The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

According to the Jeremy Vine show this morning one third of primary school children in Portsmouth have never visited a dentist and some 70% under five haven’t either. Some dentists have suggested that this is a form of child abuse.

That may be a little over the top but it does make a point. On the other hand if a parent doesn’t seek medical help when their child is ill, that parent can be charged with child neglect. So maybe it isn’t quite as over the top as it may seem?

I vaguely remember having my teeth inspected at primary school back in the forties. But then it was during the war where everything, even toothpaste, was in short supply. But we war kids had the advantage of few if any sweets and fizzy drinks so our teeth didn’t take the same sort of hammering that today’s kids have. Apart from the odd smack in the gob by the school or street bully.

However I do remember visiting a dentist regularly whilst at school and in those days there was no local anaesthetic for fillings, no high-speed or sonic drills, just those slow drills driven by a cord passing round a series of pulleys that was operated by the dentist’s foot using a treadle. In later years the manually operated drill was modernised with an electric motor but was only marginally faster. There was only gas for extractions and in those days the dentist shoved a lead block into your mouth on the opposite side to where the extraction was to take place to keep your mouth open after you went under. But even with all these horrors most kids and me were taken to the dentist once a year. The result today is that at 71 I have most of my teeth. This annual check up has stayed with me throughout my life. Indeed it was only yesterday that I went for a check up and came away with a clean bill of dental health.

I accept that with many families where both parents work or in single parent families where the parent works it is not so easy to take their kids to the dentist. But it is only once a year in spite of dentists insisting on once every six months. Actually, by law, you only have to visit your dentist once in 15 months to retain your registration with an NHS dentist.

As most companies have flexible holidays, a parent could take a personal day off to take the child to a dentist, thereby not losing a day’s pay. So really there is no excuse why a parent cannot make sure that their kids see a dentist at least once a year and with an NHS dentist it is FREE even if the parent is the richest person in the country.

Of course brushing teeth morning and immediately before going to bed and restricting munching on sweets would help.

What about a ‘mobile’ dentist, where a dentist or two visit schools to inspect the kid’s teeth? If there is any remedial work needed the child gets a letter to take home to make an appointment with their dentist, if they have one. But that’s another story.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Good point Jambutty.
I wish i had seen the dentist more regularly then maybe i wouldn't have the problems with my teeth that i have now and its going to cost a fortune to repair the damage done.
My parents did take me regularly to the dentist so it isn't their fault it is mine entirely but the point i am trying to make is that if kids aren't having checkups regularly then they too will suffer later in life like i and many others.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

How do they manage to give treatment with their head up their backsides ? How are parents supposed to get their childrens teeth checked with a shortage of NHS dentists ? I haved to take my daughter to Barnoldswick because it was the only NHS dentist available for her. :mad:

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Well thats part of the problem
A lot of people don't have 1, we are quite lucky that we do
You do get a "dental nurse" visiting school to inform you if any work needs doing, but if ya haven't go a dentist then ya can't sort it out
I think now tho, with the new dental unit opening up in Accrington that it should be a lot easier to get your children seen to by a dentist
It isn't fair that children are left to sort their own teeth out when they get older, when the damage has already been done
It doesn't cost much for toothpaste and it takes 5 mins morning and night

If ya aint got a lot to give ya kids, at least give em a nice smile:)

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

If more NHS dentists are available then children will go. If you can't afford private and have no means of travelling 20 miles to the nearest NHS dentist then you can't go and will have to make the most of home dental care.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

In this area there is a list, available at pharmacies etc., of NHS dentists with availability on their lists. There are always a few, though the list changes every now and then as some surgeries get full and others have people leave. It's so important for children's teeth to be well cared for and, even if you have to go 10 miles for a check-up, it's not so bad for just twice a year.

I read, only this morning, that Sainsburys are going to have dental surgeries in some larger stores. They will be private but treatment will, actually, be less than you pay on the NHS (unless you are entitled to free treatment). I like the idea of going for a packet of chocolate biscuits and a quick filling. ;)

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

It’s no good sitting back and bemoaning the fact that you can’t afford to go private etc, you have to make the effort to find an NHS dentist yourself.

And you do that by ringing NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 and tell them that you are looking for an NHS dentist and you have children if you have any. It is reckoned that people with children get priority but I have no evidence to support this.

NHS Direct will take your details and find you an NHS dentist in your area. They will get in touch with you when they do. It could take some time though.

In the meantime if you or your kids need emergency treatment then you ring NHS Direct as well and they will arrange an appointment at the emergency dental centre in Accrington.

Even if you are registered with an NHS dentist and you need emergency treatment and cannot get an appointment with your dentist in a reasonable amount of time you can still get emergency treatment at the emergency dental centre in Accrington.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

And then what, jambutty? Once you've found one with a free place, almost certainly over ten miles away, how do you get there when you don't drive? Taxis? A friend of mine had to take the bus from Accrington to Clitheroe and walk to an obscure part of Whalley just for a check up. That is not good enough. The NHS dental service is appalling and there's no way around it. Pointing the finger at parents is idiocy.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Too many people are prepared to sit back and bemoan their situation rather than making an effort to do something about it. For a start bug NHS Direct, then bug your MP. Not just once but over and over. If enough people do so it will show that there is an URGENT need for more NHS dentists and the message will get back to the appropriate minister.

