Suffolk dentists could charge up to £40 more to cover rising PPE costs
Dentists in Suffolk are adding up to £40 to the cost of dental treatment to cover rising PPE expenses.
Under new guidelines, dental teams are required to use additional PPE for procedures, which generate and spread droplets. The cost of PPE has soared in the last five months, with practices now facing much higher running costs. To cover the cost of buying extra PPE, some practice owners have introduced surcharges on services that require more robust equipment.
Bupa Dental has confirmed that charges will increase by up to £40 for procedures that generate aerosols, known as AGPs, while mydentist has introduced a £35 surcharge for AGPs and a £7 fee for standard services.
In a statement on the Bupa website, the management explained that it wasn’t possible for the company to support the spiralling costs of PPE and keep treatment prices at the same level. Bupa Dental is currently spending 100 times as much on PPE as this time last year, and this is an issue facing all dental practices. The £40 charge will be a temporary measure and it will be kept under review in line with national policies and guidelines. Bupa is charging £7 for routine services, which carry a lower risk.
Prices will also rise at Abbey Dental Practice, which has surgeries in Woolpit and Bury St Edmunds. On the practice website, details of new charges have been published, including a £22 fee for procedures that require the use of a drill and a £6 charge for routine treatments.
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