Dentists profiteering?
Discussion
My wife whilst at the dentist enquired about having her teeth whitened.
She was told the price was £250 plus £100 for the gel trays. After some heart searching (wifey doesn't normally go for this type of purchase) she decided to go for it.
After the dentist made some basic trays for the whitening gel to sit in overnight, she was given a slim, natty looking tin tray with 4 syringes in.
Out of curiosity I googled the manufacturer and found that they will have cost the dentist £25.00 to buy.
A bit more Googling showed that similar kits were readily available even cheaper for anone to buy even cheaper.
Am I missing something here, but 1000% markup from a 'trusted professional' seems outrageous.
She was told the price was £250 plus £100 for the gel trays. After some heart searching (wifey doesn't normally go for this type of purchase) she decided to go for it.
After the dentist made some basic trays for the whitening gel to sit in overnight, she was given a slim, natty looking tin tray with 4 syringes in.
Out of curiosity I googled the manufacturer and found that they will have cost the dentist £25.00 to buy.
A bit more Googling showed that similar kits were readily available even cheaper for anone to buy even cheaper.
Am I missing something here, but 1000% markup from a 'trusted professional' seems outrageous.
People will pay for vanity, they’re offering a service to cater for that. You telling me you wouldn’t do the same if you could?
As with anything in life. If you can find it cheaper else where, go for it. You’re not obliged to buy it at the dentists, you’re paying for their service.
The old saying. You never see a poor dentist.
As with anything in life. If you can find it cheaper else where, go for it. You’re not obliged to buy it at the dentists, you’re paying for their service.
The old saying. You never see a poor dentist.
I recently paid £125 to have antibiotics injections into pockets around my implant took all of 5mins, if you think that's expensive another dentist wanted £250 for the same thing and I need it weekly for 3 weeks so £750 in total. I've had to see a lot of dentists recently for an issue and though they are skilled and need to cover overheads I found charges to be very high generally, but had no choice, thanks god for the credit card.
thanks
thanks
blueg33 said:
the answer is overheads. its not cheap to run a dental practice.
Usually a sizable old house, full of equipment, guess the consumables cost, insurance, membership of whatever dentists are members of, liability insurance, training, holidays, sick, receptionists, cleaners, hygienists etc.I'm sure they make plenty off the NHS without having to resort to 1000% markup!
Anyway, my wife took it back and they refunded immediately. She merely said she had changerd her mind, no mention of cost.
Fair play to them.
Mind you, clearly they are making such a lot of money anyway that another £200+ isn't worth the agro, lol.
Anyway, my wife took it back and they refunded immediately. She merely said she had changerd her mind, no mention of cost.
Fair play to them.
Mind you, clearly they are making such a lot of money anyway that another £200+ isn't worth the agro, lol.
It would be interesting to know how the costs of dentistry vary around the western world. I remember a conversation with a friend who is currently finishing his dental school in Omaha, and his father (has his own US practice), that US prices are definitely cheaper than the UK as an example?
andygo said:
I'm sure they make plenty off the NHS without having to resort to 1000% markup!
I doubt they make much off the NHS, otherwise they wouldn't all be dropping NHS work and going private-only. NHS dentists are like hen's teeth around here, and I don't think it is just an issue local to me.Marlin45 said:
It would be interesting to know how the costs of dentistry vary around the western world. I remember a conversation with a friend who is currently finishing his dental school in Omaha, and his father (has his own US practice), that US prices are definitely cheaper than the UK as an example?
Ask your mate's dad how much treatment he would provide for £269.30 and then explain for that in England you can get as much treatment that is required. Explain that this will include all examinations, radiographs, RCT, crowns, dentures, extractions and periodontal treatment. Is the OP's missus keeping the trays that the dentist had made?
You may want to consider that it is illegal for anyone to sell you effective whitening gel unless they are registered with the GDC.
Uk costs are a complete rip off, I don't know how people afford it unless covered by insurance.
Which, co-incidentally is why vets are now so ridiculously expensive as well.... insurance.
The dentists and vets have embraced the opportunity afforded by insurance cover and are milking it to the max.
Cue plenty of PH dentists coming on and telling us all how UK dentists seem to have such massively greater overheads than virtually anywhere else in the world, let alone just the western world, and how the UK is the only place in the whole wide world that dentistry can be done safely, cleanly and to standards the rest of the world could only dream about. Oh and no doubt a few horror stories of how they've had to fix people that have been botched abroad when going for a 'cheap' option elsewhere.
