Private Dentist or an NHS Dentist - What Are the Real Differences?

Private Dentist or an NHS Dentist - What Are the Real
Differences?
By Dr John Mantel

If you read newspapers on a regular basis, you will not have
failed to notice the frequent articles on the growing problems
being encountered in the area of dentistry for the British
public. You may also have noticed that more and more people seem
to be opting for private dentistry. There is a widespread belief
that NHS dentistry is failing its dentists and its patients.
Indeed, in December 2008, Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State
for Health, announced that the Department of Health has
commissioned an independent review of NHS dentistry.

The independent review is designed to report on, and make
recommendations to tackle, the considerable problems that are
being faced by those who make use of and wish to make use of the
current NHS dentistry service. It has been welcomed by the likes
of the British Dental Association, who see the move as a step in
the right direction that has been a long time coming.

One of the main problems facing NHS dentistry is that more and
more people are finding it increasingly difficult to find a
dentist they can visit who is prepared to take them on and is a
part of the NHS (and therefore recommended by the government’s
Department of Health). A report in June 2008 highlighted this
when it showed that fewer people had seen an NHS dentist in the
two years prior to the report than had been seen in the two
years prior to the start of the report despite reforms
introduced by the government in April 2006. The figures show
that in the period covered by the report less than half the
adult population of the UK went to see an NHS dentist.

So, at this point, perhaps you will be thinking the same
question as many; if the government will admit that NHS
dentistry is in a poor state of affairs, what is the alternative
and is it any better? Well, happily, the answer is that the
alternative can be much better but it comes at a price. A
proportion of the adult population in the UK that did not go to
see an NHS dentist instead opted for the alternative: private
dentistry.

There are a number of things that you will receive from a
private dentist that you are unlikely to get from the NHS. Often
there are shorter waiting times, and reduced hassle in other
areas (particularly regarding emergency treatment), but a
crucial difference is that a private dentist will frequently
offer additional treatments to those you can receive from the
NHS.

From the NHS, you will generally get the following treatments:
an examination and assessment; x-rays; non-surgical treatment
like scaling, polishing, gum treatments, marginal fillings, and
oral hygiene instruction; surgical treatments such as wisdom
tooth removal; fillings; root canal fillings; and other
treatments including bridges, veneers, crowns, inlays, dentures
and disease management. However, a private dentist will often
offer a wide range of treatments that the NHS does not. One
particular area in which private dental treatment has an
advantage is that of cosmetic dentistry. There are other
specialist treatments that private dentistry offers on a more
regular basis, also. An instance of this would be the treatment
that allows you to have white fillings on your back teeth. This
is something that is usually not available on the NHS.

Ultimately, it pays to do your research. Different areas of the
UK have different standards and volumes of NHS practices and a
private dentist will come at slightly higher cost. It is a cost,
however, that more and more people are willing to pay because of
the out weighing benefits of better health care.

This article is free to republish provided the authors resource
box below remains intact.

About the Author: Dr John Mantel is a
http://www.manteldentist.co.uk/dentist-stockport.html Stockport
Dentist and provides
http://www.manteldentist.co.uk/teeth-whitening-manchester.html
Teeth Whitening in Manchester. Dr Mantel has considerable
experience in guided bone regeneration techniques and bone
grafting procedures and also lectures internationally on implant
dentistry.

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