| Access to
dentistry is an increasingly sore subject for thousands of
would-be patients across the country.
April 2006 saw a radical new NHS dental structure
put in place aiming to:
- Simplify NHS dental pricing.
- Combat the UK ‘drill and fill’
culture.
- Put more focus on preventative treatments
to the long-term benefit to patients.
- Make working in the NHS more attractive
to dentists.
However, these ideals haven’t been met.
Hundreds of dentists have now fled the NHS as a result of
the reforms, finding that their flexibility and earnings had
been reduced.
Many patients are now struggling to get NHS
dental treatment, as vast numbers of dentists are turning
their backs on the NHS in pursuit of more lucrative private
dental practices:
- According to Citizens Advice, 2 million
people in the UK now don’t have access to an NHS dentist.
- Newspapers throughout the UK have exposed
countless stories of lengthy queues of people hoping to
receive long-overdue treatment at new NHS dental practices.
- Others have told of their 400 mile
round trips to visit an NHS dentist who hasn’t yet
filled their quota.
As NHS dentistry faces demise, the market for
private dentistry is thriving. And as the private dental market
is unregulated, dentists can charge whatever price they want
to for the treatments they provide. Those left without NHS
dental provision can therefore still get treatment –
however, the costs they face can be high. The rising costs
are leaving many with very poor dental health, which may have
an impact on general wellbeing.
Different payment
options are available to help people with the costs of
these treatments, and many employers are increasingly helping
their staff with these costs. Looking after the dental health
of their staff is seen by some companies as being a valuable
investment in employee morale and retention.
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