Scrap NHS contract say dentists

Chief dental officer Dr Barry Cockcroft was a Warwickshire dentist

Hundreds of dentists from the West Midlands are meeting the government to raise their concerns about plans to increase NHS charges up to threefold.

The new treatment charges could be brought in next year and NHS dentists in the region say they are furious.

They say people will stop making appointments due to the expense and surgeries will be forced to go private.

But the government's chief dental officer Dr Barry Cockcroft said: "I think it is a much fairer system."

The former Midlands dentist said: "We are seeing significant improvements."

And he added that the maximum charge for dental care would fall from £388 to £180.

Many patients are already paying for private dentistry, especially in areas where an NHS practice is hard to find.

Rising charges

A standard check up on the NHS currently costs about £5.50 but that figure is set to rise to £15.

A crown will rise from £93 to £183, and a denture costing £90 will more than double to £183.

One patient, Barbara Pillinger, has been attending the same NHS dentist for more than 20 years. The filling she has had on a front tooth now costs £15 on the NHS.

Under the new NHS contract, being introduced in April, she will be expected to pay £41 for the same treatment.