John Launer: The dilemma of private care

Like many people, I can no longer find effective dental treatment locally on the NHS. Against my personal preference and political views, I’ve been to a private dentist for some years now. He’s a decent man, charges relatively modest prices, and is conservative (in the best sense) in his interventions. We banter nicely about my need for elephantine quantities of local analgesia, as well as other matters. Recently, I developed some root canal issues. Having done x rays, my dentist sent me for a CT scan costing over £200. I bit the bullet, if you’ll excuse the pun. …