Dentists and students

BillieTheBot · February 2006

I know people are probably getting fed-up of me asking about university by now, so I'll keep this brief. If, during term time, you're living away from home, does that mean you need to register with a new dentist?

This only came up as my dentist is not going to do NHS work anymore. From April, because of the new working contracts for dentists, he's going private. I'll have to pay £34.50 for a year's coverage, starting in April, but as I'd be off five months after that, it seems a waste somehow. Or am I allowed to register with two dentists?

Former Member · February 2006

stargalaxy wrote:

If, during term time, you're living away from home, does that mean you need to register with a new dentist?

If you have good teeth, I wouldn't bother. Just arrange your checkups for when you're at home.

Finding an NHS dentist at the moment is the most ridiculous task, at least around here.

Former Member · February 2006

kaffrin wrote:

If you have good teeth, I wouldn't bother. Just arrange your checkups for when you're at home. Finding an NHS dentist at the moment is the most ridiculous task, at least around here.

Well, that's what I was worrying about. They seem to be as rare as hen's teeth at the moment. Overall, my teeth are in pretty good condition. I would be about 200 miles from home, though.

Former Member · February 2006

I stayed with my dentist, and go home for appointments. Purely because my dentist is lovely (well he was, before he moved to Glasgow :impissed: ) and I didn't want the stress of trying to find a new decent one. If you have good teeth though (and you said you did) then a check up every 6 months isn't too much of a hardship to go home to, I wouldn't think.

Former Member · February 2006

I stayed with my dentist at home too. Although my uni gave me a list of doctos/dentists in the area that would accept me.

ETA - i'd try and find out what the dentists are like in the area you're going to be living, maybe ask at the uni health centre when you go to the open day. that way you'll be able to find out how hard it will be to find a new one there or if it would be easier to stay with your one at home.

Former Member · February 2006

It's far easier to stay with your dentist at home. Hopefully you won't have too many dental emergencies during your time at Uni, anyway, so it's not likely you'd be traipsing all the way home for urgent treatment anyway.

Schedule checkups when you're at home, as kaffrin said, and take good care of your toothy pegs while you're at Uni. :thumb:

**helen** · February 2006

briggi wrote:

Schedule checkups when you're at home, as kaffrin said, and take good care of your toothy pegs while you're at Uni. :thumb:

:yes: It's definitely worth investing in a decent electric tooth brush if you haven't got one already.

Former Member · February 2006

**Helen** wrote:

:yes: It's definitely worth investing in a decent electric tooth brush if you haven't got one already.

It's in my bedroom somewhere! I haven't used it for about two years, I'm just using ordinary ones now.

Former Member · February 2006

I changed doctors but keep with the same dentist.

I just make sure I go to the dentist in the holidays and stuff.

Doctors though is important you change (although you can still see the one back home in the holidays or whatever as a temporary resident or an emergency admission if you need to).

Former Member · February 2006

guess it depends how often you're going home - you don't have to go to the dentist much anyway anymore unless obviously you have problems with them.

it would probably be worth while changing your doctors, though.

i kept both of mine as i only live 40 mins away from where i live at uni.

Former Member · February 2006

lucifer devil wrote:

i kept both of mine as i only live 40 mins away from where i live at uni.

40 minutes is quite far to go just to see the doctor though (if you go often and at short notice like me at least)

Former Member · February 2006

Randomgirl wrote:

40 minutes is quite far to go just to see the doctor though (if you go often and at short notice like me at least)

not really.

i go home every weekend anyway.

Former Member · February 2006

i changed doctors but not dentist too...

haven't been to the dentists in a good few years, but my teeth are pretty good (never had a filling

)

Former Member · February 2006

when i missed my regular checkups i got struck off the NHS thingy but for like a tenner they let me back on...i dont know if this is a usual thing, but i have been with the same dentist forever

Former Member · February 2006

Does your uni not have a medical centre?

Former Member · February 2006

Splutter... That's so funny my dump of a uni had a nurses room where you could go and sit down and that's all!

Former Member · February 2006

Dentists at Uni

FWIW I changed doctors but not dentists when I arrived at uni. I started getting teeth problems; luckily my uni has a private dentists attached to it so I pitched up, registered and got an emergency appointment the same day. I paid £30 for the privalige - worth it, methinks.

I think I am now registered with two dentists, which I don't think you are supposed to do. I plan not to have any more dental emergencies and to go back to going for checkups at my home dentist every 6 months (scheduled for when I'm home anyway).

Upshot - does your uni have a dentist local to it? You can go there for emergency dental treatment.

And I agree with not being able to find an NHS dentist.

cquest x

Former Member · February 2006

I really think dentists are more hassle than they're worth, unless you have serious teeth problems. I'd never been to the dentist in my life, apart from once when I was very young to have a few milk teeth pulled out, until I broke half a tooth off when I was 20 and had to go get it fixed. The dentist said my teeth were great. All my friends seem to be paying for fillings and things all the time when I doubt there's really much need for them.

Dentists and students

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