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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / November 2005Are dental hygienists a money making scam by the dentist?
Hi Up to a few years ago my scaling and polishing needs were undertaken by the dentist, at the time of my check-up, for a small additional fee. However, the trend is now with so many practices that you now must make a second visit to see the hygienist. For me each visit, with travelling each-way, takes around an 1 hour. At the practice I attend, if you wished to make a hygienist appointment today, you would not be able to see the hygienist until February 2006. I believe the practice has 3 hygienists (two of which are part-time), covering 3 dentists. My hygienist visits have never exceed 10 minutes. At £30/visit I am therefore paying an equivalent rate of £180/hr! Any thoughts! >Hi > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > >Any thoughts! You could find another dentist that does it the old way. Ring round and ask. Mine does it as you say.. a check up and a quick clean and polish. I am in the UK too. Ann Considering hygienists have a lot more experience then most general dentists in actual cleaning ones teeth, it would make seense to have them do it. don't konw about the waite though. Acutally here in california, a lot of higenists make more $$ then starting dentists! >> Hi >> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Ann > Considering hygienists have a lot more experience then most general > dentists in actual cleaning ones teeth, it would make sense to have them > do it. don't know about the wait though. > Actually here in California, a lot of hygienists make more $$ then > starting dentists! Hey Simon, she is in the UK and utilizing NHS which is worse than an HMO. Ten minute prophys because the UK government won't let the office charge enough money to cover more overhead than ten minutes. How much stuff could you or any USA dental professional you have ever met, seen, heard or imagined, get off in a 10 minute appointment ?  Signature/ Amatus / > Considering hygienists have a lot more experience then most general > dentists in actual cleaning ones teeth, it would make seense to have them [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] >> >> Ann >> Considering hygienists have a lot more experience then most general >> dentists in actual cleaning ones teeth, it would make sense to have them [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >you or any USA dental professional you have ever met, seen, heard or >imagined, get off in a 10 minute appointment ? <My hygienist visits have never exceed 10 minutes. At £30> £30 = $53.15, a decent fee for a prophy. Only 10 min. ? What kind of UK chop shop is this ? -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > £30 = $53.15, a decent fee for a prophy. > Only 10 min. ? > What kind of UK chop shop is this ? I keep thinking of our system here where the patient has Examination, Prophylaxis and any radiographs the same day. You are right, if it just for the prophylaxis, the fee is tolerable. Of course, ten minutes is silly. Signature/ Amatus / > >>> Considering hygienists have a lot more experience then most general [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com >My hygienist visits have never exceed 10 minutes. At £30 One has to love the NHS ! :-( Signature/ Amatus / > >>Hi [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Ann > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Any thoughts! ____________________________ Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. If you pay the fare, you are in control of the situation -- as opposed to the NHS situation where the NHS pays and you have no control. The solution is simple when you are paying privately. Take your business to another dentist who practices in a manner that you find comfortable. Best regards, - dentaldoc >Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you >see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. An entire Prophy for £30? How can that be anything but NHS ? Here in Nevada, that would barely buy the throw-aways for the appointment. Signature/ Amatus / jools wrote: > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Any thoughts! ____________________________ Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. If you pay the fare, you are in control of the situation -- as opposed to the NHS situation where the NHS pays and you have no control. The solution is simple when you are paying privately. Take your business to another dentist who practices in a manner that you find comfortable. Best regards, - dentaldoc >>Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you >>see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. > >An entire Prophy for £30? How can that be anything but NHS ? Here in >Nevada, that would barely buy the throw-aways for the appointment. ~$53.15 at today's exchange rate. Geez man, how much do you charge for a prophy ? No films, no exam, just the prophy. