There is a news piece today about how in the last three years the number of people visiting the dentist in the UK has dropped by one million.
The article suggests that the “fear factor” is the main issue responsible for the decline in numbers.
I beg to differ. Something has happened to the dental profession in the UK of late without anybody doing anything about it. I suspect that it has something to do with the government introducing new contracts for dentists in 2006 designed to improve access to NHS dentistry. Instead, many dentists chose to opt out and went private. Why wouldn’t they. What incentive did they have to remain in the bureaucracy? The government are claiming that they are turning the corner – has anybody noticed that to be the case?
I recently had to have a filling. I have been with the same NHS dentist for years, but this time I was charged nearly £100.00. My dentist, like millions of others around the country has stopped being part of the NHS and we the general public have had no involvement or say in their decision.
I thought dental care was meant to be provided by our state run National Health Service, but nobody I know can find an NHS dentist these days. How has the government allowed the nations teeth to decline to the point where people are having to extract their own teeth? Or go abroad to have treatment? During a recession I suspect that the care of our teeth fall further and further down the priority list of expenses and now, even going abroad is less appealing owing to the exhange rate.
This is an appalling state of affairs.
I wrote about this a year ago. It’s only going to get worse.
Tim aka Dotterel
January 13, 2010I fear you’re right (oops! No pun intended…) My dentist is also a friend, so I’m never scared to go or if I am I never let it show. He’s still with the NHS for ideological reasons, but the ridiculous amount of interference he puts up with, together with bureaucracy, is tempting him ti reconsider. As you say it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.
allie
January 13, 2010I had no idea!
100 pounds!
For a filling?!
That’s a shocker
Mud
January 13, 2010I’ve never understood why tooth care (and for that matter, eye care) seems to largely fall outside the remit of the NHS. Now I don;t fancy a nation of American scary smiles – but it won’t be long until we are all resembling the English smiles from The Simpsons!
(2010 resolution – get to a dentist)