Achi news desk-
The results of the survey by The Herald and Scottish Dental Magazine also reveal a clear postcode lottery in patient experiences, with some praising “excellent” care and easy access to NHS appointments and treatment at their local surgery while others talk of cancellations repeatedly, at length. wait, and be changed to inspections once every two years without explanation.
One reader who was filling a tooth said he “was only told he was private halfway through” the procedure.
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The findings of the poll, which attracted more than 90 responses, come ahead of the Scottish Dental Show in Glasgow on Friday when members of the dental profession will have the opportunity to quiz Scottish Government officials on the state of the sector amid concerns that NHS care disappearing in some areas.
In November 2023, the Scottish Government introduced higher fees for a number of NHS dental procedures after complaints from dentists that the previous rates did not cover the cost of providing the work, leaving them with no option but to do treatments privately.
Several respondents to the survey said they had been forced to go private in recent years after their dental practice cut ties with the NHS.
One said she and her husband “find ourselves without a dentist for the first time in our lives” after her dental practice goes private in spring 2023.
He said they were worried about the possible costs if treatment was required in the future.
He added: “No other dentists in our town are taking on new NHS patients…it looks like we’ll have no choice but to go private this year and I’m worried about going too long without a check.
“But I’m also worried about how much it would cost if I need treatment. The gap between NHS and private payments for treatments is huge.”
The 60-year-old former prison officer said his dental practice in Fife “went private a few months ago” and has been unable to find an alternative.
“Not a single dentist in Fife employs Health Service patients,” he said. “It’s a disgrace.”
Several respondents described difficulty finding an NHS dentist in areas including Stirling, Highland, and Dumfries and Galloway.
One said her whole family – including a 22-year-old daughter – are now paying privately despite the Scottish Government’s promise that all 18-25 year olds are entitled to free NHS dental care after their current dental practice went private two years ago. .
He said: “We tried to register with another NHS dentist but there is none in our region (Dumfries and Galloway) that accepts new patients…I had to pay full price for a check.
“I paid £100 for a new splint in December but it hadn’t come back from the technicians by March.
“My son has just paid £185 for a filling. I have been told I will have to travel 70 miles to see an NHS dentist.”
Another reader in Dumfries and Galloway said she and her husband had been deregistered from their long-standing NHS practice in April 2023 and had tried in vain to find another NHS practice in the region to accept patients new.
He added: “We then realized we had no choice but to go private, which we really couldn’t afford.
“But then our problems began in earnest as it became clear that no practices were taking new private patients in this area either.
“We’ve been on waiting lists for months so we gave up and are now traveling to Carlisle in England for private dental care.”
A reader who had been hosting a Ukrainian refugee family for seven months said they “couldn’t get an NHS dentist within commuting distance” and couldn’t afford private treatment.
They added: “One member of our Ukrainian refugee group eventually flew to Turkey for extensive dental treatment.”
A number of other respondents described being forced to accept dental plans with monthly payments if they wanted to stay with their current practice.
These varied from between £17 and £39 per month, depending on the number of examinations and hygienist sessions included.
Others have spent huge sums on treatment.
One mother said she and her child had struggled to access NHS care because “most clinics wouldn’t take new patients” and her young daughter needed fillings under anaesthesia.
She said she had been on a waiting list for two years but eventually went private, paying £3000 for fillings, tooth extractions and one crown for herself, and £2000 to have six steel caps on her daughter’s baby teeth for molars that had not. properly formed.
Another reader estimated that they and their partner have paid around £4000 for private dental treatment including crowns, tooth restorations and other treatments since the pandemic after their surgery stopped being covered by the NHS.
They said they had not had any dental checks for two years during Covid “meaning various problems with teeth not being checked”, adding: “This resulted in me losing one tooth and having one tooth pulled Still. Both could have been saved by regular dentistry.”
One reader said that she and her husband “haven’t had access to an NHS dentist in the last two years” after the practice they belonged to for 20 years went private.
Since then she has spent £900 on private root canal work.
A reader in Fife said they had been unable to register with an NHS dentist in the region and had been forced to continue traveling to their old practice in Port Glasgow.
However, after it went private, they paid “nearly £1000 for a crown and £300 for a filling”.
Several readers also pointed out long waits of around five to six months between NHS appointments, even if they were in the middle of a course of treatment.
One respondent also said that they had been treated for an abscess at a dental emergency hospital and prescribed antibiotics, but were told to see their own dentist once the swelling had gone down.
They added: “This is where I’ve hit a brick wall. They told me they don’t have any urgent appointments. I’ve been told if they get canceled they’ll try to fit me in.
“I am currently sitting at home with the toothache after finishing my antibiotics worrying that this infection will come back as the cause of the infection has not been treated.
“When I finally get this bad tooth out I will need new dentures. I can’t see them giving me appointments for that when they can’t see me for an emergency to get a tooth out. I I despair.”
Another reader with “multiple health conditions” said they sought treatment for an inflamed wisdom tooth but was told it would “take years” to get an appointment on the NHS to have it extracted.
They added: “Maybe it would be better for me to travel to another EU country and get it done.
“After my emergency appointment they were supposed to see me to cut the gum around my teeth, but my surgery keeps canceling my appointment.
“I haven’t been able to see my dentist for over six weeks. Since then I’ve had to treat my gums at home as the inflammation keeps happening again.”
Despite the problems plaguing the sector, around a third of respondents reported positive experiences of NHS dentistry.
One described the service at Drymen Dental Surgery as “excellent” with “same day treatment when a crown fell out”.
Another said they saw their dentist within four days of calling for an appointment earlier this month, adding that the problem was “identified and treated within 30 minutes”.
They added: “I’ve never been told I need to pay as a private patient. Always the NHS rate.”
A GP in Edinburgh said their family of five receive “excellent ongoing dental care” from the same practice they have been registered with since 1999.
The November 2023 reshuffle also included a move away from six-monthly checks for everyone to a risk-based system, where some patients could be seen more often while others were called back once a year or less .
However, feedback indicates that many patients were never told the reasons for the change and that some people were transferred to biennial examinations “without explanation”.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government increased fees for dentists as part of major payment reforms introduced in November last year, and this is one of the steps we are taking to improve access to, and quality NHS dental services for everyone in the area. Scotland.
“Based on NICE best practice guidance, our reform now ensures that patients are seen according to their individual oral health needs.
“Patients are advised to discuss their individual recall period with their dentist, and particularly where there has been a change.
“Official statistics on the performance of the NHS dental sector in the quarter ending 31 March 2024 are due to be published shortly and will provide an objective reading of the sector.”
