They are money grabbing con-artists who don't give a damn if you're teeth are about to fall out unless you can pay them an arm or a leg and then, in my own experiences, they ruin them for life.
And this has just given me more reasons to despise the profession
The idea behind this scheme is obviously to further denormalise and humiliate smokers into quitting when we know all these conditions put down to just smokers affect people whether they smoke or not. Most of these conditions, such as "stained teeth" and "halitosis" and "hairy tongue" are usually the result of smokers and non-smokers not brushing their teeth.
Staining can also be caused by other things such as drinking a lot of red wine and gum disease is hereditary. Our dictatorial masters in the last Govt paid millions, you may recall, for an ad campaign warning drinkers that they are an exaggerated amount of times more likely to get oral cancer if they have more units of alcohol than nanny advises.
Back in the good old days when dentistry was free on the NHS, and dentists got loads of dosh from the state, they were calling us in for check ups every six months. I never had a problem with my teeth but every six months they would fill one - or two or even three.
When the old fillings I had from my youth began to wear in the 80s the dentist started filling them with gold.
"I can't possibly afford that," I said at the time the then dentist suggested it.
"Don't worry. The NHS will pay," he said and he didn't care as long as the cash rolled in.
Low and behold, after all my teeth were filled - with mercury I might add - they then wanted to start pulling them. This was a step too far. I changed my dentist, got a second opinion and was told my teeth were fine. I've still got 'em all.
Then NuLab came in and priced the poor out of dentistry in the same way they priced them out of Higher Education. The truth is, I can no longer afford to go to the dentist and neither can many people I know who have been so desperate for dental care they have resorted to such things as bleaching their teeth to remove stains, using superglue to stick loose crowns back in, and even pulling their teeth themselves.
My family - except me and a non-smoking sister - all lost their teeth because they all succumbed to inherited gum disease which has passed down to one of my non-smoking daughters who has to pay £1000 every three months for treatment for the rest of her life.
I have a troublesome front tooth which needed a crown after I got smacked in the mouth once and it needs attention but I know it won't get it until dentistry becomes affordable again and, I should add, smokers are treated equally. Being a smoker means I would rather die than access any healthcare. If I get ill, I will die because I will not seek help from a health service that despises me. Rest assured, antis, this smoker will not spend even £1 at your mealy mouthed expense to seek medical treatment for any serious illness - even if I have paid all of my life for the privilege.
Schemes such as those offered in Kent won't help anything but to incite more disgust at smokers. It should be illegal and dentists should be the ones who are criminalised and humiliated by the state.