not then he should have been told/warned - after all why should we pay twice for shoddy workmanship.  Maybe we could sue them for the emotional distress caused him by swallowing the tooth.  Apparently if he had the tooth then it could have been glued on for free!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Superglue do you think??!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After all if we sell something it is expected to work and to work for a "reasonable" length of time.  Methinks I really, really want to make false teeth for a living.  Won't matter that I don't know how 'cos there's no comeback if you get it wrong.  Just think - no warranty, no returns, no complaints - customer can get stuffed. Wouldn't last long on Ebay.:-)

[guardpig]

Ooh got the XXXXX.

According to the NHS own website you do NOT pay for repairs to dentures unless you need a new denture in which case you have to pay.  Nothing about warranty but, methinks, the dentist is way out of order.

[guardpig]

And again....

According to the NHS "dentures should last several years"

So time telescopes to 13 weeks hmm'

[soppysofty]

Contact your dental practice and ask to speak to the practice manager.

Tell them the problems that you have experienced and ask for their help.

If they are not forthcoming then tell them you will be reporting the practice to the local PCT for conspiracy to defraud the NHS.

Our practice tried the same stunt when I had to have major work done but soon 'resolved' the situation when they thought I was going to report them.

Now have a new dentist in the same practice and am treated like royalty.

[goldenangelanimal]

Repairs to denture ARE free

I have just had mine repaired

So long as it is with the dentist you are registered with

If you have no NHS dentist there are other places that repair them for free, dentist should be able to give you the name of any local ones

all information is available on NHS website , If it was me, I would print it off and take it to the dentist concerned And ask them why charges have been made

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

---

@soppysofty wrote:

If they are not forthcoming then tell them you will be reporting the practice to the local PCT for conspiracy to defraud the NHS.

---

Pretty pointless as all PCTs ceased to exist in April of this year.

Better to try the local Healthwatch, who have replaced the PALs

[guardpig]

The dentist said it wasn't a repair because the tooth was lost!.  Therefore new dentures needed.  I have emailed a basic query as to warranty/repair vs not repair and durability to the NHS.  Don't want to complain -just fairness, especially as I am in the market for a dentist for 1 filling and 1 filling only but haven't found one to trust yet.

Printed off the nhs website for OH as they tried to seriously overcharge him.for work including the dentures.  The receptionists doing the charging and booking all appear to be eager school leavers who are terribly nice and haven't a clue, they also change regularly so would assume they are short term apprentices.

[cookiecookuk]

because the loss of the tooth was there fault it should be repaired free of charge.

i had a crown fitted about 20 years ago and every 6 months or so the glue the post was glued in with would fail and the crown fell out back to the dentist to have it reglued .i must have gone back every 6 months for about 3 years and never paid another penny.

i would like others have said go to see branch manager and complain then change dentist.

i have had the same dentist for about 18 years now and if dentists were awarded medals i would nominate mine as he is fantastic with me and my problems.

[guardpig]

Cookie - if only changing dentists were that easy down here.  This practise is always taking on patients but most aren't. AND, more importantly, they actually seem to know what they are doing which certainly wasn't the case where OH went before or the one son tried out(where he flipped into a panic attack when the dentist started drilling the wrong tooth).

[guardpig]

Apparently it is OH's fault for "losing" the tooth and having small teeth but the dentist did a deal.  However the repaired teeth have come back, didn't fit, dentist adjusted them and told OH to see if they settled down.  They have now broken!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let us see what they do now.  If only the sale of goods act applied to the NHS.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Have a look at this                       www.ombudsman.org.uk/make-a-complaint

You have paid for something that is not fit for purpose I am sure you have rights,