Fourth appointment cancelled now, it would have been a year since my last appointment if this one hadnt been cancelled! Really not on as the practice has also had four different dentists in that time. Who regulates these places nowadays, self regulated or are they still nhs regulated?

Go private.

I would rather pay a bit more to retain my tooth then to suffer enduring pain only to have it extracted because my “NHS” dentist was pussy footing trying to get me to go private. I am not on insurance either as the sum does not work up well if I keep my teeth healthy.

Well, I have gone private now but not with them and they kept sending letters asking me for check up etc but I just let it be. Not even going to tell etc and let them rot …

🙄

Use your daughters best mates dad who I also sometimes go riding with 😀

Go to another dentist?

I tend to just get put on the cancellation list, rarely have to wait more than a day or two

Is it not all private nowadays? I did 15 yrs without a dentist then decided to start going again to set a good example to the kids blah blah as they kept asking why I didn’t go? As you can probably tell I’m not up on the dentistry thing so not sure on how it works!

wrightyson – Member

Is it not all private nowadays?

Not all as some are still on those free/subsidised NHS thing …

If you are on private then you can have as many dentists as you like but choose those that are good with certain things. i.e. some are good for root treatment etc.

but choose those that are good with certain things. i.e. some are good for root treatment etc.

So how do you go about ensuring that…..ask them, “what are you good at ?”

ernie_lynch – Member

So how do you go about ensuring that…..ask them, “what are you good at ?”

I just started asking the “locals” if they knew about that dentist … guess what some of them do know.

Then searched the net to see if someone has mentioned him in good or bad ways.

Even with those information I still do not trust them until I pay the dentist a visit.

During the visit check out the people there, ask them what are there for and how often the get work on their teeth etc.

Yes, I did ask mine directly as I am paying customer and if I do not like what I hear I walk. Simple. When I asked about his speciality he told me his apparently was in all those cosmetic related like implant, etc … big money.

Put it this way I am in no mood to be pussy footing and rather be as direct as possible due to my previous dental experience. I also explained to my then new private dentist about my major toothache … he laughed. Oh ya he is also lecturing at the local Uni to the dental students.

Yes, I did go to another dentist and after being told to wait I felt a bit uneasy so I walked.

If s/he is a cowboy then he will talk shite.

🙂

During the visit check out the people there, ask them what are there for and how often the get work on their teeth etc.

Well I suppose that’s one way to deal with the awkward silence which invariably prevails in the dentist’s waiting room……….discuss your personal oral hygiene issues with complete strangers, and perhaps also include some mutual oral examinations to pass the time away.

Of course if you don’t like what you see/hear you then have the option to “walk” before the dental nurse comes in and calls you name.

.

If s/he is a cowboy then he will talk shite.

What about …….. dentistry, or just generally talk shite ?

.discuss your personal oral hygiene issues with complete strangers, and perhaps also include some mutual oral examinations to pass the time away.

LOL! I did ask and they did answer but it was short of mutual oral examination … bear in mind I was not thinking straight at that time because I had a massive toothache at that time and they felt sorry for me so tried to help.

What about …….. dentistry, or just generally talk shite ?

Well, I know one of mine talked shite because he filed down my good teeth which he shouldn’t and I did not know it because my mouth was completely numb. He went on by saying that he need to make them even.

Another one got my teeth so unevenly filled half my jaw felt weird. Both apparently just graduated and started working with my then dentist.

The third dentist (the one I just left) kept postponing appointments because she was overbooked and even when I told her I could not chew on one side due to pain she just asked me to book for an appointment … it was nearly 2 months later I got an appointment by that time it was too late to save it.

All of them are from same dental practice.

The one I am using now is his own practice so I guess he has a reputation to maintain.

Well, I know one of mine talked shite because he filed down my good teeth which he shouldn’t and I did not know it because my mouth was completely numb. He went on by saying that he need to make them even.

And that was shite ? he didn’t need to make them even ?

Makes you wonder why he did it then – perhaps it was just boredom ?

Or maybe unlike you he didn’t know that filing your teeth to make them even wasn’t necessary ?

You see this is where I would come unstuck – you can write what I know about dentistry on the back of a postage stamp, so if a dentist was talking shite concerning dentistry I wouldn’t have a clue.

Maybe I should read up on the subject.

ernie_lynch – Member

And that was shite ? he didn’t need to make them even ?

Well, according to my current dentist the good tooth should not be touched or filed down instead should redo the other one. When he filed down the good one he could have weaken it. My current dentist taught at the dental school by the way so he knows what he is talking I guess.

I see, so the answer is to get a second opinion then, ie, find out what your dentist thinks, and then ask another who you have complete confidence in, whether the first one is talking shite ?

Wouldn’t it just be easier to cut the first one out altogether ?

ernie_lynch – Member

I see, so the answer is to get a second opinion then, ie, find out what your dentist thinks, and then ask another who you have complete confidence in, whether the first one is talking shite ?

Well, the previous dental practice seem to get new dentists every few months so some were fine but until I encountered the three that were not. Each time I requested to see the one I felt right he was either not in practice during that week or was fully booked. I think I was on NHS subsidised plan at that time.

Wouldn’t it just be easier to cut the first one out altogether ?

Yes, that would be the rational thing to do but I was thinking that it could just be those two young dentists only until I met the 3rd and the last one where I had enough …

I would have gone to my current one if I knew my tooth would end up being extracted due to the 3rd dentist.

ernie_lynch – Member

You see this is where I would come unstuck – you can write what I know about dentistry on the back of a postage stamp, so if a dentist was talking shite concerning dentistry I wouldn’t have a clue.

Well, if the dentist starts to file down your good tooth I am sure you will find it a bit weird. Mine was the two front bunny teeth. One was broken while the other was fine. The dentist over filed the one he just fixed so instead of redoing it, he just filed down the good one. Lazy git I say.