NHS dentists

Yesterday I had to go to Cambridge to see my dentist. Even though I've moved away from there, I still travel back twice a year to keep my NHS (National Health Service) dentist. Once you find a good one, don't let them go! In parts of the country, NHS dentists have no more space on their rosters to accept new patients; I guess those rejected have to go private or do without (more likely). I had a terrible experience with a British-trained dentist early in my stay in Britain. It was after I had crushed two lower molars with too much or too energetic gum-chewing (another topic). He made a mess of capping them. So on the recommendation of the American Embassy, I next went to an American-trained private dentist in London (located in Cavendish Square behind the John Lewis department store – high rent area) but had to pay £300 for a filling, more than 6 times the NHS price (now £47 for a filling; check-up and cleaning only costs £17). Not again, thanks. He was kind enough to recommend a friend of his, also British but American-trained, who practiced in Cambridge, so I signed on with that one with the NHS to have my caps replaced. Then he retired but was succeeded by an Australian-trained dentist, and after that, I now have a South African-trained dentist. They all have done fabulous work. Don't give them up if they're good!

PS Have you ever noticed how many people in Britain are missing one or more pre-molar? A gap that is revealed when smiling? I asked my dentist why, and funnily enough, she hadn't noticed or thought about it. She decided, though, that the tooth is vulnerable because it gets heavy chewing but is not as strong as a molar; and it is not replaced because you have to pay extra for something like that – not covered by the NHS. And her final comment was that Brits don't seem to care about their teeth  – something that is rather widely noted and discussed in the vanity press!