Are you getting thurso dental treatment?

[sweetheart]

A certain dental clinic in thurso, now that the "other" NHS one is closed years, uses
a private scheme where any person requiring dental treatment must pay a
monthly membership fee. But this fee has been raised year on year that i
have no way of planning to pay for my dental costs given this private clinic
"the only act in town" leaves me really feeling pinched, sending me letters from
glasgow demanding i re-sign up for the dental insurance scheme... so much so, i quit
the clinic in protest, and have not any alternative and a tooth needing a new
filling.

I don't like being threatened with a monopoly, that raises prices year on
year, one that will not offer treatment otherwise coerced to "join" the
membership fee. Perhaps for a corporation, such an escalating fee is
just another cost, but for a private individual, it feels like monopolist
abuse, and were i an economic accountant studying the fair price for
dentistry in north scotland, i'm sure that if we are to have "choice"
then they must have given it to orkney. :-)

Are you getting pinched by the limited dental options in thurso?

[Phoebus_Apollo]

I have to agree with you Sweetheart I have been on the dental plan for over a year and coughed up over £180 (£15 a month x 12). I hate the fact that my national insurance is not being put to it proper use, and I don`t like being put under the pressure to travel to ?Golspie/Inverness? to get a check up or have a filling done if I was on the NHS service.

I do take good care of my teeth but still feel that the people of Thurso have been forced to pay for a treatment which should be free. I understand that that the NHS don`t pay dentists "enough" for fillings and such like so a lot of them go private.

But ask anyone - you never see a poor dentist!!

[The Pepsi Challenge]

What they're doing is a disgusting and shameful practice. A bunch of capitalists with little respect for patients other than lining their own pockets. Hopefully, these swines will succumb to some form of ironic punishment in the near, not-too-distant future. Until that happens, I'm afraid to say they've got the Caithness people by the short and curlies.

[Phoebus_Apollo]

Hopefully, these swines will succumb to some form of ironic punishment in the near, not-too-distant future.
Everlasting Halitosis maybe??:mad:

[daviddd]

I am not prepared to pay for treatment either, on TV earlier tonight the Holiday prog was describing how Brits are going to Krakow in Poland where dental treatment is much cheaper due to dentists there not being so greedy about how much they get paid, like here.

What makes a dentist worth 5 times more in pay than say a time-served motor mechanic or bricklayer? If people are prepared to pay fair enough, it's up to them how they spend their money, but I'd rather not thank you. Same goes for solicitors too, grossly overpaid and from my experience pretty incompetent and lazy.

[Julia]

I have recently had dental treatment via the NHS Emergency Helpline, I was seen the same day and after waiting two hours for my turn, I was fobbed off with a temporary filling, anti-biotics and some pain killers.... upon asking 'can I come back and have a proper filling after I've finished the anti-biotics?', 'No' was the reply, 'only if it's an emergency and you are in pain'.

[daviddd]

that's disgraceful - where did you have to go Julia?

[pedromcgrory]

i had 2 wait 4 days with nhs helpline ,then when i got there my mouth was so bad i couldnt open it for treatment ,so add another 3 days till antibiotics hit in then tooth pulled worst week off my life i was like a zombie its lucky i never killed myself with an overdose of paracetamol

[unicorn]

I was actually thinking of getting my dental work done next time I am in Turkey prices are about the same but at least I dont have to pay a monthly fee.

[smith2585]

i know what its like!!

what is this world coming to?

everything is all money money money

[concerned resident]

If you are not happy with the service provided, your time might be better spent writing to your politicians, as these are the people you voted for, and are not providing a service you have paid for, they fortunately are all located further south, earn good money, so do not have this problem, You should remember these incidents when it comes to voting next time.

[Naefearjustbeer]

We go to wick for our dentistry, When we had our first bairn (the wife used to go to him in the pre £15 a month days) we both got letters saying that if we wanted our lassie to get NHS dental treatment at that dental practice both me and the wife would have to sign up to his monthly subscription. Talk about blackmail I was registered at a different dentist and he was wanting me to sign up with him so the bairn could get treatment needless to say we both now go elsewhere. My denist bills have never been more that £50-£60 a time and I have needed things done about 3 times in the last 15 years, Hmm let me think? pay as I go for treatment or pay £180 a year each for the wife and me?? for treatment we might not need. One of my wormates went there and was told he needed 5 fillings and to make more apointments. He thought it was a bit strange as his teeth had been given a clean bill of health 6 months earlyer. Anyway when he went back he saw a different dentist who told him he needed nothing done at all, Talk about job creation if he had seen the same one again he would of ended up with 5 teeth drilled and filled for no reason. Go to Thurso I dont think so . The bairn goes to the school dentist for free, and we will continue to travel to wick or further afield if needed to avoid going to that place. I think what is happening is criminal and something should be done to stop it. If I gave my true feelings on this I would get a ban from the forum.

