Do you go to the dentist?

[biscuits]

I've recently found out that some people don't go to the dentist. It's not a judgement, I just assumed everyone did!

Do you go to the dentist?

Are you an NHS patient or private patient?

[Jen.]

I chose "Yes - private", but my parents are dentists and I usually see my dad for a check up whenever I visit, I've never been to anyone else.

Originally Posted by biscuits

I've recently found out that some people don't go to the dentist.

Apparently a third of British people brush their teeth only once a day or never at all.

[limey123]

Originally Posted by Jen.

Apparently a third of British people brush their teeth only once a day or never at all.

Whenever I see my dentist he remarks on something like this, saying he's regularly saddened (but no longer shocked) by what he sees regarding many of his patients eating loads of sugary foods and failing to brush enough or even at all.

Apart from rotting teeth, their breath must be pretty bad?

He always praises me but I'm not doing anything other than what we were always told when I was small, i.e. brush your teeth twice daily and limit sugary foods (the latter which I've managed to do as an adult).

[biscuits]

^&^^ I wonder which end of the day they choose to brush their teeth?

My guess would be they're only choosing to do it at the end of the day.

Brushing your teeth in the morning is important, people!

[Dougella]

I brush my teeth atleast twice a day and floss. I hope most people don't only brush once!

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by limey123

Whenever I see my dentist he remarks on something like this, saying he's regularly saddened (but no longer shocked) by what he sees regarding many of his patients eating loads of sugary foods and failing to brush enough or even at all.

Apart from rotting teeth, their breath must be pretty bad?

Bad breath is probably the least of their worries Not looking after your teeth can lead to more serious health problems like heart disease, stroke and dementia. A lot of people seem to think "I'm not in that much pain, so I'll leave it for a while" or "I was told everything was fine years ago, so it's probably still fine", but regular brushing and flossing at home can never replace the scaling and polishing of a dentist. Dentists also check for early signs of cancer in the mouth too, which is another benefit of going since things like that can be missed until it's relatively late.

[biscuits]

The main reason I go is that they notice things before they get bad. For example, a little cavity can be filled early. Whereas, if it's left unseen it can lead to bigger problems and more expensive procedures. They also give you a little scale and polish every now and then too. And a toothbrush can't remove everything.

And you have an X-ray once a year where they can pick up on the smaller issues that the naked eye cannot.

Those are my reasons for going.

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to find an NHS dentist.

I did read that the dentists are thinking of seeing patients once a year or once every two years, depending on their level of need. There was a time when it was every nine months, but it seems to have gone back to every six months.

[Dougella]

^^ I think a lot of people do have a fear of dentists, often due to previous bad experiences. Then there's the cost of it if you can't find an NHS dentist which is getting increasingly harder.

^^^ Some people like you are just lucky and don't really get any problems, but for others they do need things checked regularly and have to have treatment relatively often.

[Jen.]

It's all a scam run by Big Toof.

[Sunrise]

It's criminal how hard it it to find an NHS dentist these days. I haven't been to one in about 5 years as nobody local to me takes on NHS patients, and I struggled to even find one taking on private patients last time I needed to go. I resented having to pay privately as its completely against my principles but I had no choice.

Before I moved here I used to go at least once a year without fail. I do want to go for another check up again but last time I enquired nobody local was taking on new patients, either NHS or private. It's scandalous really.

[limey123]

Originally Posted by The Devil, Probably.

I also haven't brushed my hair in over fifteen years. That's another thing that is totally unnecessary.

Depends how long and unruly your hair is. Most women would disagree with you, anyway, I'd wager.

[Indigo_]

I haven't seen a dentist in over 20 years. I had two fillings as a teenager and have had no other work done. Much like seeing a GP, if there's nothing wrong, I don't go.

[biscuits]

^^^ the NHS is supposed to ensure people can gain access to a dentist and you can complain about it here:

Problems finding an NHS dentist

If after contacting several dental surgeries you still cannot find a dentist accepting NHS patients, call NHS England's Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 2233.

NHS England commissions dental services in England and is required to meet the needs of their local population for both urgent and routine dental care.

Your local Healthwatch may be able to give you information about services in your area or raise a concern if you have one.

Find your local Healthwatch

If NHS England has been unable to help you find a dentist and you want to raise your concerns about this, contact them on:

email: england.contactus@nhs.net
phone: 0300 311 2233
visit the NHS England website
If you're still not satisfied with NHS England's response, you can take your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

I'm not sure how successful the whole thing is though!

[Dougella]

Originally Posted by limey123

Depends how long and unruly your hair is. Most women would disagree with you, anyway, I'd wager.

Ah but you see that depends on a person's hair type. People with curly hair generally don't brush or comb it unless it's wet.

[limey123]

^ OK, so some people don't need to brush theirs, but I'd still say the majority of people do. If The Devil meant all people don't need to brush theirs, then it sounds arguable to say the least.

[Dougella]

^ Unless it's very short then I would assume so, yes.

[Sunrise]

^^^^Unfortunately NHS England would be of little help to me as I live in Wales, rural Wales to be precise where it is notoriously hard to find an NHS dentist. I think I would struggle to find anything less than 50 miles away. A "dental desert" was how one article I read a while back described the situation here. Any sort of medical treatment around here usually involves a lot of travelling and a very long waiting list.

I last went in autumn 2018, so 4 years ago. I was going to go in autumn 2019, but I thought I'd put it off till the next spring, which in hindsight wasn't the best decision I ever made as I couldn't seem to get to a dentist in 2020 for some reason or another.

