[catiopatio]

I always assumed this was a comment on the level of dental care provided by the NHS.

For example, they’ll happily provide you a root canal without a crown – a crown costs significantly extra.

I doubt many dentists in the US would be comfortable providing that standard of care.

[pessimizer]

I'm pretty sure it's now based on the observation that very wealthy and important people in Britain don't have giant blinding veneers.

Americans think that the class terror that forces them to spend thousands or tens of thousands on their children's teeth (and their own) is universal, rather than a norm that we find ourselves locked into now. Americans with anything going on with their teeth look poor or disreputable, and it severely hurts your job chances.

Rich British people are just like "do you know who I am?"

[jahnu]

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/what-dental-service...

£300 seems not very significant if we are comparing the US to the UK in this discussion.

[catiopatio]

A £300 optional surcharge to perform what US dentistry rightfully considers the baseline standard of care is going to result in a lot of people’s teeth having subpar function and appearance.

[jahnu]

But they don’t pay for almost anything routine in the UK. In the US my understanding is you are not typically getting any free dental care. £300 is not a major expense for a typical person in the UK.

[catiopatio]

I didn’t claim it was an unaffordable expense.

I claimed that treating it as an opt-in extra, for additional charge — instead of the baseline standard of care — results in a lot fewer people receiving it, and thus, a lot more people with subpar dental function and appearance.

In other words, to save money, the NHS provides a lower standard of care as its baseline. Hence the popular idea that British dentistry is subpar.

[throwaway3618]

I haven't tried to push the subject too hard but NHS dentists will at least in some cases just say "you'll need a crown afterwards" and that's that.

Also

> If you need treatment from more than 1 dental band as part of your treatment plan, you will only be charged the cost of the highest band. You will not be charged for each individual treatment.