The Office of Fair Trading has opened a market study into how well both private and NHS dentists are working for people like you and me. The OFT wants to act on concerns raised by a number of consumer bodies that significant numbers of patients are confused about dental treatments and prices.
The study will look at how these services are sold, whether the information given to patients about the different practices, treatments and payment methods are adequate, and how easy it is to change dentists.
There will also be an investigation into how well the current customer redress system works. Dentistry really is a big money industry. The sector was worth £7.2bn last year, and is forecast to hit a whopping £8.2bn by 2014. And it's the cost of seeing a dentist that is taking a toll on our oral hygiene.
A study at the start of the year by Tesco found that more than a third (35%) of us haven't been to a dentist in more than 18 months, while one in ten haven't been for more than five years. And the likely cost of the treatment is the deciding factor for a third of those staying away.
The cheapest way to get your teeth and gums checked is to rely on an NHS dentist in your area. There are three bands of treatment:
Band one covers an examination, diagnosis, advice on preventing future problems, as well as a scale and polish if needed. This will set you back £17.
Band two is work, like fillings, root canal work or for some teeth to be removed, this will cost you £47.
Band three covers crowns, dentures and bridges. This will cost an almighty £204.
Of course, the biggest problem with relying on NHS dentists is that there is a serious shortage in certain areas across the UK.
Another option is private insurance covering any dental care you may need. Typically, it will pay towards (but not necessarily entirely cover) the cost of examinations, scale polish, diagnostic tests and any emergency treatment you need. Of course, if your teeth and gums are generally in pretty good nick then forking out every month when you're unlikely to make many claims can work out as an expensive move.
Back in July, a health search engine called WhatClinic.com carried out a survey of the prices charged by more than 500 different private dental clinics across the nation. And the firm found that that price variations between the dentists were huge — root canal treatment on a front tooth could cost as little as £57 in Newcastle, or as much as £600 in London! And it's not just a north/south divide. A simple dental check up could cost £13 or £125 from two different clinics in London!
Edited and adapted from an article on Yahoo Finance here.
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So despite the lauded claims that we have a 'free' healthcare system here in the UK it seems some sections of it are freer than others, with dentistry not being very free at all. Now a huge money 'industry' everyone from private practitioners to insurance firms and finance companies can't wait to get their teeth into yours. For the poor, getting treatment in the first place is a postcode lottery and for those lucky enough to have a dentist there is always the bill. Even for those lucky enough to live in a better area with a reasonable income, paying for unexpected non-routine work is going to bite a chunk out the bank balance. So even the greatest reform ever gained by Labour and the left in general has now been reduced decades later to the same pay-for-it-now healthcare that was in place before the War. There is an answer, and that lies in revolutionary socialism and the death of capitalism. Now there's something to get your teeth into!
SussexSocialist
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