Check-ups and hygiene · Widney Dental, Knowle
Thirty minutes, and you know where you stand.
A check-up here looks at your teeth, your gums, the soft tissues of your mouth, and your head and neck, with the pictures on a screen while the dentist explains what they show. £45 privately, £27.90 on the NHS, and a hygienist for the cleaning a toothbrush cannot do.
★★★★★ 4.8 from 175 Google reviews · NHS, private and Denplan
In short
What happens at a check-up?
The dentist asks about any problems and your general health, then examines each tooth, your gums, the inside of your cheeks, your tongue and throat, and your jaw and neck. X-rays are taken when they are due or when something needs a closer look. You leave knowing what is healthy, what needs treatment, and what each option costs.
What the fee covers
In the check-up, and booked separately.
A check-up is an examination and a conversation. Treatment it finds is planned for its own appointment, so nothing is done in a hurry and you know the figure first.
In the check-up
- Your teeth, one by one: decay, cracks, worn edges, and the fillings and crowns you already have.
- Your gums: bleeding, pockets forming between gum and tooth, and tartar building up, the early signs of gum disease.
- The soft tissues in and around your mouth, and your head and neck, checked for anything abnormal. Changes in the mouth can be the first sign of a condition elsewhere, so your general health is part of the conversation.
- Pictures on the screen. An intra-oral camera and digital x-rays, and a cone beam CT scan where one is indicated, shown to you while the dentist explains.
- Advice on diet, smoking and cleaning, and the options for anything that needs treating, with the pros, cons and costs of each.
Booked separately
- Treatment the check-up finds, such as a filling, a root canal or a crown, made as its own appointment.
- The hygienist’s clean. Privately a hygienist visit is £64; on the NHS, a scale and polish is part of the Band 1 charge when it is clinically needed.
- X-rays, privately: £8.50 for a small film and £45 for a large scan. On the NHS they are part of the band.
- A longer conversation about a treatment. The practice’s care coordinators offer a free consultation about any treatment and its alternatives, with no pressure to go ahead.
How it runs
From the booking to the next visit.
- 1
Book
On 01564 773080, or request a call-back. Say whether you are asking about NHS or private care. Your first visit privately is a new patient examination, £75.
- 2
The conversation
Anything that hurts or bothers you, your medical history and the medicines you take, and how long it has been since your last visit. Nobody minds if it has been years.
- 3
The examination
Teeth, gums, soft tissues, head and neck, with the intra-oral camera on the screen and x-rays if they are due. A routine check-up takes no more than thirty minutes.
- 4
What was found
What is healthy, what needs treating and what can wait, with the options side by side and the NHS and private figures for each before anything is booked.
- 5
The next visit
A hygienist appointment if your gums need it, and your next check-up, usually in six to twelve months, sooner if your mouth needs watching more closely.
The hygienist
The cleaning a toothbrush cannot do.
Plaque you miss hardens into tartar, and tartar cannot be brushed off; left there, it keeps the gums inflamed, which is how gum disease starts and why gums bleed when you brush. The hygienist scales it away, above and just below the gum line, then polishes the teeth smooth so plaque has less to cling to. Stubborn staining from tea, coffee or smoking can be lifted with Airflow, a jet of fine powder and water, at £91.50.
Scaling is usually painless; if an area is tender, a numbing cream or a little local anaesthetic takes care of it, so say so. The other half of the visit is showing you how to keep it that way at home: the right brush, interdental brushes or floss for the gaps, and advice on diet and smoking. Gums that need more work are brought back to health over a few appointments, often before the dentist restores the teeth. The hygiene page has the long answer to what hygienists do.
What it costs
On the NHS, or privately.
Widney Dental treats NHS and private patients, and accepts Denplan. On the NHS, one Band 1 charge of £27.90 covers the examination, x-rays, a scale and polish if it is clinically needed, and fluoride varnish or fissure sealant. Privately, each is its own fee, listed here from the practice’s fee guide. Under-18s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits pay nothing for NHS treatment.
NHS figures are England’s band charges as nhs.uk publishes them; private figures are Widney Dental’s fee guide. One band charge covers the whole course of treatment.
Three ways to pay
NHS, pay as you go, or Denplan.
The examination is the same examination whichever way you pay. What changes is what the fee includes, how you pay it, and whether a place is open.
| What you pay | What it includes | The hygienist | Getting a place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS | £27.90 for the course, or nothing if you are exempt | The examination, x-rays, fluoride and sealants, all in the band | A scale and polish when it is clinically needed | Limited everywhere; ask reception what is open |
| Private, pay as you go | £45 a check-up, £75 the first time | The examination; x-rays priced as they are taken | £64 a visit, booked when you want it | Booked straight away |
| Denplan | A monthly payment that spreads your routine care over the year | As your plan sets out; reception takes you through the plans | As your plan sets out | Denplan patients are welcome |
If you are not sure which suits you, ask at your first visit; the dentist and reception will go through what your mouth needs and what each route would cost.
