In article ,
stuart noble wrote:
The snag is that most dentists use independant labs to have the actual
crowns made. And they set the price they charge for the work. Which is
usually far higher than the NHS will pay. So the dentist has to do his
side of it at a lower price per hour of work than other things which
are totally under his control.

which begs the question, what are these NHS figures based on? Maybe
they're viable in certain areas but not anywhere near London. And if
dentists won't do their side at a reduced cost, why have an NHS contract
at all? I suppose there are times when they can do five minutes work and
shaft you for the band 2 fee.

Dunno if the amount the NHS will pay for lab work is weighted according to
the part of the country.

But it's not new - my dentist was a pal and said crowns weren't profitable
for him in London. 40 years ago. ;-)

Sadly, he's retired now. My current NHS one does everything at a million
miles an hour. Not exactly confidence building.

--
*Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Dave Plowman London SW
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