I don't want to turn into the sort of person who thinks that because they're not in complete agony their teeth must be fine. I've felt no sort of discomfort at all since the last checkup, but god knows what state they're actually in. I never experience tooth ache but the dentist nearly always finds something when I visit. I might ring around tomorrow and ask again actually, which I probably wouldn't have done if I hadn't read this thread. You've been a positive influence on me.

[biscuits]

^ whoops! Sorry about that! I forgot that you're in Wales.

It looks like in Wales they suggest seeing anyone rather than seeing a regular dentist. Is that correct?

https://www.wales.nhs.uk/ourservices/findannhsdentist

No worries! Good luck with your search. I'm also looking for a new NHS dentist because mine is going private.

[genovese]

Originally Posted by The Devil, Probably.

No, never. I stopped going when my mum stopped taking me (age 15?) and then went once 15 years later out of curiosity - to be told everything was fine. So I've seen a dentist only once in over twenty years.

I'm not really convinced teeth, in particular, warrant routine checks and tweaks - as opposed to, say, everyone having their feet checked every six months at the foot specialist.

As long as someone brushes their teeth now and then (preferably daily, though) and limits sugary food, visiting the dentist is a unnecessary cost and habit. Maybe the institution of dentistry into public life is a consequence of living in a world laden with sugar and laziness, though, with people looking for dentists to fix their problems.

I've never had anything done to my teeth, nor needed it. I'm not going to pay a dentist to tell me that every six months any more than I'm going to pay a podiatrist to tell me my feet are fine.

I also haven't brushed my hair in over fifteen years. That's another thing that is totally unnecessary.

Best
Dating
Profile
Ever.

[BFG_]

Last time was in 1998

[Percy]

On occasion

[Bored]

Where does the money for NHS dentists wages come from?

[Dougella]

^ Same place as other NHS medical professionals I would think.

[biscuits]

Originally Posted by Bored

Where does the money for NHS dentists wages come from?

Mainly from tax and a bit of national insurance contributions.

And they put the teeth from extractions under their pillows.

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by Bored

Where does the money for NHS dentists wages come from?

The government fund them, but not enough for everyone in the country to be covered (I think it was for less than half the population the last time I read about it) and they're basically contracted rather than working for the NHS directly. Apparently most only treat the minimum number of patients because in a lot of cases they actually lose money from it. There seems to be a culture in the UK where many people only go when "there's a problem" (i.e. a lot of pain, which would actually only present itself long after problems have already started) whereas in other countries it's about prevention, where going regularly stops problems from developing, the same as any other form of maintenance. Obviously the money aspect has something to do with this, but even in places without a national health service there can be a difference in attitude that doesn't cost more, or actually costs even less, e.g. paying £50-60 a year so that problems are spotted and prevented before they get worse will be cheaper in the long run than going once every decade or more to have long-standing problems addressed. This difference is probably one of the reasons NHS dental access is so poor - if a patient doesn't go for a couple of decades because they "haven't got any problems" and then turn up needing x-rays, 12 fillings, a couple of extractions and a deep clean the dentist can only recharge the government for a set amount. Even though it might involve two or three visits and require a lot of work and materials, the way the banding system works means the amount the dentist can recharge is capped and they'd be making back the same amount in that example as when they see a patient who only requires a quick check up and one filing replacement - which is a system that works when those are the extremes at each end of an average, but they're not and increasingly most patients are more like the former.

[Percy]

Originally Posted by Jen.

I chose "Yes - private", but my parents are dentists and I usually see my dad for a check up whenever I visit, I've never been to anyone else.


Apparently a third of British people brush their teeth only once a day or never at all.

Your teeth must be imaculate

[genovese]

The NHS dentist contract is geared against NHS patients. Dentists could fill their books with a ton more NHS patients and they'd end up working loads more hours for loads less.
That means burnout and demotivated dentists.
Your teeth give you structure and balance to your face, blimey look after em. Or you'll end up in the book

[Bored]

I'm already in the book, there are a lot of Americans with had teeth because they can't afford to go to the dentist at all.

"There seems to be a culture in the UK where many people only go when "there's a problem" " maybe because it's so hard to find an NHS dentist?

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by Bored

"There seems to be a culture in the UK where many people only go when "there's a problem" " maybe because it's so hard to find an NHS dentist?

I don't know, it seems to be an ingrained part of British culture going back decades, even in the days when registering as an NHS patient was extremely easy - the "put up with it until you can no longer handle it" attitude. People will stay registered as NHS patients as long as they continue going at least once every two years - if they don't they'll lose their place and it will be assigned to someone who does actually want to go. It shouldn't be so hard to find an NHS dentist for those who didn't just wait until they had a problem because they'd already be registered with one, wouldn't they? Unless they've moved area or are under 30.

[genovese]

^^^ Everything you say is true.
Human skulls of around 100 years old (and older) contain superb teeth, including good alignment. It's only within fairly recent times that teeth are radically different. And it coincides with the release of the chemicals & sugars you mention.
Mis-alignment/wonky teeth are also a fairly new phenomenon - tongue posture for some reason has gone to shit.
And self responsibility? Haha good luck with that. The majority of planet earth comfort eat and to talk about taking away someone's coping mechanism to get through the day/week/month is distressing and to tell them to actually think about what they're putting into themselves is normally met with a response of anger.