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Original poster

Can't find an NHS dentist!

27 replies

gionalooks · 06/04/2022 06:38

Absolutely nobody in this area or surrounding it are taking new patients.

I have wisdom teeth coming in and they're hellish.

I am suppose to get free dental care for a year as I have a maternity exemption

Does anyone know what I can do? I just feel miserable and can't eat properly at all

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 06/04/2022 06:43

Can you try getting a referral to your local dental hospital via your GP?

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/how-to-find-an-nhs-dentist/

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 06/04/2022 06:50

Did the NHS search engine really not throw up anything remotely close to you?

here

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 06/04/2022 06:53

Absolutely none near us, have just relocated 40 miles. I think there are going to be a lot of people with terrible teeth in the future!

Interested in this thread?

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Dental health
AdventuresAwait · 06/04/2022 06:58

I'm the same @gionalooks. No pain luckily but have a maternity exemption and MW said to find an NHS dentist. Lots in my area (using the search like a previous poster mentioned) but none taking NHS patients on as they have no spaces.

clarrylove · 06/04/2022 07:02

Do you have an NHS dentist in your previous location? It might be worth travelling 40 miles back there.

Original poster
gionalooks · 06/04/2022 07:04

Yep. All search results saying 'Not taking on new NHS patients'

I didn't actually have a dentist in my old location

OP posts:
Silkierabbit · 06/04/2022 07:07

None near us either, nearest we got when phoned was about an hour away and just put on a extremely long waiting list and reviews are 1 out of 5. And having cancer treatment with chemo etc which wrecks teeth. Just had to go private, not ideal but was very quick and dentist has not charged too much as he took sympathy on me - initial appointment was £50 and included x-rays and gave me advice on chemo and radio for free and was in there an hour with 2 of them. He did me a free private prescription for extra fluoride toothpaste 6 tubes though was £58 to get. Then 2 fillings were £240 but I have not been for 4 years so it was sorting out 4 years issues. Dreading the bill after chemo but yes impossible to get on NHS here. Think it only covers 50% of population now and yes there will be a lot of people with wrecked teeth and some with oral cancer due to it.

Asdf12345 · 06/04/2022 07:08

Unfortunately nhs dental work costs more to provide than the state pay now so only the incredibly charitable offer it.

Write to your MP and push for higher spending on dentistry, as things stand we effectively have a system of private and charitable care where the state subsidies the latter.

Original poster
gionalooks · 06/04/2022 07:14

It's so bad! How can this be allowed? Things like gum disease are serious

What am I actually suppose to do though? These wisdom teeth are starting to push on my other molars, they keep catching and their extremely painful. I've lost so much weight in the last couple of weeks

I can't afford to go private right now Sad

OP posts:
TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 06/04/2022 07:18

@gionalooks

Yep. All search results saying 'Not taking on new NHS patients'

I didn't actually have a dentist in my old location

You may have to go private then. We’re really careful to keep up with our regular check-ups even if we don’t have any problems because otherwise we will get booted off our dentist’s NHS books - they’re very clear about that. It’s not like the GP where you can just access in time of need. We’re even advising DS to keep booking his appointments here when he goes off to uni because NHS dentists accepting new patients are so rare now.
nearlyspringyay · 06/04/2022 07:24

I haven't been able to find and nhs dentist since I came back from uni. I'm 45!!

Silkierabbit · 06/04/2022 07:24

I did use this site which gives some idea though there is literally nothing in our area, it does give ones like 1 to 1.5 hours away with more availability for us, maybe if you can't go private but can travel would be worth phoning. But the kids and DH have kept NHS and the waits are horrendous and the service very basic compared to private.

dentalchoices.org/find-nhs-dentist/

There is also a NHS phoneline as well where they can give you the equivalent of this but uptodate but one they gave us was useless, just put on a massive list in October and April now and not heard. Its appalling but the way it is. If you do get an NHS dentist may sure you always get another appointment, ours has a year between appointments now and you get kicked off if miss for 18 months/ 2 years even if they cancel not you.

WalkingOnSonshine · 06/04/2022 07:32

There’s not an NHS dentist taking on patients in my county or the neighbouring one. It’s been highlighted to MPs, with just a cursory “oh we’ll look into it”.

I didn’t see a dentist for the entirety of my maternity exemption, and have now had to pay for private dental care.

Lulu1919 · 06/04/2022 07:35

No NHS dentists taking new clients in my whole county !!!!!!!!
Can't afford private
What is going on ???

