Comparison of NHS Dentists and Private Dental Care
NHS Dentists can offer dental care at a lower price, because they are subsidized by the NHS. The quality of materials and equipment that a NHS dentist uses may not be as high as the quality that you get in private dentistry.
The cost of private dentists can be almost double that of NHS dentists. There are standard pricing guidelines for NHS dentists, however you might find that some procedures do not fall within these and you will have to pay more for them. This leaves us to question whether or not the private dentists are raking in the money or if NHS dentists are getting a raw deal.
The fact of the matter is that dental equipment and materials can vary greatly in price as well as quality. At a NHS dentist you may only have the option to have a metal crown, while private dentists can offer cosmetically pleasing options such as porcelain or porcelain fused to metal crowns. This is also true with things like braces, bridges, implants and fillings.
Private Dentists are More Accessible Than NHS Dentists
It is much easier to locate and get an appointment with a private dentist than it is a NHS dentist. You might also find that private dentists tend to have newer or even state of the art equipment in their offices. This can include things like digital x-ray machines, Intra-Oral Cameras, Diagodent and Serac machines. While some can afford to pay the higher costs for these luxuries out of pocket, for others it is out of the question.
If this is the case one might consider dental insurance.Dentist Insurance in the United Kingdom can start around £9.00 per month. Most if not all private dental plans in the United Kingdom will not cover a pre-existing problems, so it is important that all of your dental care be up to date when deciding to purchase dental insurance. There are several places to purchase Dental Insurance, but Tesco has offers that starts at only £2.30 per week.
In the United States it is recommended that people should visit the dentist once every six months for a thorough check up and cleaning. However NHS recommends that this be left up to you and your dentist. It does state on their website that those with good oral health may only need to be seen once every 12-24 months.
You are defiantly going to get more bang for your buck by using a NHS dentist. For a standard x-ray you are going to pay £16.2 and for a filling you are looking to pay around £44.6. For more complex procedures you will be paying a more. For a root canal or a dental crown you are looking at about £198.0
The good news is you don't have to make the decision to go to a private dentist or a NHS dentist now, and when you do make that decision it is not one that you are stuck with. You can switch back and forth between a private dentist and a NHS dentist as you please. Some people like to use a NHS dentist for procedures like regular cleanings and fillings, but when it comes to complex cosmetic procedures such as braces, bridges, crowns and veneers they would rather use a private dentist.
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Date Added: Monday 31st August 2009
"I am in need of a new partial upper denture and have been considering whether to take the private option. The thing that was worrying me was whether this would jeopardize my further N.H.S. treatment. The article says that I can continue with further N.H.S. treatment in the future. Therefore this article answered my question "
I. F. Spooner (Miss)