Dentistry in the news
May 25, 2022 | Time: | Location: | Category: Eynsham Dental News
Many of you will have seen the news coverage regarding the appalling state of NHS dentistry in the UK. Patients have been asking us about it and in the past have asked why we don't offer adult NHS care.
The NHS dental contract involves excessive bureaucracy, a ludicrous system of targets which leads to inadequate time and care for patients, financial incentives for choosing the 'quick option' and no prioritisation of preventation, which should be the cornerstone of modern dental care.
During the pandemic, dental practices were closed for 2 months, NHS practices continued to be funded and many were slower to reopen. This compounded the problem and now NHS dentistry has widespread terrible waiting times, preventative care is further jeopardised.
Problems within the system are not new. Eynsham Dental Care hosted a meeting with our then local MP David Cameron, just before he became PM, to highlight issues. This was over a decade ago, and we weren't alone in the profession. Nothing has changed.
It is in a sorry state. Outside the NHS, obviously we don't have a 3 year waiting list for check ups, as is being reported elsewhere and we continue to encourage regular check ups to check for tooth decay, gum disease, tooth wear and oral cancer. We appreciate cost is a barrier to private care for many people. For some patients, once any initial dental problems are dealt with, joining one of our payment plans to help spread cost can be helpful. Please talk to our reception team.
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