The programme was aired at 9pm Monday 23rd May 2011. The programme brought to light the term “gaming” amongst the NHS dental profession, a number of dentists who are exploiting loop holes within the system. It appeared that there is confusion not only amongst the general public but also amongst the dental profession.
Most shocking was the demonstration that a number of dentists were putting their own financial gain above the needs of their patients. The programme also exposed dentists who are waiting until patients are lying back in the chair before telling them they must pay hundreds of pounds for private treatment, which should be available on the NHS.
Dispatches also revealed that children’s teeth are being neglected under the NHS and that cost-cutting dentists are outsourcing lab work to countries like China where there are little or no checks on safety or quality.
All NHS dentists have knowingly signed a contract which in the most part is unworkable in order to secure a good supply of patients and most surprisingly on average mixed practices (NHS and Private) were generating a bigger income than solely private dentists.
The programme has certainly brought once again NHS dentistry to the forefront of health provision discussion and brought the profession as a whole into disrepute. If you missed the show, you can view the programme here.
Do you agree or disagree with the points in the show? Have your say below and leave a comment:
Corruptions at the core, do not think this is only done by dentist.. private doctors do the same..
its all business..
My NHS dentist recommended a crown (on the NHS) for a broken tooth. A 1 hour appointment was booked to do the mould. At this appointment, he recommended an X-Ray then said I should have the root canal treatment first. He then said he could not do the treatment on the NHS as the NHS equipment was not good enough and could only do the treatment private at £300 for root canal treatment. On top of that, I would need to come back and pay £200 for the crown afterwards. Scam or what !! As I was already in the chair, I felt I had no choice but to go ahead with the treatment. I am not working so this money has to come out of my savings. After watching Channel 4 Despatches programme, I felt really annoyed and intend to contact the NHS PCT to complain about my dentist, after he has completed the treatment of course!
I am a dentist.
This is the problem –
NHS dentists are owners of private businesses (dental practices) and so have all the costs, and risks involved with a business. These costs are escalating due to vastly increasing levels of government regulation (way way above any other country in the world), and inflation etc.
If you do the business mathematics for the NHS contract it is NOT possible to cover your business costs let alone earn an income to yourself (dental practices are VERY expensive to run), whilst doing ethical, honest dentistry (which is what the NHS contract says dentists should do).
The problem however is that the vast majority of dentists won’t admit this publicly, and so they end up gaming the NHS system in order to cover these costs, and provide themselves with an income. Some will be using gaming to maximise profits, but many are simply trying to keep their business afloat and provide an income.
The government knows this is the case.
What is tragic is that ALL the NHS practices who continue to work on the NHS for the majority of their work will be doing this. They would go bust otherwise. This means that there are hundreds of thousands of patients being gamed this way.
The motivation dentists have for behaving this way, instead of publicly admitting that they cannot fulfil the NHS contract and keep their business running, is that THEY will look like the bad guys in the public’s eye (when it’s actually the government’s underfunding). So by remaining NHS, and gaming they maintain a good reputation, and receive a strong flow of patients (customers) to them who believe they are getting NHS, ethical dental care.
I spent 5 and a half years training to be a dentist, and 2 years postgraduate, and I want to be able to treat my patients to the standard I was taught, while running a successful business, while deriving a decent (£70,000) salary (not £140,000!). I do this by ADMITTING publicly that I am private, and my charges are known before you come into my practice. And you know what? I’m struggling. And you know why? Because EVERYONE around offering NHS is gaming, but patients don’t know, so they flow there and think I’m the bad ‘private’ guy.
Sad sad sad for the profession, but especially for the patients. I wouldn’t want my mum treated like that.
I am 47 yrs old and have been told by many dentists that when my teeth have needed treatment that the dentist who did the treatment never lined the tooth.
I was 18 yrs old and had all my treatment done by 2 dentists , The one i had between the age of 12 -16 yrs said that I had very strong teeth even thought they were a dark yellow colour.
The dentist i went to when i was over 18yrs old on the NHS. I went to have my wisdom teeth out as they were causing me a bit of pain. The dentist took 2 wisdom teeth out and sent me to a hospital for the other 2 teeht. But he also told me that I needed a filling in every back tooth,I just had them done but was in a bit of shock as had not ever suffered tooth ache!
I do believe this dentist rather took advantage off the NHS syaten for the payments of the Teeth he filled.
It is now that I am older that I have realised all this was done on him just making money out of me. I presumed he thought I would stay in that area and he would be able to claim on all the teeth he filled and did not line.
I feel very sad that this dentist has infact caused the pain and treatment i have had to suffer from this.
Couls someone please tell me if I can sue this guy for thi i do believe he is still running a surgery. So there for should have a record of my teeth from then.
Please leave me a message and i will contact you back on this case. or give me a call as I really feel that in between the 2 yrs from one dentist to the other that i really did not have the decay he said i had. As i wasnt eating lots of sweets or drinking sweet drinks.
But I suppose as I have only just come to light that these dentists are just doing treatment for own pockets in them days I feel I do not have a leg to stand on. I feel sad on all this as I am suffering where my teeth were never lined
Ka
I had a crown fitted bt NHS dentist and got told that i could have it done for £100 or private would cost me £400.
I asked what was the difference between them. He told me that the tooth on the NHS was a really bad quailty crown, but the Private crown at £400. was of superior materials.
Could someone please tell me if this is correct. I have also suffered a droop on left hand side since having this fitted.
Ka
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Following on from my comments just over a year ago, I have ended up having the tooth out because it became loose. So that was £500 wasted on root canal treatment plus a crown. The dentist never gave me the option at the time, to remove the tooth. Everything was fine until my 6 monthly check up in May 2012, after which I was in pain when I bite down on anything. The pain gradually became worse forcing me back to the dentist a week later. He said the tooth was loose but recommended I try antibiotics first. I was sceptical but gave it a go and it did improve for a week, then the pain was back. Another course of antibiotics did nothing. By this time I was in so much pain I just wanted the tooth out. I have to say this was the worst extraction I have had, it took 20 minutes to take out and for 3 weeks afterwards, I was on painkillers daily just to dull the throbbing pain in the gum. So I am £500 out of pocket, plus £48 to remove the tooth plus £15 worth of antibiotics. That was one expensive tooth!
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after moving to a new town,i joined a dental surgery and for the first year..it was fine. Then I needed a filling (2yrs ago) the filling was massive and caused great pain,resulting in exttraction of said tooth. I was given a temporary tooth..which was so ill fitting it caused the other side of my mouth to hurt badly..result… 2 more extractions. Another badly fitting temporary plate,now making it impossible for me to eat or smile and misery was setting in fast. ANOTHER plate..temporary again..which cut into my gums,made my teeth ache and resulted…in another extraction! 6 lost teeth!! I am now waiting for 3 months..until my mouth has healed for another fitting for another plate..top and bottom. Will this ever end,and will this awful depression ever go away. All this has happened over 2 years..different dentists..all “drs” all non english and the previous dentist was quite rude and I have refused to see her again. What can I do? I am a nhs patient, no savings to help me,and am anxious to return for what will probably be another extraction. The (tem) plate I am wearing(only to go out in..can,t eat with it) is now pressing on my one tooth causing me great discomfort and is painful. Please advise me..helpme..I am at my wits end.
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Is anyone really surprised?
My yuppie dentist tends to take the piss a bit
He fills his newly and expensively fitted waiting room with every possible high-end magazine imaginable – the most expensive cars, watches, and property is all there for his long suffering patients to reflect ‘I’m paying for all this’