RaininSummer · 06/04/2022 07:43

Been on the list about 4 years now. NHS dentistry seems quite mythical these days.

MagneticRubberDucks · 06/04/2022 07:43

The average wait time to get onto the books of an nhs dentist in my area (north east) is 5 years.

The dentist we were with closed the nhs part and became fully private in 2020 after the lockdowns.

The nhs website is not accurate.
I called the 14 or so dentists in the county who it said were taking on patients, none were.
I ended up calling every one of the 163 dental practices within a huge radius, a couple were taking children but not adults. I just asked to go in waiting lists and had no choice but to go private for the time being.

If it’s that bad call 111 and you will be given an appointment with an emergency dentist, they only do emergency care though.

MagneticRubberDucks · 06/04/2022 07:51

@Lulu1919

No NHS dentists taking new clients in my whole county !!!!!!!! Can't afford private What is going on ???
Basically, routine dentistry on the nhs is being phased out.

Nhs owned dental practices are actually super rare, they have always been privately owned businesses who contract to the nhs.
The nhs pays dentists a small budget every year to cover all nhs treatment and it’s doesn’t go very far, and has been cut repeatedly.

You can get nhs emergency treatment but like the gp they would prefer you to only want to see them if there is something wrong.

DogandMog · 06/04/2022 07:55

It’s across the whole profession, not just NHS. My private dentist practice had to close down due to the acute recruitment crisis, they couldn’t get anyone at all in to fill their vacancy.

becausemymumsaidso · 06/04/2022 09:29

111 do not have access to dentists- false information!! We have asked for this information to be removed from websites etc, even dentists know we can't do anything yet still advise people to call us :(
Dental services are terrible, have deteriorated since covid but 111 can only advise and then we use the nhs.uk website to supply numbers of local dentists to try ringing. we refer the majority of patients to a&e or walk in centre for emergency antibiotics but ultimately if you need dental care it has to be a dentist. Technically we can prescribe antibiotics if an abcess is obvious but we wont, because if we do it for one the workload will be massive and we are already struggling and trying to cover the lack of care from patients own G.P's.I work in the East of England and all our patients are unable to get private appointments now too so a lot are going to Bulgaria etc for cheaper treatment!! It's a national crisis but no one is doing anything about it :(

SniggleSnarf · 06/04/2022 09:32

I'm the same!

Had a really bad problem with my wisdom tooth. There is a special number you can ring and they're supposed to find you a dentist. But everytime I called they said there were none available.

What helped for me was finding a dentist that took emergency patients. Got seen the next day and they arranged for me to see a dental surgeon the following week. I had just had my second DC and couldn't think with the pain of the tooth.

Still no luck finding an NHS dentist.

BooksAndHooks · 06/04/2022 09:34

We are very fortunate that all the local dentists are taking on nhs. The chain dentists such as my dentist all seem to be advertising.

Wisdom teeth are often dealt with at hospital which isn’t charged as they have to do scans etc to check where the nerves underneath the teeth are before taking them out. You might be able to get an initial private appointment and referral to hospital.

YerAWizardHarry · 06/04/2022 09:36

@becausemymumsaidso they certainly do where I am and even have a separate option to press for dental advice. I used to work for the out of hours/emergency dental service they’d send patients when I was a dental nurse

LetsGoCrazyPurpleBanana · 06/04/2022 10:10

Had a lovely dentist in London. Relocated to Staffs 3 years ago and not an NHS dentist anywhere. Stupidly thought we'd have no problem as it's not London. Gone private.

spudjulia · 06/04/2022 11:10

I'm fortunate enough to have an NHS dentist, but did the search thing and was recommended one 55 miles away!

The check up appointments at my dentist have been changed from every 6 months to every 9 months for me and my kids, to try to take on more patients. 9 months seems quite a long time between checkups for kids.

No doubt NHS dentistry is in crisis. The link in a PP also suggests what we can do if we are unhappy with this situation: write to your MP and NHS England. dentalchoices.org/cannot-register-with-nhs-dentist/

tintodeverano2 · 06/04/2022 11:10

@gionalooks

It's so bad! How can this be allowed? Things like gum disease are serious

What am I actually suppose to do though? These wisdom teeth are starting to push on my other molars, they keep catching and their extremely painful. I've lost so much weight in the last couple of weeks

I can't afford to go private right now Sad

I've been on the NHS waiting list to have mine removed via a referral from a private dentist. Was referred in 2019, only just got my appointment through.

If you need them removed sooner than the NHS, then you will have to go private.