Entitlement to free dental treatment
- Thread starter pollyr
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Thanks Kev for your reply. I wasnt asking for myself but I was told this week about someone who was diagnosed with T2 earlier this year and who has had extensive dentistry but was understood to have an 'exemption' certificate which gave him free dental treatment. He isnt on any benefits and is working so I wondered if the rules had changed. I didn't think this was the case but thought I would ask you guys.
pollyr
pollyr
If your diabetes is treated with medication, you can get a medical exemption that means you don't pay any prescription fees but dental treatment is generally only free for people on low / no income, children, pensioners etc.
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1786.aspx?CategoryID=74&SubCategoryID=742
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1786.aspx?CategoryID=74&SubCategoryID=742
Not all chemists and dentists are good at checking that someone has a right to free prescriptions or free treatment.
I started taking metformin for reactive hypoglycaemia five years before I became diabetic and often had to remind my chemist that I had to pay for my prescriptions. They saw metformin on the list and automatically assumed that I was diabetic. Had I accepted my prescriptions for free I could have been fined for it.
Dentists tend to do the same, if you say you have an exemption they don't always ask for proof or even question what your exemption covers. They aren't losing out, they get paid by the government and if you've made a false claim to get free treatment you will be prosecuted for it, not them even though they should make sure you have the right to free treatment before they give it.
I started taking metformin for reactive hypoglycaemia five years before I became diabetic and often had to remind my chemist that I had to pay for my prescriptions. They saw metformin on the list and automatically assumed that I was diabetic. Had I accepted my prescriptions for free I could have been fined for it.
Dentists tend to do the same, if you say you have an exemption they don't always ask for proof or even question what your exemption covers. They aren't losing out, they get paid by the government and if you've made a false claim to get free treatment you will be prosecuted for it, not them even though they should make sure you have the right to free treatment before they give it.
If you are on working tax credit and child tax credit you can get an exemption card which entitles you to free dental treatment amongst other benefits.I recently got a free dental crown on the NHS however my previous dentist denied that this was possible,so you might have to shop around.