Who you will see
A dentist, then a hygienist.
Your examination is with one of the practice’s seven dentists, and the cleaning with one of its three hygienists, whose work is the treatment and prevention of gum disease. Abigail Attenborough spent four years in the periodontal department at Birmingham Dental Hospital before joining Widney in 2002; Paula Corke has been at Widney for twenty years and manages advanced gum disease and patients with medical conditions; Inderdip Atthi is a hygienist and therapist. Everyone who treats you is registered with the General Dental Council.
- Abigail AttenboroughDental hygienist · gum disease and preventionGDC 5889
- Paula CorkeDental hygienist · advanced gum diseaseGDC 3012
- Inderdip AtthiDental hygienist and therapistGDC 246491
- Dr Mohammed BinaminPrincipal dental surgeonGDC 71019
- Dr Sarah LynnAssociate dentist · restorative dentistryGDC 6026
What patients say
In their own words.
Efficient and caring★★★★★Really pleased with my treatment. Appointment on time & caring service.
Great service the minute you walk in★★★★★Absolutely fabulous dentists. You’re looked after from the minute you walk in.
Great support for nervous patients★★★★★I have recently completed treatment for an implant at Widney Dental Care and although nervous at first and some initial discomfort at the beginning the whole process has been managed efficiently and professionally at all times. The care and attention to detail is second to none and the support during and after the treatment is reassuring. I am delighted with my implant.
For the whole family★★★★★My family and I have been receiving treatment at Widney Dental Care for a number of years. I am grateful for the level of care I have received at this practice.
Quality care worth travelling for★★★★★I find this a first-rate practice in every respect. Efficiently run including first-class patient care and treatment. Having moved out of the area several years ago and having full confidence in my dental care and treatment I still remain a patient being more than happy to travel some distance for my dental care.
Google review★★★★★Adam takes great pride in his work, treating the fillings like a work of art.
Questions
Asked before people book.
How often should I have a check-up?
Most people come every six to twelve months, which lets the dentist catch anything in good time. NICE, which advises the NHS, sets the interval by how healthy your mouth is: from three months for someone with active problems to two years for an adult with a consistently healthy mouth. Your dentist tells you which applies to you.
How long does a check-up take?
A routine check-up takes no more than thirty minutes. Any treatment it finds is booked as a separate appointment, so the check-up itself does not run on.
How much is a check-up?
Privately, £45 for a routine examination and £75 for your first one here, with x-rays at £8.50 a small film when they are due. On the NHS, the Band 1 charge of £27.90 covers the examination, x-rays and a scale and polish if it is needed, and it is free if you are exempt.
Is a scale and polish included?
On the NHS, yes, when it is clinically needed, as part of Band 1. Privately, the hygienist visit is its own appointment at £64, and Airflow stain removal is £91.50.
Is a hygienist worth paying for?
If your gums bleed when you brush, or tartar builds up behind your lower front teeth, yes: tartar cannot be brushed away, and inflamed gums left alone are how gum disease starts. If your gums are healthy and stay clean, your dentist may tell you that you need the hygienist less often. Either way, you are told which you are.
Do I need x-rays every time?
No. X-rays are taken when they are due, which depends on how likely you are to get decay, or when something needs a closer look, such as between teeth where decay does not show. Modern digital x-rays use a very small dose.
Can I see the hygienist without seeing a dentist?
The General Dental Council has allowed patients to see a hygienist directly since 2013. Most people here see the hygienist after a check-up, so the dentist and the hygienist work from the same plan; ring reception and ask what suits you.
I have dentures. Do I still need a check-up?
Yes. Even with no natural teeth, the soft tissues of your mouth need checking, and so does the fit of your dentures, because the gums beneath them change over time.
It has been years. Will I be told off?
No. People come back after a long gap all the time, and the first visit is a look and a plan, not a lecture. If nerves are what kept you away, how the practice helps nervous patients explains the slower first visit.
Do you see children?
Yes, from their first teeth. Children’s NHS treatment is free, and fluoride and fissure sealants help protect new adult teeth. Children’s dentistry explains a first visit.
Are you taking new NHS patients?
Widney Dental treats NHS and private patients and welcomes new patients. NHS places are limited everywhere in England, so call 01564 773080 and ask reception what is available for you; private and Denplan appointments can be booked straight away.
Where are you, and when are you open?
76 Widney Road, Knowle, Solihull B93 9AW. Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 6pm, Friday 8.30am to 5pm. Call 01564 773080, or request a call-back.
Overdue? Book the thirty minutes.
A look at everything, the pictures on the screen, and a plan with the figures beside it: £45 privately, or £27.90 on the NHS.
Knowle, Solihull
B93 9AW
Friday 8.30am to 5pm