- Wednesday 22 May 2013
- My Account
- Logout
- Register
- Login
- News
-
Voices
-
Find by writer
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
- Rebecca Armstrong
- Memphis Barker
- Terence Blacker
- Chris Blackhurst
- David Blanchflower
- Archie Bland
- Ian Burrell
- Andrew Buncombe
- Ben Chu
- Patrick Cockburn
- Laura Davis
- Mary Dejevsky
- Grace Dent
- Robert Fisk
- Andrew Grice
- Stefano Hatfield
- Philip Hensher
- Ian Herbert
- Howard Jacobson
- Ellen E Jones
- Alice Jones
- Owen Jones
- Simon Kelner
- Dominic Lawson
- Donald Macintyre
- Lisa Markwell
- Comment
- Campaigns
- Debate
- Editorials
- Letters
- IV Drip
- Archive
- Our Voices
- Commentators
- Columnists
- Democracy 2015
- IV Drip Archive
-
Find by writer
- Sport
- Tech
- Life
- Property
- Arts & Ents
- Travel
- Money
- IndyBest
- Blogs
- Student
Monday 2 July 2012
Rebecca Armstrong: Dodging the dentist: it's a mix of fear and finances
FreeView from the editors at i
"Well, if you'd had the filling when you were meant to, you wouldn't need a crown".
There's nothing like someone telling you briskly that a, you're an idiot, b, such idiocy will cost you half a tooth and £200, especially when you can't answer back because they've got their hand wrist-deep in your mouth. As you can no doubt guess, I'm writing this fresh from an encounter with my dentist, with a numb, flubbery jaw and the sound of the receptionist's radio station of choice (Magic FM) fresh in my ears.
In the past, going to the dentist was one of the few things in life that genuinely caused me no qualms. Years of orthodontics had left me used to the lean-back leatherette chair and the weird pink mouthwash. I quite like the injections (call me weird, but there's something beguiling about the creep of numbness across my jaw) and I don't mind fillings. But recently I've joined the growing ranks of the dentist dodgers. According to Simplyhealth's Annual Dental Survey 2012, a fifth of the 11,785 British adults polled said that they couldn't afford to go and one in 10 were worried that the cost may be too high since they have not been for some time.
I've certainly put off dentistry until after payday, and have weighed up the aesthetics of white fillings versus the economics of the NHS silver ones. But I'm now facing a much more expensive choice – and am also getting an insight into what dental phobics go through when they open wide.
Facing the prospect of implants (for teeth, not thruppennies) that are prohibitively expensive (£2,500) and scary, or a partial denture (the sound of which made my husband recoil in horror but costs a mere £250), I want advice from my dentist. But she's been too busy to do anything beyond thrust a Post-It note with the implant clinic's number on it. I'm lucky to have an NHS dentist, but I'm sure I'm not alone in finding what goes in my gob a bit of a mystery and would like a few minutes of explanations. Frankly, I'm scared of the chair for the first time in my life and it's witch's brew of confusion, concern and cost. Despite set NHS payment levels, I am more confused than ever about where private prices figure in all this.
So, on the advice of an American friend ("no offence, but until 20 years ago, the UK's dentistry was MEDIEVAL. Don't be afraid to ask around.") I'm getting a second opinion. Not because I don't trust my dentist, but more because I'd like someone to talk me though an expensive and potentially excruciating decision when they don't already have the drill in their hand.
Follow @RebeccaJ-
Ed Miliband is staring at an open goal and I know just the pair of strikers to win it for him
Matthew Norman -
Austerity has hardened the nation's heart
Yasmin Alibhai Brown -
Brazilian woman auctions her virginity on site 'Virgins Wanted' - take part in our prostitution survey
Laura Davis -
After woman sells virginity for $780,000, here are the results of our prostitution survey
Laura Davis -
The Daily Cartoon
-
Letters: Why A&E units are struggling
-
As Google and Apple are probed on tax avoidance, it's time for political leaders around the world to take a stand and stamp the practice out
-
Editorial: The price we pay for open justice
-
Poll: How do you say "GIF"?
-
Are share markets heading for another bubble?
-
It's a hard ‘Gif’ life, Mr Wilhite
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Rebecca Armstrong
Get the best in opinion from Independent Voices, straight to your inbox every Thursday lunchtime.
Subscribe
Amol Rajan
A weekly update from the Editor
Day In a Page
How to say ‘I’m a sellout’
Why clubs are keen to take a stand