Don't forget the essentials

According to the Dental Complaints Service (DCS), private dental treatment complaints rose by 17 per cent in the year May 2011 to April 2012. Though this figure is of course awful, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

This is because times have changed in dentistry, and we now work in a profession that is no longer solely occupied with the treatment of pain. In the case of private dentistry in particular, patients are far less patients these days, than they are consumers. They have rights as consumers and they are often keen to express their rights. When the cost of treatment starts to soar, so to do patient expectations, to the point where if a treatment costs thousands of pounds, a patient will expect the world. For the young or inexperienced dentist, this whole area is a minefield, and even the more experienced dentist can easily be caught out.