Do I qualify for free dental care?
Posted by Fast_Log4383@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 11 comments
I am a private patient at a clinic as there are no clinics with spaces for NHS patients in my town. My husband recently lost his job I'm a SAHM, we're both currently looking for work. According to the NHS website we qualify for free healthcare, but since I'm a private patient, do I still qualify?
I had an emergency appointment today which cost me £99, I paid on a credit card which is now maxed out, I need a root canal and a crown but can't afford it. I'm in too much pain to wait till one or both of us are back in work and UC is not enough to be able to afford this on. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Remote-Pool7787@reddit
Not everyone on UC is entitled to free dental care, I can’t remember what the threshold is. Same goes for free prescriptions
Fast_Log4383@reddit (OP)
There is a form you can fill out on the NHS website which tells you whether or not you're eligible
Past-Educator-6561@reddit
Call 111. Emergency NHS dental treatment is available to everyone however they'll likely extract the tooth rather than root canal/crown (as it's cheaper) but quote sure it'll cost you £20 all in rather than £1k for a private root canal and treatment. Unfortunately the only options if you cannot find a local dentist taking on NHS patients.
thepentahook@reddit
Thanks for the search thingy, unfortunately it only confirmed my suspicions. There's no such thing as an nhs dentist for an adult in my area.
CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit
111 will tell you what the nearest dentist with spaces are if you ask.
My partner did this when all dentists said they had no space. Turned out they had space.
I also got into a dentist by just emailing them and phoning them... they weren't supposedly taking any patients either.
Past-Educator-6561@reddit
I think it's a wider issue and has been for a while but it does get updated regularly so worth having a check now and then to see if anything pops up.
Unfortunately if you're in pain your only option may be extraction.
saladinzero@reddit
A private dentist can't accept NHS money for treatment provided to you. They wouldn't even have the contract to be able to do so, let alone that they wouldn't want to.
You need to find an NHS dentist that will accept you, but that may not be a realistic prospect for a long time.
Smart-Grapefruit-583@reddit
Unfortunately you'd need to find yourself an NHS practice with space first, attend a first check up and xrays. Then make rct and crown apps. Be warned NHS crowns are not the prettiest and have limited options. And for anything beyond basic care there is an NHS cost. So it's not all free as people believe.
I haven't done NHS for quite a while, I went private dental purely for the ability to offer better care. Speak to your practice about a payment plan they shoukd be able to let you pay up your cost if you can't find an NHS dentist.
ASY_Freddy@reddit
You could try a&e or get the private clinic to refer you to an NHS dentist
Fast_Log4383@reddit (OP)
I called 111 yesterday (as suggested by my dentist as they couldn't get me a same day appointment) and was refused because I'm currently registered at a clinic. I'll call my dentist tomorrow so see if the second suggestion is a possibility, thank you.
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