We encourage patients to ask questions to understand what is happening in their dental practice and with their treatment. We believe patients feel more comfortable when they know what is happening, and why. Here we’ve put together a few replies to questions we are often asked. We hope our helpful explainers for patients will answer some of your queries.
Answers to patients’ frequently asked questions:
Appointments:
- Why has my appointment changed again? There has been more rescheduling of appointments over the last year than usual, because practices have had to cope with more staff absences than in the past. Our staff, like everyone else in the country, has had to follow self-isolation regulations. The pandemic has also necessitated that we keep surgeries empty for longer periods of time between appointments.
- Why do I have to wait so long for an appointment? Staff absences and the need for surgeries to be kept empty for longer between appointments means that we cannot see as many patients in a day as in the past. We always prioritise patients who need urgent or essential care. But it does mean that if you want to schedule a routine examination, there can be a longer wait than we would like.
- Why do I have to fill in the Medical History form again? There are strict regulations all practices have to follow for patient safety. Having an up-to-date Medical History is one of the health and safety requirements. Patients need to fill in their medical history information at the beginning of each course of treatment. The treating clinician checks for any changes at each appointment within the same treatment plan.
- Why isn’t my case a priority? There are guidelines dental practices follow for triaging patients according to urgency. You can read about the difference between an urgent and routine care here.
- Why was my appointment so short? Each patient appointment is within the context of the patient’s dental record. For example, a child who visits the dentist for regular examinations does not require a long appointment. A new patient examination, on the other hand, is scheduled for longer. Appointments that are part of an agreed treatment plan are booked according to the amount of time the stage of treatment requires.
Staffing:
- Why aren’t there enough dentists? This is a problem across the country at the moment. The combination of Brexit and the pandemic had reduced the number of dentists registered to work in the UK.
- Is my dentist really a dentist? Dentists go through rigorous training, and maintain their skills through ongoing professional development. All our clinicians must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). Each practice has a Team page on our website that explains a little about our staff and their professional background. Staff trained as dental therapists have a wide scope of practice, and the skills to perform treatments that dentists may also deliver.
- Can any dentist take over my treatment plan? Although dentists prefer to follow a patient’s plan through to completion, in some circumstances another dentist may need to take over.
- Why has my dentist left? More dentists have left the profession than usual over the last two years, choosing early retirement or deciding to return to their home country if they have family overseas. From time to time, dentists also leave to advance their career, broaden their experience or because of family circumstances.
- Can I choose my new dentist? It is usual for the patients on the leaving dentist’s list to be allocated to the incoming dentist. We take recruitment very seriously, and always do our best to find excellent practitioners for your care. If a patient has a specific treatment need offered by a particular dentist, that is of course taken into consideration too.
Fees:
- Why is it more expensive than last time? SpaDental aims to deliver cost-effective treatment to patients. We must, however, review and update fees annually. This year fees have been adjusted, most notably the cost of aerosol generating procedures which now take up more surgery time than in the past. To try to keep the costs of hygiene treatments down, we have introduced a three tier price range to cover different patients’ needs.
- What’s the advantage of paying for a dental plan? Our practices offer different ways to pay for private treatment. A dental plan focuses on preventive care (an essential plan) or is tailored to your individual needs (a care plan). As the cost is spread across regular monthly payments and the cost is spread across regular monthly payments.