Jane Hall looks at schemes that ease the financial pain of dentistry.
Hollywood stars such as Halle Berry and Tom Cruise with their perfect smiles and flawless, white teeth, have undoubtedly spurred many to take better care of their own gnashers. And not before time, some may say. British teeth have a reputation for being worse than anyone else's, and our bad fangs are a staple of American humour. Cartoon character Lisa Simpson was shown The British Book of Smiles by her orthodontist as a way of frightening her into undergoing cosmetic treatment. And who could ever forget the mouthful of snaggly teeth sported by bumbling British spy Austin Powers? Whether our teeth have ever been truly "bad", or it's a case that Americans are obsessive about theirs, there can be no denying that Britain's oral health has improved since the inception of the NHS in 1948. Since then the nation has enjoyed nearly 60 years of heavily subsidised dental care. But all that could soon be coming to an end. Finding an NHS dentist is becoming increasingly difficult as many opt out of the state-run system, preferring instead to only deal with private patients. Others continue to offer an NHS service - at least for children - and those most in need. But from this April dentists - at the Government's behest - must make a choice: private or NHS only. The North already has fewer NHS dentists than almost anywhere else in England. Even more could be persuaded to pull out of providing an NHS service, spurred on by changes to their work and pay. Of course, dental care isn't free on the NHS unless you are a child, a pregnant woman, a nursing mother or are in receipt of family credit or a low income. You currently have to meet 80% of the cost of treatment. But it is usually cheaper than going private - the only option increasingly becoming available to millions of people. The website www.whatprice.com recently found that a simple white filling can cost £80 to £85 in the South-East, while a clean and polish in the North-West can be as much as £100, and a basic extraction around £95 in the Midlands. It's no wonder the rising cost of dental care is prompting more to think about dental payment plans. About 75% of people who buy private dentistry currently pay for it on the spot out of their own pockets; the remaining 25% pay through some form of annual insurance policy. There are three ways to help meet the costs: a maintenance scheme, a capitation plan or a full insurance cash or medical policy. A maintenance scheme is the cheapest option and covers the cost of seeing the hygienists plus check-ups. It also generally includes X-rays. Capitation plans usually tie you into a specific dentist and offer the basic maintenance as well as covering the costs of all non-specialist treatment. With these schemes the dentist makes an assessment of how much work you are likely to need in the coming year based on the condition of your teeth and gums and past history. Sometimes a dentist will insist on remedial treatment before accepting you. After that you make a monthly payment which covers all work for the next year. One of the problems with a capitation scheme is that the agreement is between you and a named dentist, so it is non-transferable. Most providers will help you find another dentist if you move, but it is up to your new practitioner to carry out a fresh assessment and set your monthly charge. You may also find yourself liable to a cancellation fee with your original dentist. Denplan is the UK's biggest provider of capitation schemes with 1.5m patients registered with 6,000 dentists. Spokeswoman Hannah Leach says: "In dental payment plans we are the market leader. We have been going for 20 years now, and we have 80% of the market. "On our Denplan Care scheme the vast majority of patients can expect to pay between £10 and £20 a month." More flexibility is provided by cash and full medical insurances, but these are generally a lot more expensive and, in most cases, dental is only one of a range of benefits. However, both Boots and Western Provident Association - WPA - provide specialist dental insurance. WPA's Providental plan offers cover for routine treatment, injuries and emergencies and has fixed monthly fees of £12.48 for 18-49-year-olds and £15.90 for 50-69-year-olds. Head of Communication for WPA, Charlie MacEwan, says: "The plan offers four benefits, the first being general dental costs up to £250 a year, emergency dental treatment up to £1,000 annually, dental injury - which covers treatment where injury has been caused by an external blow to the face, teeth or jaw - up to £20,000 and defined serious oral problems, such as cancer, up to £10,000. "There is a `shared responsibility' element to all the benefits. This means you are required to pay 25% of each admissible claim up to a maximum of £500. Anything beyond that WPA will pay. "Once you have paid £500 under any benefit, WPA will pay 100% of all admissible claims until your next renewal date." Firms offering specialist dental cover are expecting an upsurge in interest in their policies ahead of April's changes. Dpas, a capitation and maintenance scheme provider set up 10 years ago by a group of former Denplan employees, currently has 220,000 patients registered with 330 dental practices across the UK. Spokesman David Burrows says: "There is an upturn in dentists and patients looking at their options. In the last three weeks we have sent out 33,900 letters to patients on behalf of dental practices. In February we will be sending out 55,000 and we are looking at March being even bigger. "Dentists are being labelled as greedy, but in most cases their desire has always been to work in the NHS. Unfortunately, it is becoming very difficult for them to run a business." While David appreciates many will baulk at taking out private dental cover he says: "There is a degree of re-education needed. People say, `we pay for the NHS, why should we pay for treatment?' But with the NHS you are already paying 80% of the cost. If you go for an examination at an NHS dentist it can cost you anything from £25 to £30. "People get very worked up about the prospect of going private. But if you think about it, you pay £10-£12 a month for a policy, which is about the cost of spending an evening drinking beer in a pub. Somebody only paying £10 a month could be getting a very good deal." Page 2: Treatment plan that has saved Veronica a fortune | 
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