English Pull Own Teeth as Care "Decays"

[Polly]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071015/wl_uk_afp/britainhealthdentists

LONDON (AFP) - Falling numbers of state dentists in England has led to some people taking extreme measures, including extracting their own teeth, according to a new study released Monday.

Falling numbers of state dentists in England has led to some people taking extreme measures, including extracting their own teeth, according to a new study released Monday.

Others have used superglue to stick crowns back on, rather than stumping up for private treatment, said the study. One person spoke of carrying out 14 separate extractions on himself with pliers...

Ouch. Really? This happens?


Polly

[Beka]

Well - it is so hard to find a dentist if you're entitled to free care (like kids and maternity exempt) that Chase has seen a dentist maybe 5 times in her ten year life, Jude once and Dylan twice- and one of those was when she smacked her front teeth clean out and she sat blood soaked in a waiting room 1.5 hours whilst they saw the private patients first (yep, full grown men in business suits going ahead of a sobbing child spitting blood- not one said she could take their place in line)

Private treatment is madly priced here (it usually works out cheaper to fly to a different country even with airfare cost) and because everyone is technically entitled to subsidised costs through the national health service very few have private insurance for dental. Alot of dentists stopped taking non-private patients ages ago and many who do accept them do poor work (one pulled Davids wisdom tooth- yes, wisdom tooth!!!!- with no pain relief as he wasn't a private patient.)

It really is a nationwide problem.

[Christine]

I wonder how few dentists we'd have if they weren't going into the field to make a boatload of money with private care here in the States?

[Danielle]

Yeah, it's big money here too. I told the kids that one of them had better be a dentist or orthodontist because that's where it's at!

Wow Beka, that's terrible!

[Beka]

One of the big issues here is only high earner can afford private insurance & treatments as everyone is taxed mandatorily towards the "free" healthcare & subsidised dental work we can all receive but you can only get it if you have access to a dentist who will register state patients and because we all pay our "national insurance" most middle and low earners have no spare $ to go private. It's frustrating to have to pay into a system when you can't access it.

[Christine]

That's the other side of nationalized medicine that isn't often discussed. There are flaws in every system. :(

[Beka]

Definately, in terms of emergency medical treatment I can't fault nor complain about our healthcare system, it scares me to imagine living in a country where I'd have to think of finances before seeking medical help, but when it comes to routine things like seeing a doctor for non-emergency treatment, waiting times for surgeries and dental treatment etc much of the time it really does leave a person wishing they had the right to opt out of "national insurance" and just fund their own personal care with that money, it's a good system which does work for the greater good in that no one misses out due to being unemployed, elderly or unable to work but it can be really frustrating and we fail massively on issues like cancer survival rates due to waiting times despite having one of the best funded health systems per capita in Europe.

[ArmyDad]

So sad that nationalized health care has it flaws but people here in the states still want to nationalize it. At least with dental care here in the states you can get ok work done if you do not have dental care. What I wonder is what happenes if medical doctors start doing like dentest, what will happen then?