Forum Topic

Dentist charges £40 extra for PPE

I am booked at a local dentist to have the completion of a new crown.   It is an expensive job but I was shocked when the receptionist telephoned back to say I would have to pay an extra £40 to pay for PPE.   I am interested to know views on this extra charge before deciding what to do next.

Ruth Wyman ● 1776d23 Comments

Yes £40 is extortionate. My private dentist charges £7 per visit for PPE: Century Dental Clinic.

Lisa Cottam ● 1749d

The latest copy of Which? features an article on this topic, and £40 appears to be towards the top end of the extra charge raised. However, I would think the principle of charging extra is entirely reasonable on an on-going basis too, as the throughput of patients has of necessity to be reduced on account of the cleaning required between each and every appointment.

James Dixon ● 1772d

£40?...is that all?I'd want £400 to root round somebodies gob...mask or no! :)

Simon Knight ● 1774d

Predictable reaction. Once one charges it they all will. Even after Covid-19 has gone you can bet the PPE charge will remain.  Dentists are extremely greedy and the profession is not financially regulated enough, in my opinion.

Sue Hammond ● 1774d

Tbere's an article about this charge in today's Times money section. Seems that all dental practices are charging it.

Elizabeth Balsom ● 1774d

Thanks for the suggestions all!  Will try next week to see if get any luck

Mike Warman ● 1774d

I went to Putney Dentists in February because my usual dental practice was fully booked.  15 minute check-up = £83.00.  But at least the dentist wore a face mask and there were a couple of tasteful flower arrangements in the reception area ...

Sue Hammond ● 1775d

Try Putney Dentists, 2a Dealtry Road, SW15 6NL.Tel:  020 8785 6772I had a crown refitted to my implant there this week.  More expensive than before, but they have spent a lot of money installing hygienic equipment in order to re-open.Highly recommended.

DILYS ELIZABETH FOREMAN ● 1775d

Reckon you`re fortunate to have even found a working dentist.  I haven`t had a returned call since my appointment was cancelled on the appointment day (same day as lockdown) back in March.Someone mentioned MyDentist but I know they are still unable to do even the most basic of (painful) fillings as they are still unable, after all these months, to source any PPE and there is no end in sight....and they are large franchise operation so if they can`t...:(PS If you`re paying for it, you can always keep the PPE for a future post-Covid party: I`m sure we`ll get to think back fondly one day. ;)

Roscow Lucas ● 1776d

Mike, try Dental Emporium (formerly Gentle Dental) on Putney Hill, just up from the junction with the Upper Richmond Road. Not sure of the number.  They did an amazing emergency crown for a friend of my wife's and I understand they are fully open for all procedures (though with a limited number of appointments). She happily paid extra for PPE. Francois Du Toit is the main dentist I think, and she recommends him highly. Private, no NHS sadly.  Good luck!

Liam Jones ● 1776d

Are local dentists open to perform work on crowns, hygenists etc?I was part way through a treatment at a specialist in Worcester park but they are still closed.  When asked they pointed out that not only is there a ppe cost per appointment, but there is also a gap between being able to see patients so they can see fewer patients per day this their costs are effectively higher.  They did think it might be hard to pass on costs in the case of hygienist for example, and thus were still closed.So I would be fine to pay a £40 surcharge - I would just like a treatment (at higher cost if required) rather than waiting and having potential issues down the line.Interested if anyone can recommend local dentists that are open and performing these procedures now

Mike Warman ● 1776d

I think Strewthie is testing the waters to see how much they can get away with!!Daylight robbery as far as I'm concerned!!!

Bunny Payne ● 1776d

I agree with Lucille. Why would anyone need to hide their identity to enquire about dental charges?

Jane Carter ● 1776d

Lucille. It's a guess so I'm obviously not going to risk being wrong and causing embarrassnent for someone who is innocent and, to be honest, I don't see it's material to the discussion on this topic. Given some of the things that are posted on the forum under pseudonyms the moderators don't seem to be concerned about such things.

Michael Ixer ● 1776d

(although I think I know the identity of Strewth)So do let us know who is hiding  him/herself. I thought we had to provide our actual names not obvious pseudonyms ...

Lucille Grant ● 1776d

Bearing in mind that these adaptations would be a one-off cost I don'r see why an extra charge of £40 per patient is justified, presumably ad infinitum? I can accept that a small extra charge to cover PPE might be necessary to equip the nurses and reception staff, but surely dentists should already be wearing a surgical mask anyway?  Are dentists now wearing the full monty plastic visor kit as well? My last check-up was in February so I don't know what the fashion is now.

Sue Hammond ● 1776d

My Dentist has not only had to bear the cost of PPE, but has also had to install new ventilation, new entry system, protection for the receptionist etc. The number of patients allowed in the building has also had to be cut down.All in all I think that an increased charge is justified.

Caroline Whitehead ● 1776d

The temporary VAT rate of zero percent on PPE which was until the end of July has been extended until 31 October 2020.I'm not sure if small businesses have been able to factor this recent extension in.A welcome help to businesses. Due to lack of stockpiles, it looks like the government's emergency PPE bill of 5.5 billion pounds (FT) would add to global price increase.Prevention is nearly always cheaper, perhaps you just have to bite the bullet as they say :)

Ed Robinson ● 1776d

My dentist (Putney Bridge Dental Centre) has a similar charge when procedures generating aerosols are involved (air drills etc). Otherwise £7. This is to cover the per treatment costs of PPE and applies only to private treatments.It seems reasonable to me - I went recently and observed that they did indeed use some extra kit which they hadn't used before.Rather than condemning then for passing on their extra costs (which any business tries to do if it wants to stay in business), can anyone recommend a local dental practice which is now open for private, non-emergency treatment and has NO EXTRA CHARGE?

Michael Winstanley ● 1776d

I've no particular axe to grind on this one, just trying to frame a reasoned view (although I think I know the identity of Strewth). Looking at the article below (which is obviously not unbiased as its written by a dentist) it would seem that PPE will be an additional cost for dentists in these COVID times. So either they pay for it (which is probably not sustainable for their businesses long term), the government does (which they might do for NHS patient procedures - or at least part of it) or the customer does. So inevitably from a cost accounting view this will either be built in as a higher overhead charge for the basic procedure/time cost or added as an extra itemised cost. Its interesting that the article uses an example cost of £40.  https://www.dentistry.co.uk/2020/06/10/public-attitudes-dentistry-covid-practice/

Michael Ixer ● 1776d

Please name the practice so we can all avoid it.

Sue Hammond ● 1776d

Shameful profiteering in my opinion.

Sue Hammond ● 1776d

I guess that's the thing about private medical procedures: they will include the full T&M costs of any expenses not already built into the hourly time charge as separate itemised charges? Whether the charge of £40 is reasonable is difficult to tell - perhaps get quotes from other dentists?

Michael Ixer ● 1776d