Good day folks,
My experiences with UK NHS dentists have been getting worse and worse. Nowadays, when I get a filling done, it seems that the chances of it lasting two weeks are slim. I have moved from NHS dentist to NHS dentist, several times in recent years, looking for one who inspires confidence. I finally thought I had found one, but the latest filling I had done was on a front tooth, after which, the dentist advised me not to eat apples without cutting them up first. I followed this advice, yet the filling fell off within three days! I was eating soft food when it fell off.
I had hoped this dentist was better than average for the NHS, but on this occasion, several things about my treatment session troubled me. I had advised the dentist of my anxieties about dentistry, yet my teeth were drilled without anesthetic, and when I flinched, out of sheer terror, I was reprimanded sternly! To add to my anxieties, the dentist was gossiping with her assistant during the procedure, about matters unrelated to the dentistry. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that a dentist cannot be giving full attention to his/her work while conversing about unrelated matters.
When I had a broken front tooth repaired back in 1979, on the NHS, the filling lasted 35 years! That's quite a difference from 3 days, despite, presumably, the improvement in dental techniques and materials of recent decades. Would I be correct to conclude that my current dentist is sub-standard? Would I be justified in lodging a complaint?
Many thanks...
My experiences with UK NHS dentists have been getting worse and worse. Nowadays, when I get a filling done, it seems that the chances of it lasting two weeks are slim. I have moved from NHS dentist to NHS dentist, several times in recent years, looking for one who inspires confidence. I finally thought I had found one, but the latest filling I had done was on a front tooth, after which, the dentist advised me not to eat apples without cutting them up first. I followed this advice, yet the filling fell off within three days! I was eating soft food when it fell off.
I had hoped this dentist was better than average for the NHS, but on this occasion, several things about my treatment session troubled me. I had advised the dentist of my anxieties about dentistry, yet my teeth were drilled without anesthetic, and when I flinched, out of sheer terror, I was reprimanded sternly! To add to my anxieties, the dentist was gossiping with her assistant during the procedure, about matters unrelated to the dentistry. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that a dentist cannot be giving full attention to his/her work while conversing about unrelated matters.
When I had a broken front tooth repaired back in 1979, on the NHS, the filling lasted 35 years! That's quite a difference from 3 days, despite, presumably, the improvement in dental techniques and materials of recent decades. Would I be correct to conclude that my current dentist is sub-standard? Would I be justified in lodging a complaint?
Many thanks...