A WELLINGTON woman is complaining

about the cost of seeing a

dentist - and the fact that you have

to pay ‘up front’.

Kim Thorne, who lives in Mantle

Street, told the WWN: “I rang the

Station Road dentist practice to cancel

my appointment for next week

and re-book another one.

“I was offered an appointment

in May, so I took it. I was then told I

would need to pay up front the £39

- that’s just for a check up. When I

asked why, I was told that this is now

the policy for all private dentists. As

I had no choice I had to pay.

“I have now paid for a service that

I won’t be using for another month!

This is absolutely disgraceful.

“I spoke to one lady after she

recently visited a dentist. She said

that she’s never had a credit card

in her life, but she’s had to get one

because she needs treatment and

couldn’t afford the private prices.

“This isn’t just adults that’s affected

but children too. It’s bad enough

for one member of the family but

when you’ve got children, how an

earth are parents expected to be

able to afford it? Especially with the

cost of living rising rapidly.

“I did email Rebecca Pow originally

about this and she replied that she

was aware of the situation and that

meetings were ongoing in Parliament.”