Hundreds of dentists from the EU arrive in this country to set up NHS Dental practices all over the country. Blackburn Dental Centre is one such place where they have 8 dentists at any one time, all bar one none English. My current dentist is a rather large lady from Poland and my previous one was a chap from Spain and the one before that was a bloke from some European country. All were competent and spoke good English.

Parents who do not make a real effort to get a dentist for their children are neglecting their kids.

I never stated that check ups come under emergency treatment, so why bring it up?

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Are there no buses to Whalley from Accrington? There used to be.

I think that you must have missed this bit.

Quote:

NHS Direct will take your details and find you an NHS dentist in your area. They will get in touch with you when they do. It could take some time though.

If they point you to a dentist that is outside your means of getting there you tell them.

Who is responsible for the well-being of their children? It’s the parents.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

I went to the dentist yesterday myself :eek::eek: and asked for a check up for my 5 yr old son and was told all the examination appointments for our dentist were full up into the new year!!!:mad: Had to ask the dentist who then let them book him in sooner, but what would have happened if i wasn't going to see the dentist myself?

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

You are right you have no evidence to support it and way off the mark wirth what is reckoned and what actually happens.

I can tell you as a parent it took 18 months to get my daughter a dentist with me making various calls to find out how far off the top off the list we were. At the time we were living in Nelson and was eventually placed with a dentist in Barnoldswick. Soon afterwards we were moving to Accrington and when I asked about moving to a dentist here I was told we would have to go back on the waiting list and do it all over again.

The system is a complete farce

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Oh dear butty man you have not a clue - for one you are comparing 2 different authorities am i right that blackburn with darwen run their own affairs whereas accy is within the LCC ran authority area.

For another as a parent whose was thrown off their dentist books because the greedy so & so's went private & shafted its nhs patients without due care or consideration unless they could pay privately then the child could get nhs treatment within that dentist if you was all nhs then it was sod off elsewhere!! Took 6 years to get an nhs dentist local & had to involve our MP in order to access one by which time was badly needed.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

my dentist is in nelson, only got in there because my friend is a dental nurse there and put my name down as soon as they had spaces.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

More or less same situation here. Obviously everything is rosy and bright in jambutty's land though, as he thinks it's all so simple to call up NHS and get a place at a dentist's.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

I can only go off my experience here in Darwen and of course I have no young children.

But NHS Direct doesn’t just cover Blackburn and Darwen.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

For anybody who needs an NHS Dentist, Central Dental Surgery which is just next to Morrisons in Blackburn are taking patients on. Their phone number is 691311, surely that is eay enough for most folk to get to:)

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

I wish I could get a NHS dentist. I was also kicked out of the dental practice I was with because he went private 5 years ago. Because I have an allergic reaction to certain anaesthetics it would have cost nearly four times more for me to have a dental insurance plan than a person without allergies and I sure can't afford that. NHS Direct haven't found a dentist for me as yet and I'm beginning to wonder if it is because of my allergy problem. Last time I actually got emergency treatment I ended up having a reaction to a different anaesthetic and needed emergency treatment. That dentist will not now take me on as a patient. Where does that leave me? Am I blacklisted or something now. Makes me wonder. :mad:


Does anyone know what happens to the medical information when you are kicked off a dental practice.

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

They down load it onto a disc, then its sent of to the government who then lose it:D

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Some dental procedures damage health.
Mercury amalgam fillings cause a slow gradual build up of that toxic metal in your body and cause health problems in later life.
Fluoride in water and toothpaste is also toxic.
The way to lessen all such problems is to cut down on sugar intake.
Even that will not be enough to guarantee that your teeth will last as long as you do.
So whether you have fillings or suffer bad teeth - you lose them eventually.
As you age, gums shrink (the expression 'long in the tooth'), so even good teeth wobble and need replacing with dentures in order to continue eating normally.
So by all means try to preserve them as long as you can, but be wary of hazardous dental procedures, and weigh up what is best for you, because some people have inherited genetically wonderful teeth - lucky 'persons'

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

:yelrotflm

Re: The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.
 

Most, if not all, medicines are toxic if taken to excess.

Mercury amalgam fillings were used because it was the best material at that time but the amount of mercury in a filling is infinitesimally small. You got more chance of being poisoned with lead water pipes and even then it was only a few susceptible people and not the whole nation, otherwise none of us would be here now.

Dentists developed a new medium for filling teeth and then started a campaign to try and frighten people into getting their mercury fillings drilled out and replaced with the new material. More work for dentists who were complaining about their level of earnings, so they could enhance their income.

Fluoride in the water is a huge no, no but fluoridated toothpaste is a good thing as science has proven that fluoride is good for the teeth for most people. But then in my youth fluoride in toothpaste didn’t exist and at 71 I still have most of my teeth, some of which are mercury amalgam filled.

The key to healthy teeth is regular brushing from the earliest day possible and regular check ups to nip problems in the bud and to establish a good habit. Regular brushing and regular check ups is even more important once the second teeth make an appearance but hopefully by then the habit has been well ingrained so it will continue through life.

It’s not the sugar intake that is the problem but the sugar that remains on the teeth for a long while, like overnight. Fortunately the natural saliva will neutralise this if given the chance.

I wonder how many people get up in the morning, have a wash and clean their teeth then eat some breakfast and go off to work or school? Thus leaving the sugary residue in the mouth.

We were told that eating an apple after meals was good for the teeth. There is just one problem with that in that apples contain sugar, as does other fruits.

The problem with all these health scare issues is that the worst case scenario as applicable to the minority is presented and given the implication that it applies to all and sundry.

We are all uniquely different.