The paradox of british dentistry

It's not free, it's subsidised by the National Health Service. But it's getting more difficult to find NHS dentists and so more and more people go private. A check-up and clean on the NHS is about £16 and a filling is around £40. Tricky stuff like bridges are more like £200.

Gor blimey, guv'nor. Strike a light. Us cockernees with our funny warm beer and unarmed police, what's it all abaht eh?

I was referring more to the whole of Britain, not just East End London.

As someone who doesn't earn very much, dentistry feels a long way from free, to such an extent that I haven't been to the dentist for several years. I'm frightened to go back now, only to be hit with the nasty truth about years of neglect.

I think that fear is universal. 16 quid for a check up and clean is pretty good though, that's where my $200 goes.

The Book of British Smiles joke kind of comes from the fact that we don't do a lot of corrective dentistry over here - if your teeth are a little crowded or gappy or crooked or discoloured, then, as long as it's not going to cause you problems in later life, and there are no other issues of decay, they're left alone. I get the impression in the US that you slap a brace or some bleach on those mothers ASAP. It's not really a paradox: socialised medicine does what it can, where it can, private healthcare costs lots and does lots.

But, yeah, scarcity of NHS dentists and general fear of the drill and the hypodermic means British mouths probably aren't all they should be.

yes, to every American who says that Brits look really ugly thanks to their teeth, I would say stop being so shallow and concentrate on the person within. I think that the amount of hand-wringing that people in the Uk do about how money should be spent by the NHS is actually a good thing - it shows we care and want to have a health care system is the best in the world. And the best doesn't mean providing superficial treatments to turn us into a nation of supermodel clones but rather an attempt to minimise fatal illnesses where ppl suffer lingering deaths, like cancer. Face up to it, no-one ever died from having wonky teeth.

yes, to every American who says that Brits look really ugly thanks to their teeth, I would say stop being so shallow and concentrate on the person within

Yes, we don't complain about you being fat and stupid, do we?

Racist as well, you forgot racist.

And ignorant of everything that happens outside your own borders.

And you don't even understand irony.

shocked and awed

I would like to clarify, before my post is somehow dovetailed with Grandpont's, that I'm not necessary saying that the British way of dealing with dental issues is the right way. Just the most expedient in a free-at-point-of-use healthcare system.

I wonder how per-capita floss sales match up, US v UK. 10-1? 100-1?

necessarily, even

We cover the big issues here at ILX

I'm not going to let you floss over this.

Not for the squeamish... DIY dentist grandmother pulls out own teeth

# The paradox of british dentistry [Started by badg, last updated 16 minutes ago] 18 new answers
# Your closest brushes with death [Started by Hurting 2, last updated 25 minutes ago] 14 new answers

I thought the hard UK water caused the majority of teeth problems... mmmm magnesium.....

Why would British teeth be worse than any other Europeans? Where did the whole thing come from?

British the only Europeans most Americans have heard of

hey maybe it's another consequence of "British food being so awful"

Yeah, damn our patriotic inclination to have fish and chips 365 days a year.

A staple of American humor about the UK is the population's bad teeth...Is there actual evidence that British teeth are worse than anyone else's?

David Dreaming Bear, Horsethief Canyon, California USA

it would be nice if dentistry were 'free' on the nhs, but it isn't :/

One time a man I was talking with in a pub claimed he was getting drunk that night so he could go home and pull his bad tooth. When I asked why he didn't go to a dentist he announced, with pride, that he had never been to a dentist in his life. I found it absolutely disgusting - just as if he had announced he had never bathed.

British the only Europeans most Americans have heard of

Not true, some of them have heard of the Scottish as well.

and the irish.

The Book of British Smiles joke kind of comes from the fact that we don't do a lot of corrective dentistry over here - if your teeth are a little crowded or gappy or crooked or discoloured, then, as long as it's not going to cause you problems in later life, and there are no other issues of decay, they're left alone. I get the impression in the US that you slap a brace or some bleach on those mothers ASAP.

OTM. My theory is that this culture is basically down to the rich considering it rather vulgar and European to take too much pride in ones appearance. Too posh to wash, etc.

Here's the NYT on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/world/europe/07teeth.html

And here's the Guardian detecting a rise in cosmetic dentistry:
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,1721580,00.html

I haven't been to the dentist for several years. I'm frightened to go back now, only to be hit with the nasty truth about years of neglect.

OTMFM. The dumb thing is that i DID find an NHS dentist 200 yards from my house, but they take you off the register if you don't go every, what, 15 months I think? Idiot Mark.

Where by "detecting", I mean writing a long feature based on a page 6 Metro story and an anecdote from the journalist's friend Toby's girlfriend who works in PR.

Not true, some of them have heard of the Scottish as well.

haha :-)

i've told this before, but i actually have a dentist friend who lives in london and when i told him i'd gone to the dentist (back home in tennessee) he said "why? were you in pain?"

We are all supposed to have 6-month check-ups, certainly I think most Brits did as children, and I think it's still the norm, but, in adulthood, a lot of people just stop bothering. I didn't go to the dentist between 1993 and 2003 and, after some treatment and a couple of check-ups, I've lapsed again. Haven't been in about 18 months.

yeah i haven't been since i had a wisdom tooth out 18 months ago. it's true many of us just aren't in the habit of doing check ups. last time i was there the american hygienist told me i actually had beautiful teeth (she probably didn't mean me particularly, altho they are sturdy going on past form) but that i was the spawn of satan for not flossing.

I go every 6 months to the dentist 100 meters away from my house, NHS for the basics but he did only charge me £65 to perfectly mend a chipped tooth..

I havent been to a dentist since about 1993 :/ But my teeth are clean, fine and have no issues, I'm not sure the point in going.

I had a tooth taken out last year which was my first visit in about 10 years. I have been to the checkup since, but only the idea of having to go through the grief of finding a new dentist if I fall off the books of this one is making me think I should go to the next appointment.

I guess I get put off cause I spent years in dentists as a teen thanks to orthodontics.

I didn't go to the dentist from the ages of 19 to 29 - it stops being free at 19 (if you're in full-time education, which I was). I only got one filling though.

I was pretty lucky to get a new NHS dentist in Muswell Hill. Of course I've since moved from there, so dunno if I'll go again til I'm 39.

Every time I fall off the books my dentists just puts me straight back on. Admittedly they do have records of me going there back to like 1983 or something so that might have something to do with it.

http://i.imgur.com/ZcPo6.jpg

lol bunch of mongs

― r|t|c, Wednesday, August 31, 2011 5:50 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink