Dentistry ‘closed shop’ sees patients told ‘Sorry you’re not part of the NHS anymore’

According to a Mirror study, at least one out of ten constituencies in England lacks a single dental practice that takes on new NHS adult patients, and 96% of dental practices are not accepting new customers. Patients have described the extreme measures they have taken to receive dental care; one patient even described how she had to use superglue to replace a missing tooth.

Susan Yates, 62, of the Isle of Wight, who has an accounting company, clarified: “I knew something was wrong because I had poor teeth. I assume I’m not the only person that grinds their teeth under pressure from their job. I didn’t have the right bite, and eating became painful. Due to the expense, I felt as though my NHS dentist was taking advantage of me and doing what he could, even though I had numerous fillings and some crowns that needed to be replaced.

My teeth needed a lot of repair; I knew I would require five root canals and at least two implants. In order for my daughter to receive NHS care, I became a private patient of my dentist. My NHS dentist was aware that I had dental issues, but he also understood that I didn’t want to take out a mortgage to have them fixed.

 

 

According to a Healthwatch England survey conducted last week, one in eight parents stated that they could only register their child with an NHS dentist if they consented to be treated as a private patient at the office. The watchdog has urged the government to grant the public a “GP-style” right to permanently register with a nearby NHS dentist in order to receive regular check-ups and appointments, claiming the condition is a “breach of contract.”

In England, dentists with NHS dental contracts receive the same compensation whether they perform three or twelve fillings. Because it is challenging to meet NHS targets when treating complex situations, it has led to a situation where “high needs” patients may be the least welcome, and dentists may end up losing money on their care. Susan eventually required five root canals, implants, and crowns due to her severe bite problems. Her NHS dentist informed her that she would have to pay to have the work done privately because some of the work was deemed cosmetic. After traveling to the private Dentum Clinic in Zagreb, Croatia, where she was paid £11,500, she was given a quote of £25,000.

Lisa Morris, a British patient, wound up there after attempting to superglue a tooth back in before traveling overseas to receive the care she desired. “Everything is private now,” remarked Lisa, 50. I used to wonder, “What are you doing?” when I saw someone who had no teeth because I couldn’t understand why. Even with an NHS dentist, you have to pay X amount of money for it, and some just cannot afford it. Why can’t you get them sorted?

 

 

 

The NHS dentist was unavailable to the Tonypandy supermarket employee in Rhondda Cynon Taf during the COVID-19 outbreak. “I was always terrified of going to the dentist,” Lisa remarked. I believe the shame was the cause. I was reluctant to enter and flash my teeth. However, I discovered a good NHS dentist, and by 2018, I was seeing them frequently, having my teeth examined and cleaned every three months. However, after my father died of cancer, I had depression, and then COVID arrived. Before I knew it, I had missed several dental visits, and when I called to make a reservation, they informed me that I was now private and no longer part of the NHS.

Lisa went on: “I was feeling so depressed because I would never grin or flash my teeth, I felt self-conscious, and I would always put my arm up to cover my mouth while I was speaking to clients or other people. When my front teeth started to fall out, I realized that things were very serious. I was afraid they would emerge, therefore I was unable to eat anything resembling steak. They were painful and would bleed. I reattached one that was hanging by a thread with superglue. I was so desperate, but my spouse felt I was crazy. I thought I had no other choice.

Lisa was informed that she would require a full set of implants, temporary replacements, and the extraction of all her teeth. She was informed that she would have to pay £33,000 to have them done privately and that she would be without teeth for several weeks while the implants were being prepared. Implants are often not exclusively available on the NHS. In the end, she paid £13,500 for the identical procedure at the clinic in Croatia. So far this year, the clinic has seen almost 1,000 British patients.

Lisa stated: “I eventually paid to go privately because I was so desperate to get my teeth straightened, but the total cost was so high—about £33,000.” It surprised me so much that I couldn’t believe it. Additionally, they stated that I would need to go without teeth for around eight weeks while my gums recovered and contracted, something I simply could not have done.

With the help of the BDA, The Mirror started the Dentists for All campaign, and 228,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the service be saved.

After analyzing over 6,500 practices on the NHS “Find a Dentist” website, our Reach data team discovered that 4,800, or 73%, do not currently take on new adult customers. About 62% of the NHS dentists on the website did not accept children under the age of 17 as of November 18.