Trip to Dentist Saves Life

A fifteen-year-old girl has recently told of how a visit to the dentist led to her life being saved.

Teenager Anna Campbell was booked in to have four teeth taken out, when a normal test showed that her blood pressure was so high it she should have already been dead.

Anna was sent for a scan of her heart, revealing that her aorta (the biggest blood vessel at 14mm wide) was only 2mm in diameter.

She then underwent emergency medical treatment to save her life and correct this defect. Less than three months later she has recovered fully, saying: ‘If it wasn’t for my teeth, I wouldn’t be here today.’

Anna’s mother, Julia Campbell, from Littleover, Derbyshire, said that nobody knew at all that there was any life-threatening condition until Anna had the test done.

Anna had been to the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary to have her four teeth taken out before having braces. The nurses found that her blood pressure was at an extremely high level, stating that a blood clot or heart attack had been imminent for years.

Anna said of the experience: ‘It was shocking, I didn’t believe what they were telling me’. She did not feel as though anything was wrong with here.

Julia Campbell found it hard to understand the problem since Anna had never been ill in all her life. However, she added, ‘Her blood pressure was so high they couldn’t find a pulse in her foot.’

Julia also added that doctors told her that her daughter was the oldest survivor they had known who had suffered with such a narrow aorta.

Half of Public Avoid Dentist Due to Costs

A survey has found that nearly half of the public are put off visiting the dentist because they are worried about how much it will cost.

Many of those taking part in the survey claimed that they would rather live with the pain, going to the extreme of pulling out their own teeth, than paying for an extraction on the NHS.

The survey took into account the cost of dental care over recent years, and found that it has gone up at over twice the rate of inflation due to the introduction of a new NHS charging system.

Since 2005, the average cost of a visit to the dentist has gone up by 7 percent, and the new pricing regime was originally introduced in 2006 alongside contractual changes for dentists.

As part of the change, payments were put into three bands. Patients were originally paying £194 for the most expensive treatments, and £15.90 for check-ups which had previously cost just £6.

The higher costs had a huge effect, and one million fewer people are now seeing a dentist than before the changes in 2006.

This survey of 1,000 conducted by Tesco Dental Insurance has found that 42 percent of Brits are put off visiting the dentist at all due to these rising costs.

Of those surveyed in London, 14 percent said that had to pay out more than £300 to dentists in the last year.

Many others across the country were put off visiting the dentist, with 10 percent of people in Nottingham saying they would rather live with the pain, and 6 percent of those in Cardiff saying they would consider extracting their own teeth.

New Surgeries Help Waiting Lists

The first two of four new dental surgeries to be opening in west Cumbria has been up and running recently as a way of helping growing waiting lists in the region.

The Maryport and Egremont practices will each cater for 5,000 patients.

The Maryport surgery is located at Brusnwick house, Bridge Stress, and has been converted from dentists. It provides two dentists, three nurses and two receptionists. The Egremont practice is located in Market Place.

A new surgery at the town’s harbourside development in Whitehaven is due to open next month, with another 10,000 places.

The latest surgery to open will be in August, with the Whitehaven practice providing 10,000 places.

These four totals will, in total, provide space for an extra 30,000 people by the end of the year. Since the announcement that they were due to open, 10,000 people have already applied for a place.

An NHS spokeswoman in the area claimed that there were now 26,361 people on the waiting list for placed, compared with 16,500 before they had been invited to apply for the new practices.

The Manchester company Oasis Dental care won the £1.7m contract to provide these new surgeries, and already has 140 practices across the country.

Its chief executive, Justin Ash, said ‘We’re committed to ensuring as many people as possible can access quality NHS dental care in the UK’ and commented on the opportunity of boosting the dental health of those in Cumbria.

The NHS Cumbria’s dentistry commissioner said that people who had been waiting on the list for the longest were given the first opportunity to register with Oasis Dental Care. Patients are given a choice on the practice they wish to attend as letters are being sent out in batches of 1,000.

Dental Insurance Eases Bill Worries

National Smile Month is now in action and is there to highlight the importance of taking care of our teeth. More and more of us are now struggling to find a NHS dentist, meaning that we are failing to get proper treatment.

Simplyhealth state that 35 percent of Brits have had problems finding an NHS dentist in the past year, a 12 percent increase on this time last year.

Thousands have now been forced to go private, yet many claim they put off seeing the dentist simply over the worry of how much it might cost.

Abby Bowmen from Simplyhealth said that ‘the NHS dental contracts introduced three years ago were supposed to give more people access to dentists but, as our research shows, this is only getting worse.’ Private treatment routinely adds up to around £100 for a single visit, and going for recommended six-monthly checkups is simply too expensive for many individuals. In these cases it could be worth considering dental insurance cover.

Dental insurance plans range in value and can start at just £10 per month. These policies generally have a fixed coverage for general treatment as well as a limit for dental emergencies. Policies are often developed to cover different levels including NHS cover or premium cover.

There is also help towards dental costs through health cash plans, which are paid out when you visit a dentist or any other health practitioner, including opticians and physical therapists.

If you decide to get a dental insurance policy Emma Walker, of moneysupermarket.com, recommends to ‘Check the small print of what your dental plan will and will not cover you for’. There may be instances in which you will not be covered for treatment.

Brits Put Off Visiting Dentist

Dental treatments are becoming more and more expensive, so much so that many Brits cannot afford them and are putting off visiting the dentist simply due to the large costs.

The poll that produced these findings was carried out by Tesco Dental Insurance, showing that 40 percent of all Brits are put off going to the dentist as they expect the bill to be too expensive for them to pay.

Out of those who took part in the poll, those based in the south-east of England were the most worried about dental costs.

Jeremy Sutton, head of MoneyHighStreet.com, said ‘Given the current economic situation many people are worried about spending money. Receiving important dental treatment is essential to overall health as well as oral health.’

There are a number of other firms providing dental insurance in the UK, including Medibroker, the Hospital Saving Association and Dencover.

Spending on Health Increases Despite Recession

Though businesses have been cutting back in many areas, employers are still dedicated to making sure employees are looked after. The average spend on healthcare benefits has increased by 180% in the last year according to research undertaken by Employee Benefits magazine.

This annual survey shows that 14% of all companies across the United Kingdom are now offering a paid healthcare scheme, in the form of Health Cash Plan, to their employees compared to just 5% of businesses that were offering it last year.

The most proactive businesses in this area are the small and medium companies, with 27% of businesses who employ 100 people or less are now implementing a cash plan, with only 17% offering it with employees of 100-500. A mere 3% of businesses with employees from 501-1,000 are offering this bonus.

A third of all business in the pharmaceutical industry offer healthcare benefits, closely followed by 26% of businesses in the building a construction industry.

This is a growing trend, and 22% of employers stated that they are planning on increasing the benefits they offer within the next year, as a way of helping employees look after their health in times of need.

Another result of the survey shows that 88% of all organisations have a stress management system in place due to the current economic situation. This is not only as a way to look after staff, but also to ensure they meet their legal obligations of care.

The Corporate Sales Marketing Director for Simplyhealth commented on this research, stating that: ‘Amidst all the doom and gloom we keep hearing about, employers are recognising how important it is to look after staff wellbeing in these changing times.’ The health plan provides an important support when employees have so much else to worry about.