The Dentist.

A few weeks ago, I made a phone call for someone who was unable to do it for themselves. The man had very bad toothache. Joe had not been to the dentist for many years. I rang his dentist for him and the receptionist said, “Because he has not been for many years, the dentist has turned him into a private patient.” I told Joe what was said, and Joe asked, “What does that mean?” The receptionist said, to me, “That means, it will cost him £65 to see the dentist.” I was shocked! Joe too was shocked, he said, “How much would it cost to have my tooth out?” The receptionist told me, “Between £100 to £200.” I was very shocked, and passed on the information to Joe. I then said to Joe, “Maybe we can try another dentist?” Joe agreed and said, “Yes.” I then said to the receptionist, “Joe will try another dentist, but please keep his name on your books,” The receptionist replied, “OK.”

I then Googled another dentist and asked, “Are you accepting new patients?” The receptionist replied, “Only private patients.” I asked, “Can you recommend a dentist that is on the NHS?” She said, “Yes,” And gave me the phone number. I rang the number for Joe, and was told, “Sorry we are not taking on any new patients.” Again, I asked, “Is there a dentist you could recommend?” She replied, “Sorry no.”

Joe was getting desperate now. I said to Joe, “I will ring my dentist, I have been going there since I was a child. I rang my dentist and asked the same question, but the receptionist replied, “Sorry we are not taking on any new patients.” I again asked, “Is there a dentist that you can recommend?” She told me about two dentist and one of them is like an emergency dentist hospital. I was given phone numbers for both.

I rang the first one and was told, “We are fully booked up until three days from now.” I said, “OK, thank you I will leave it.” Joe was getting worse, so as a last resort I rang the emergency dentist hospital.

It was an interesting phone call, she asked me, “Has Joe been to us before?” I asked Joe, he replied, “No.” But when I passed on all his details, the receptionist said, “Your details are in our system, you booked to come to us years ago, but you didn’t turn up.” Things were different now.

An appointment was available in an hour. She said, to Joe, “You will need to pay £20 over the phone by bank card, that will be for your check up.” Joe asked me to ask the receptionist, “How much would it cost to have my tooth out?” She replied, “Whatever treatment you have will not cost more than £200.” That was a scary thought! Joe gave me his bank card, and I read his bank details front and back, out to the receptionist.  

She asked me to ask Joe, “Are you on any benefits?” I asked Joe, he replied, “I am on PIP,” The receptionist said, “I will check to see if we accept that or not, just one moment.” She said, “No we don’t accept that.” I asked Joe, “What do you want to do?” Joe said, I will be there in an hour, for my appointment.”  

Joe thanked me, and off he went to the dentist. I text my family and told them on our group chat, all that had happened to Joe and the costs of not going regular to the dentist. It was sad, that those that didn’t go often, were now penalized, by the dentist taking them off the NHS and putting them as private patients. Our kids have got beautiful teeth and no fillings. Me, after I have brushed my teeth morning and night, I use Listerine both times. My Mum is in her late eighties and she has used Listerine for decades and she still has her own teeth.

Joe had his tooth out; they sent him out while his mouth was still bleeding! Mercy! When I saw him a short time later, he told me it cost in total, “£180,” That really scared me, the price. It made me think, how Pain, can make you pay that. For those who have paid the £20 fee over the phone, I thought what would the dentist do, if it turned out they did not have the money to pay for the tooth out? I also thought, what would a person do if they knew they didn’t have £200? Not everyone has £200, people I have worked with and myself in the past have been in the red even on pay day. People I work with now they have told me, they are, “Thousands of pounds in debt.” I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. The most I have ever been in debt was £1,000 and that was horrible. Before I got married, I did not go in the red once!  We are now thankfully in the black, that is a miracle. That is a story for another time, maybe.

I have it seems have taken extra care with my teeth, since Joe and the price of his extraction. I still munch on sweets, but brushing my teeth morning and night and using Listerine. I am SO grateful for the Hammer and Arm baking soda toothpaste that I have used for years. And I change my toothbrush often.

Last year, I bought Mum a toothbrush that was hard bristles, but my brother saw it and he said, “It is bad for Mum’s teeth, medium is best,” So I threw it away and got Mum medium, Mum, and myself we go to the dentist regular; I have never missed a six-monthly check up appointment, nor have I ever cancelled an appointment in my life!

Although I don’t like going to the dentist, I really appreciate them. I am thankful for the NHS. xXx