Will the chancellor cane house owners in the budget?

[Andy Hall]

... or most other forms of healthcare.

Absolutely.

I don't have a problem with contributing towards the benefit of others through the medium of tax - that is part of being in a civilised society.

With respect to healthcare, I am penalised several times over:

- employee NI contribution

- employer NI contribution

The state doesn't deliver usable healthcare so I use private treatment via insurance for which my employer pays the premium.

- Income tax at highest marginal rate is due on the premium since it is a benefit in kind.

- NI is due as well

- Insurance premium tax is also due.

So even though I contribute over the odds towards the broken NHS which delivers me nothing of any use, I end up paying several times over for letting the state off the hook as well.

That is iniquitous.

.andy

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[Andy Hall]

The trouble is that hell will freeze over before that happens.

It certainly was a generation ago, and earlier than that it was commonplace for people when they reached a certain age to have all teeth removed, healthy as well and to get dentures. A complete nonsense.

Right.

They are not though. There is really no excuse for using amalgam fillings any longer. I got shot of the last of mine more than 10 years ago, when the available alternative materials had reached the stage of development that they would last at least as long.

Yep. This is where one of the major issues is with any of this type of work and time is where much of the cost lies.

In terms of long term viability of the teeth, yes. Each time a filling is replaced, a small amount of tooth is lost. Beyond a certain point, it becomes so weakened that a crown or extraction are the only options left.

This was my earlier point. Once a stable situation can be achieved, the focus should be on care and so hygienist visits are important, especially for people older than 40.

.andy

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[Huge]

Dunno. Other than A&E and GP visits I haven't used the NHS for decades.

[20 lines snipped]

Hear, hear.

[IMM]

Not £360 for one tooth.

[Andy Hall]

For what is involved in doing a root canal treatment, especially if it is towards the back of the mouth, this is not an unreasonable price at all.

To get it right, the dentist has to remove all of the soft tissue leading into the far tips of the root and do so without leaving any behind or without pushing the extremely fine tools used through the end of the root. This involves working to tolerances of a fraction of a millimetre and very carefully done sterilisation procedures to avoid later infection, weakening of the bone support for the tooth and its subsequent loss. Then there is the restorative work to make sure it's sound and possibly a gold crown afterwards.

Done carefully and properly, a greater than 90% success rate can be achieved by a good dentist. Done without taking the time and trouble, it is around a 50% success rate.

In the context of that, £360 is inexpensive indeed.

The alternative, of course, is to simply have the tooth extracted. That is a lot less expensive and faster. One can choose.

.andy

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