Which, co-incidentally is why vets are now so ridiculously expensive as well.... insurance.
The dentists and vets have embraced the opportunity afforded by insurance cover and are milking it to the max.
Cue plenty of PH dentists coming on and telling us all how UK dentists seem to have such massively greater overheads than virtually anywhere else in the world, let alone just the western world, and how the UK is the only place in the whole wide world that dentistry can be done safely, cleanly and to standards the rest of the world could only dream about. Oh and no doubt a few horror stories of how they've had to fix people that have been botched abroad when going for a 'cheap' option elsewhere.
Piersman2 said:
Uk costs are a complete rip off, I don't know how people afford it unless covered by insurance.
Which, co-incidentally is why vets are now so ridiculously expensive as well.... insurance.
The dentists and vets have embraced the opportunity afforded by insurance cover and are milking it to the max.
Just a wee hint of what awaits if certain factions get their fangs into the wider health system. Which, co-incidentally is why vets are now so ridiculously expensive as well.... insurance.
The dentists and vets have embraced the opportunity afforded by insurance cover and are milking it to the max.
Apparently (according to a dentist I used to go to a few years ago), back in the 1950's and 60's dentists were paid by the NHS for the different things they did so invented fillings. Drilled your teeth, filled them and claimed.
Which was the reason my teeth have so many fillings (or maybe that was because of chocolate).
Not sure if the practice still goes on but I have my suspicions.
Which was the reason my teeth have so many fillings (or maybe that was because of chocolate).
Not sure if the practice still goes on but I have my suspicions.
Marlin45 said:
It would be interesting to know how the costs of dentistry vary around the western world. I remember a conversation with a friend who is currently finishing his dental school in Omaha, and his father (has his own US practice), that US prices are definitely cheaper than the UK as an example?
I posted this previously on a dental thread. Chap was being charged for a £500 filling..:I live in Indonesia.
My dental clinic is like a futuristic star ship med bay. Beatutiful reception, tea, coffee...lovely chairs. Gorgeous toilet facilities, including a shower room....not sure why.
My dentist has two assistants in with him.
I think there are six dentists in the practice, some specialising in certain areas.
I had root canal work last year - which he let me watch on a video screen as I was interested.
For the same price as I pay for a check up in UK.
Met an Aussie guy who used the same practice. Quoted around £1500 for an implant in Aus. This clinic did it for less than a third of the price. In fact he said his Aus dentist wouldn’t even quote him an exact figure..
He had told his Aus dentist he was going to Bali to have the work done instead: his dentist then basically told him he would get infected and all sort of complications.
The Bali clinic, he says, is way cleaner than his Aus dentist and has better equipment. In addition the dentist here is so confident in his work he will fly this guy back for free and pay hotel costs if anything goes wrong and the implant needs further treatment.
I met this guy as he was so happy with the service he had brought his wife for her work - £4,000 in Australia, £800 here....they were also having a lovely holiday.
The staff here even looked after our baby when I couldn’t stop her crying one day, when my wife was in having a check up. Lovely people.
I have a friend booking in for treatment here when he comes on holiday later in the year.
£500 for a filling....! I’d love to see a breakdown of that cost.
J4CKO said:
blueg33 said:
the answer is overheads. its not cheap to run a dental practice.
Usually a sizable old house, full of equipment, guess the consumables cost, insurance, membership of whatever dentists are members of, liability insurance, training, holidays, sick, receptionists, cleaners, hygienists etc.My wife is a dental receptionist.
Hygienists and the other dentists in the practice are self employed. They have 4 dentists working every day on a mix of nhs and private patients. This means 2 hygienists each day, 6 nurses, 3 reception staff, manager.
NHS payment is complicated, dentists have to estimate the costs for the year in advance, if they get it too low they lose money, if they get it too high they get money taken off them.
NHS patients are hard work. Many are rude, demanding and sometimes violent. This is in a nice place - centre of Cheltenham, I dread to think what some other areas are like.
Her boss who owns the practice does ok but isn’t loaded. They all work long hours, have a rota to cover weekends
Dentists really are (general speaking) a bunch of thieving b
ds.
After having seen one afew times over the past few months, I have a conflict of emotions...
I walk out after every appointment with a limp having been bent over and my bank account emptied, on the other hand... part of me wishes I studied dentistry in University .
ds.After having seen one afew times over the past few months, I have a conflict of emotions...
I walk out after every appointment with a limp having been bent over and my bank account emptied, on the other hand... part of me wishes I studied dentistry in University .
Edited by Lannister902 on Saturday 27th April 17:05
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