The last (private) dentist I went to in Durham had his own aeroplane. Not model/RC but a proper decent one (Cessna or something) He went from NHS to private & I went for one tooth out & a filling + an Xray.

£310. Iv’e still got the receipt somewhere.

So you had a disease that was eating away a part of your body so you went to see a highly trained and qualified professional who specialises in this sort of medical disease.

He examined you and then diagnosed the problems you had with the help of a very costly piece of medical equipment. He then proceeded to skilfully remove the diseased part of your body and replace it with a medical prosthetic to allow u to function as normal afterwards. He also surgically removed another diseased bit of you that was to far gone to save. Almost certainly at a time that fitted into your daily schedule and in the knowledge that if he made even a tiny mistake you could sue him for tens of thousands of pounds and potentially ruin his reputation/ livelihood / ability to pay the bank back the huge sum of money he probably owes as a business loan.

For £310

How much did your car cost you last time something broke on it? Sky tv with sports up to nearly £100 a month all year?

Incidentally my tattooist spends all his free time flying the helicopter he part owns……….

I reckon it’s just you, you must have a face that’s easy to take advantage of.
First the locksmith and the police, now dentists.

Maybe you should just stop going out?

Or maybe your an ignorant judgemental tosser.

I come from a family of dentists. Father, Uncle, brother.

The early deaths of dentists – average age at death was 55 – was a bit of a worry. I suspect handling mercury, polymers, practically unshielded X-rays (in the 1960s anyway) probably wasn’t the best H&S for longevity.

My uncle reckoned you could tell a dental convention from 100 yards away at tea time, the rattle of crockery from a few hundred shaking hands being the giveaway.

As for dental charges, I can still remember the stress the amount of debt to secure the very expensive dental equipment put my father under. He had to work like a dog to keep his head above water. And if the dentist is sick, they earn no money, but still have to pay for premises, staff, and equipment.

It’s like swimming with lead flippers.

I wouldn’t do it.

monkeycmonkeydo – Member

Or maybe your an ignorant judgemental tosser.

Is that a 🙂 or a 👿 ?

If you work for the business ‘owner’ then you make a good salary, but when you own the business, and want to make it better, you are paying out big time.

My bro is going through massive stress with his decision, and they are expecting their first child. Lots to take in suddenly going from self employed to having a practice and employees.

My NHS dentist as a kid ended up having to retire with chronic back problems.
Got two close friends (married couple) who are dentists and seem top notch at their job (take my kids to them) and own their practice. Two expensive cars in the drive, beautiful five bedroom house, three boys being put through private school and one flash holiday per year. He works four days a week and she just two. They say that doing unnecessary work is still rife in the industry. They’ve actually branched out into botox as it’s so lucrative (needs doing every three months). Both are very chilled out folks. Sounds ok to me!

I’ve just had a broken and decayed wisdom tooth removed privately. Including – consultation, 6 x-rays, stitches to the gum and removal of stitch at a later date. 3 appointments all in.

It was a difficult extraction due to my concrete jaw and awkward positioning of tooth, so took him nearly an hour. The charge was £140. I don’t feel ripped of in the slightest, and I’d have given him every penny I had to get rid of the pain! He was very professional at all times, I hope he enjoys his aeroplane, he deserves it!

Colin Howell was a dentist. Makes you wonder.