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Despite the article's pretence this is some universal historical wart, I take it this is an American foible, another artefact of the arcane clusterfuck that is
by grabcocque 10y ago
Despite the article's pretence this is some universal historical wart, I take it this is an American foible, another artefact of the arcane clusterfuck that is US healthcare?
In the U.K., dental care is available on treated on the NHS just like other forms of care.
- halflings 10y agoWell... most people I know go to a private dentist, even if they go to their NHS-covered GP. Isn't coverage different for dentists?
- JetSpiegel 10y agoNot in Portugal. There's almost no dentists working on the public sector, as opposed to pretty much all other medical specialities.
- Aaargh20318 10y agoIn the Netherlands it's completely separate too, including in insurance.
- tirant 10y agoExcept for children. And I've seen that in other European countries as well. Children dental care is always included in public health care, and even the dentists share clinic with other doctors.
- pif 10y agoIn France and in Italy they are formally treated as a whole, but in practice they are two separate worlds. In particular, financial coverage in France and availability in public structures in Italy are very different between "dentists" and "doctors".
- gpvos 10y agoI don't see the article claiming universality outside the US. But in many European countries, dentistry is indeed largely or completely separate from the rest of medicine.
- dazc 10y agoIt is technically available but it isn't universally free and most people who have a choice elect for private treatment anyway. NHS dentistry in the UK has a very bad reputation, mostly deserved.
- rollthehard6 10y agoI'm not sure how true that is? Would like to see some statistics on how many people elect for private vs NHS. Myself I've never had private dental healthcare and have no complaints, especially since I am paying probably an average of around 150 USD a year for my dental care and can pay as little as 30 USD a year typically.
- toyg 10y agoI think the key is "most people who have a choice". That translates as "most people who can afford to spend a few grand per year on dentistry without really noticing". I guess parent is a bit more upper-middle class than you.
- rollthehard6 10y agoMust be as I'd certainly notice a few grand per year being spent on dentistry ; )
- arethuza 10y agoPrivate dental insurance in the UK is most definitely not "a few grand per year".
- dogma1138 10y agoPrivate dental insurance in the U.K. doesn't cover as much as you think.
- arethuza 10y agoWell, I get regular checkups and when I need work they do it - I haven't encountered any areas where stuff wasn't covered. Edit: Pretty sure I pay £30 odd a month and I've had root canal treatment, new crowns, etc.
- rollthehard6 10y agoThere is still a divide in the UK - unlike general medical care, dental care is not 100% free at the point of use (Similar for optical care). Dentists can take a mix of private and (public) NHS patients or specialise purely in private or NHS. If you move to a new area it can sometimes be hard to get into a practice as an NHS patient. NHS dental care is heavily subsidised but not entirely free (See here for prices where I am in Scotland - https://www.scottishdental.org/public/treatment-charges/ https://www.scottishdental.org/public/treatment-charges/) Typically, if I get a check up and need nothing done other than scale and polish the cost is around 15 USD (The exam part being free) As a consequence, having some dental insurance plan is not uncommon here - my partner needs more dental work than I do so has such a plan called Denplan.
- _nalply 10y agoIn Switzerland mandatory health care doesn't cover dentistry except for tooth accidents and serious illnesses. As one can imagine some grey areas can make it difficult to determine whether a dentist treatment is covered or not.
- peteretep 10y agoThis is deeply misleading. All non-emergency health in the UK is mediated via your GP. Except dentistry. All expert medical procedures in the UK will be carried out by an MD, no matter what part of your body they're on. Except for your teeth. For any serious medical treatment in the UK that requires anaesthesia, or surgery, you are likely to be treated at a general hospital which happens to have an appropriate unit. Except ... dentistry, where they have specialist dental hospitals. Finally, treatment on the NHS for all medical conditions is free at point of use, except for prescriptions. Except dentistry, which is merely subsidised, and generally provided by dentists who work privately, and offer to provide slightly different treatments on the NHS than they do privately.
- dghf 10y ago> All expert medical procedures in the UK will be carried out by an MD, no matter what part of your body they're on Point of pedantry, which doesn't really affect your argument: the professional medical degree in the UK is the MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery -- abbreviation can vary by institution). The MD is either a research degree (similar to a PhD) or, at certain older universities, a higher doctorate similar to a DSc. In either case, most British doctors don't have one.
- kalleboo 10y agoIn Sweden, dental is treated separately. There are public dentists, but they're only free of charge up to age 19, and after that there are only a couple rebates available (IIRC the government will pay 30% of procedures over a certain cost, and every other year you get a check that covers one checkup) In Japan, basic dentistry is covered the same under national health insurance, but for instance if you want a ceramic crown instead of metal, you have to pay for that yourself. Dentists and general medicine are completely separate institutions though.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- vacri 10y agoLet me add an Australian voice to the "Yup, there's a dental divide" cacophony.