[Sideshow Shug]

I used the Back Bridge St clinic in Wick earlier this year and found it very good

Yes its private but you dont pay monthly amounts and didnt find the cost too harsh

You are allowed to go in and ask for a quote at all dentists (from what i hear its worthwhile doing as eg the dentists in Ormlie is apparently very expensive compared to others)

I hadnt seen a dentist for a while and needed a fair bit of work and found it fair if i added up all the monthly amounts i would have paid in the Thurso practice and the additional cost of the work I was still better off in Wick just on a pay as you go basis including the travelling costs

It was also quite surprising the amount of Thurso people who were in there at the same time for appointments

I seems this is no longer a problem unique to Caithness now but we are quite hard done to with dental costs, fuel costs and the subsequent higher cost of goods because of it theres definately a financial penalty to be paid for living in this area

[Julia]

I had my emergency appointment at the Bridges clinic in Wick. Needless to say the tooth throbs at some point every day and I just resort to more painkillers.

You can't even get on their list if you are a paying, non-NHS patient, they are so fully booked.

Is there not supposed to be a new dental practice opening at the Wick Business Park?

[pedromcgrory]

http://www.wimp.com/dentist/ think we may soon have to take a leaf out of his book lol

[sweetheart]

pedromcgrory, I had that very thing happen a few years back whilst i was
working in london, and i had to pay 60 pounds to a private dentist to get them
to perscribe me a realistic pain killer. My dentist said take paraceemal until
monday, but i was really in agony, like only tooth pain can do, well, not really,
lots of broken bones hurt a lot too, a dislocated shoulder hurts like a tooth
ache.

I think the puritainism of the medical profession is dreadful. People should be
generously supplied with proper pain killers, fast pronto, as when the pain gets
that bad, there is nothing else, a 130 decibel blairing klaxon of disabling
pain, riveting, dominating, and would any person sympathetic at all, worthy
of whichever pain killer a person chooses.

But this gets to another root problem, that we are not empowering people
to make choices for themselves, that they take drugs for the pain of their
teeth, and if the NHS is going to just keep injecting all the heroin in to
its own veins, what about all those poor people with toothaches, who
surely could use some heroin or whatever kills pain like that.

I had extremely painful spasms in my elbow, and my nhs doctor said to
take paracetmaol, a horrible drug that makes me drowsey and does not
kill pain at all, unless knocking me out is a form of pain killing. So, i
think it is a person's private choice what pan killer they use in life, from
what they use at the dentist to what they use at the pub.. free will,
free choice. Once upon a time, whiskey was, what cannabis is today.
People "WILL" be taking their drugs if the pain is bad enough, so rather
than fight human instinct, lets regulate those drugs and make sure that
the dosages are safe, that persons who need take strong pain killers
not have addictions, just smiles of relief.

[caithpal]

I agree with what is being said by very many people. I would be delighted to pay for private dental and medical treatment if the government didn't charge me as much NI and TAX. I believe the contributions I pay each month from my salary should pay for me to have NHS treatment etc but have no problems paying £100+ per month for BUPA medical/Dental insurance if I was not needing to pay several hundreds of pound per month in NI and TAX. I'm very fortunate to earn a good wage and understand it isn't as easy for everyone. If I was to pay privately and remove all pressure on the NHS doctors and dentists then the level of service for lower earners would hopefully improve.

I know dentists who are earning £80+ per annum with only a few years experience and I have a relative who is 100% private and earns many times more. Until the government makes dentists have a percentage of their work NHS this situation will continue.

GPs are no better. They recently had their contract renegotiated which now sees them paid more for less hours (average salary of £70k) and get paid overtime for working on call sometimes at £150 per hour (although this in an exception)! As well as their GP practice (that they don't charge for) many do private work that they do charge for (out of hours etc). I recently used my health insurance to see a consultant about a knee problem (I didn't want to wait 6m and it helps to free up a place for someone else) and paid £120 (well my insurance paid) for less than a 3 minute conversation and no treatment or pills/jabs etc. That is almost £2500 per hour.

With regards to dentists I'm with Neil Fearns at Northern Holistic in Thurso. I don't pay anything monthly but do pay about £32 for a hygienist appointment, about £30 for a check-up, £20 for an X-Ray, £60 -140 for a standard white filling (depending on which tooth) and recently £400 for a root canal. I have no other option but wouldn't touch John Barry with a barge pole after a very bad experience involving several unnecessary fillings which he is very well known for!

The answer - Who knows? Move to a better country than this or hope the government makes dentists work in the same manner as doctors, either way they'll earn way more than you or I ever will!

[Phoebus_Apollo]

Interesting Post Caithpal, I think that because Bridge End Thurso has the monopoly in Thurso that people with tooth pain (the worst IMHO) ultimatly have no other choice but to goto the nearest practice for some form of treatment - and if you`re not a member of the £180 a year club then you are either refused or forced to pay through the nose.

But I can see it from a business point of view also - Bridge End like all businesses exist to make a profit. It seems that no amount of berating MSP or letter writing can cease or reverse the problem. I think the long term solution would be (and I believe there was talk of this) to set up a dental training school so the NHS could both train and recruit Dentists within a local area.

But if all else fails - simply get out the string / jack daniels and yank out that infected molar...