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > Geez man, how much do you charge for a prophy ? > No films, no exam, just the prophy. You are right Wubba, I read it wrong. The fee is ok the time is weird. Thanks for straightening me out. Signature/ Amatus / > >>>Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > > Geez man, how much do you charge for a prophy ? > > No films, no exam, just the prophy. > > You are right Wubba, I read it wrong. The fee is ok the time is weird. > > Thanks for straightening me out. (Yes, but he didn't do a very good job with your cummerbund.) TW ;-) > >>>Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you > >>>see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Take out the G'RBAGE > > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > (Yes, but he didn't do a very good job with your cummerbund.) > TW ;-) I hate to think what he would have said if I had mentioned the while silk scarf. Signature/ Amatus / > >> > Geez man, how much do you charge for a prophy ? [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >> > Take out the G'RBAGE >> > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > > (Yes, but he didn't do a very good job with your cummerbund.) > > TW ;-) > > I hate to think what he would have said if I had mentioned the while silk > scarf. I think you just did! ;-) TW >> (Yes, but he didn't do a very good job with your cummerbund.) >> TW ;-) > >I hate to think what he would have said if I had mentioned the while silk >scarf. I would think that you left off the -ace. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > I would think that you left off the -ace. That would be for the dinner party tomorrow. Feel free to stop by if you are in the Carolinas tomorrow night. Signature/ Amatus / > >>> (Yes, but he didn't do a very good job with your cummerbund.) [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com >> Geez man, how much do you charge for a prophy ? >> No films, no exam, just the prophy. > >You are right Wubba, I read it wrong. The fee is ok the time is weird. > >Thanks for straightening me out. Yeah, 10 min might be ok for a kiddie polish. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com >>Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you >>see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. > >An entire Prophy for £30? How can that be anything but NHS ? Here in >Nevada, that would barely buy the throw-aways for the appointment. I doubt that's on the NHS. But maybe now you see why we don't do insurance very much. Because we don't pay quite the same silly prices you do over there. Ann > I doubt that's on the NHS. But maybe now you see why we don't do > insurance very much. Because we don't pay quite the same silly prices > you do over there. Sorry Ann, I ran off at the mouth too fast. I was converting the pound to dollar backwards. The fee is very reasonable for just the prophylaxis. You are allowed to kick me in the shins three times for that one. [I said Ann, not W-B--his size 12 work-boots would hurt more] Signature/ Amatus / > >>>Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Ann >> I doubt that's on the NHS. But maybe now you see why we don't do >> insurance very much. Because we don't pay quite the same silly prices [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >are allowed to kick me in the shins three times for that one. [I said Ann, >not W-B--his size 12 work-boots would hurt more] So now you're saying that our prices are just as silly as yours.. oh well. Ann >> I doubt that's on the NHS. But maybe now you see why we don't do >> insurance very much. Because we don't pay quite the same silly prices [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >are allowed to kick me in the shins three times for that one. [I said Ann, >not W-B--his size 12 work-boots would hurt more] Yeah, I bet Ann kicks like a girl. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com >>>Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you >>>see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Ann Silly prices, haha. You have a crumbling system, collapsing under its own weight. You really should go into Stand-Up. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > >Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you > >see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Amatus ________________________ 30 pounds is over $53, which is better than some of the largest PPO plans here in the USA, which are all private plans. And $53 is a LOT better than any of the HMO plans I have ever seen -- hands down. I'll bet that NHS payment for a full prophylaxis is not anywhere near 30 pounds. If it were, then NHS dentists would not be complaining as much as they are. It is common to combine the prophy with an exam and xrays, which command fees in addition to the 30 pounds. So the full visit fee could be 50 to 60 pounds. Combined with the exam fee and the xray fee, and seeing a patient for same every 45 minutes, a single dentist -- alone, with no assistant -- could easily earn over $1000 each day in NHS practice just doing exams and prophies. That would be about $230,000 each year. From what I have read, NHS incomes are not anywhere near that amount. So the conclusion would have to be that 30 pounds for a prophylaxis is more than NHS pays. 30 pounds is FAR more than the U.S. Medicaid plans pay. If the original poster has more information to clarify this, I would be interested to have it. Thanks, - dentaldoc >30 pounds is over $53, which is better than some of the largest PPO >plans here in the USA, which are all private plans. And $53 is a LOT >better than any of the HMO plans I have ever seen -- hands down. You are right, I have apologized to Ann, and I apologize to you as well. Amatus >> >Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you >> >see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >Thanks, >- dentaldoc .. Amatus . Bill DentalDoc said: So the conclusion would have to be that 30 pounds for a prophylaxis is more than NHS pays. 30 pounds is FAR more than the U.S. Medicaid plans pay. If the original poster has more information to clarify this, I would be interested to have it. Thanks, - dentaldoc ------------------------ I think the problem is in the conversion from one currency to another: I think all fees should therefore be quoted in: farthings. Then, we'd all be on the same wavelength. Thank Youse SP >Bill DentalDoc said: > >So the conclusion would have to be that 30 pounds for a prophylaxis is >more than NHS pays. 30 pounds is FAR more than the U.S. Medicaid plans >pay. REPLY Maybe not ,,,, sorry Bill. Medicaid fees are quite reasonable ...... >If the original poster has more information to clarify this, I would be > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >Thank Youse >SP The practice I attend *used* to be an NHS practice, but like many practices changed to private a number of years ago when in dispute with the government over dentistry fees. Currently, NHS practices, in the UK, which are taking new NHS patients are few and far between. Indeed, I am not aware of any NHS practice within 10 miles of where I live, taking new patients. I could, as suggested by one of the contributors change practice. However, to find an NHS practice (taking on new patients) I would need to travel some distance. Regarding a change to another private practice, I would then likely need to pay an 'initial' consultation fee. My current practice charges £75 for this. My visits to the hygienist are for a 'simple scale and polish', which as I have previously indicated has never taken more than 10 minutes to complete ie £30/visit, equivalent rate of £180/hr. My own feeling is that many dentists are now *routinely* directing their patients to the in-house hygienist, whether they need it or not, because it is a significant money spinner. Regarding the NHS, I understand that the current patient contribution for a simple scale & polish at an NHS practice is around £9. I believe that the patient pays 80% of the cost ie. the government pay a £2.25 contribution with the dentist receiving 9+2.25=*£11.25* >My visits to the hygienist are for a 'simple scale and polish', which as I >have previously indicated has never taken more than 10 minutes to complete >ie £30/visit, equivalent rate of £180/hr. The problem is that I see no way to clean an adult's teeth in less than 30-40 minutes. Amato's >The practice I attend *used* to be an NHS practice, but like many practices >changed to private a number of years ago when in dispute with the government [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >patient pays 80% of the cost ie. the government pay a £2.25 contribution >with the dentist receiving 9+2.25=*£11.25* .. Amatus . >>My visits to the hygienist are for a 'simple scale and polish', which as I >>have previously indicated has never taken more than 10 minutes to complete [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Amato's 20 - 30 min. for me, and yes I do it myself. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > 20 - 30 min. for me, and yes I do it myself. Counting the exam and radiographs ? Or, 20-30 minutes of time with scalers and polishers ? Signature/ Amatus / > >>>My visits to the hygienist are for a 'simple scale and polish', which as [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com >> 20 - 30 min. for me, and yes I do it myself. > >Counting the exam and radiographs ? > >Or, 20-30 minutes of time with scalers and polishers ? Now we are talking about a recall prophy here. Once per year BWX or 7 series taken by the assistants. I sit down and start the cleaning. While doing the cleaning I am doing a very thorough exam and the radiographs are ready before I am finished. Yeah, about 20 - 30 min chair time. Routine prophy only, light scaling and polish. Heavy deposits go into periodontal TX. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > 30 pounds is over $53, which is better than some of the largest PPO > plans here in the USA, which are all private plans. And $53 is a LOT [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > xrays, which command fees in addition to the 30 pounds. So the full > visit fee could be 50 to 60 pounds. > So the conclusion would have to be that 30 pounds for a prophylaxis is > more than NHS pays. 30 pounds is FAR more than the U.S. Medicaid plans > pay. NHS pays 11.1 pounds for a prophy. (that's combined patient charge + state contribution) 7.5 pounds for exam 3 pounds for 2 bitewings. So that's almost 22 pounds = 39 dollars. A princely sum! That's whjy everything happens in 5-10 minutes and off you go dear chap. George Amatus Cremona a écrit : > >Considering the amount of money you are paying, I have to assume you > >see a private dentist and are not on the NHS. > > An entire Prophy for £30? How can that be anything but NHS ? Here in > Nevada, that would barely buy the throw-aways for the appointment. > Amatus JEZZZUS, man!!!!!!!!! >From Bowlegs Oklahommmmma to Rattle Snake Buttes Nevada in one day!!!!!!!!!! How the hell do you pay for all that moving????? Maybe it's because AC does his dental practice from a Lear Jet..... ;-) SP |
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