In the UK, when you are looking for dental care and treatment, you have the choice of visiting either an NHS dentist or a private dentist. Although NHS dentists typically offer a lower cost than private dentists, more and more dental patients are looking to move their dental care over to a private dentist. So why are private dentists seeing an increase in popularity? Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of visiting a private dentist and why more patients are choosing to visit them over NHS clinics.
What’s The Difference Between NHS and Private Dentists?
Initially, it might seem that price is the only differentiating factor between private and NHS dentists, but there are actually so many different things that set them apart. NHS dentists are employed by the Department of Health and so treatment is subsidised by tax payments, whereas private treatment is not.
This means that private dentists are able to set their own fees, but these costs are often accompanied by longer appointments, shorter waiting times and more specialist service. As NHS appointments tend to be shorter due to the volume of patients, this means that NHS dentists are more limited in the treatments they can provide. Treatments are often focused on short-term results.
3 Benefits Of Visiting A Private Dentist
Wider Range Of Dental Treatments
As NHS dentists have less available appointment time overall, the treatments in which they offer are much more limited and usually focus on cure and prevention, such as crowns, dentures, veneers and fillings which look at fixing issues.
Private dentists are able to offer these treatments alongside more specialist cosmetic treatments, such as teeth whitening, composite bonding and teeth straightening treatments. For example, Invisalign in Leamington Spa is typically only available at private dentists. If you’re looking for cosmetic treatments, then visiting a private dentist is often the route to go down.
Shorter Waiting Times
One of the biggest benefits that comes from visiting a private dentist is the waiting time for treatment. When you visit an NHS dentist, you can often be waiting weeks, or even months, for your appointment. This can leave some patients feeling disinterested in visiting the dentist and, as a result, their oral health care can deteriorate.
Choosing to visit a private dentist means that you can be seen much quicker, with consultations often taking place the next day or the same week as the enquiry. If you have an urgent complaint, then going to a private dentist can often be the best option.
Specialist Service and Treatment
Due to a number of reasons, the government began imposing limits on how many NHS dental treatments a practice can provide in one year, which means if you visit towards the end of this yearly quota, you may not get the treatment you require in an adequate time frame. NHS dentists are also quite limited in terms of specialisms and often only deal with the more common dental conditions, such as tooth loss or fillings.
Private dentists are much more flexible and many have their own specialisms such as orthodontics or veneers, and tend to use the latest dental equipment and materials to provide the best treatment. They also tend to be more suited for patients with additional needs, such as nerves or previous poor dental treatment due to the fact that they can offer longer dental appointments.