Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

how far do you travel to take your kids to the dentist??

25 replies

MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 07:58

myself and my 2 kids have used the dentist 10 minutes walk from our house for the last 10 years. my youngest missed 2 appointments due to illness so notice given to cancel was less than 24 hours. they have deregistered her.

according to the 'find a dentist' website, the closest one accepting new NHS patients is 40 miles away.

OP posts:
ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 08:01

7 miles.

DustyLee123 · 10/09/2023 08:02

16 miles

CornishGem1975 · 10/09/2023 08:02

2 miles.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Dental health
eyeoresancerre · 10/09/2023 08:03

Ours is 1hour 40 by car. It's NHS and I can't sign on to one closer. It's a hassle to go every 6 months but we make a day trip and visit the shopping centre nearby and have lunch out. Can't imagine trying to get there via bus or train - we'd never manage it. So sorry you've been deregistered. I feel like you should be given another chance as these things happen.

fairyfluf · 10/09/2023 08:03

15 minutes.

We got lucky - they took us both on as private patients so took LO on NHS

Original poster
MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 08:04

ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 08:01

7 miles.

even that seems far! I suppose it depends on whether you live in a city/town/village etc as well. I live in a city, there are 5 dentists within walking distance of our house

OP posts:
EsmeeMerlin · 10/09/2023 08:04

32.7 miles according to Google. We moved nearly 2 years ago and cannot get a dentist in our new area for love or money so we travel to our old area where we are still registered. Luckily we have so far only needed routine check ups which I book for us all together and we try and make a day out of it, we still have family there so it's not too bad.

ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 08:04

my youngest missed 2 appointments due to illness so notice given to cancel was less than 24 hours. they have deregistered her.
2 in a row? She was too ill for the dentist both times? Was it serious enough you had a dr visit so could provide evidence and challenge it? Or find another way to challenge it? Accepting the rest of the family and not one small child due to illness is ridiculous. Email the practice manager.

the situation with dentists in this country is a joke.

Girasoli · 10/09/2023 08:05

We live in a city, it's about 20mins on the bus or 40mins walk.

ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 08:06

MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 08:04

even that seems far! I suppose it depends on whether you live in a city/town/village etc as well. I live in a city, there are 5 dentists within walking distance of our house

Show quote history

We moved and cannot find one closer. Before having my daughter i had a private dentist but they didnt take on children.

Original poster
MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 08:06

ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 08:04

my youngest missed 2 appointments due to illness so notice given to cancel was less than 24 hours. they have deregistered her.
2 in a row? She was too ill for the dentist both times? Was it serious enough you had a dr visit so could provide evidence and challenge it? Or find another way to challenge it? Accepting the rest of the family and not one small child due to illness is ridiculous. Email the practice manager.

the situation with dentists in this country is a joke.

she missed the first one due to V&D so rearranged for couple of weeks later. then she got COVID! just bad luck, no doctors visits

OP posts:
Original poster
MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 08:10

ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 08:04

my youngest missed 2 appointments due to illness so notice given to cancel was less than 24 hours. they have deregistered her.
2 in a row? She was too ill for the dentist both times? Was it serious enough you had a dr visit so could provide evidence and challenge it? Or find another way to challenge it? Accepting the rest of the family and not one small child due to illness is ridiculous. Email the practice manager.

the situation with dentists in this country is a joke.

I hadn't thought about contacting management. I think I will try this. I'm disabled and also help care for my mum who has dementia. and I work full time. I would have to take a while morning off work to take DD to the dentist. I'm exhausted

OP posts:
ICanBuyMyOwnBooks · 10/09/2023 08:10

15 miles.
Our previous dentist deregistered DC because of illness too. Then we found our DCs' current dentist.
We've since moved but the local dentists won't take DC.

NewmummyJ · 10/09/2023 08:12

0.7mile- took a monthly phone call for a few months until they reopened their books but got their eventually!

PolliFlinders · 10/09/2023 08:21

160 mile round trip

Busyhedgehog · 10/09/2023 08:22

600m. Ours are down the road from us. We just registered when we moved here a few years ago. It's not an issue getting registered and I can get appointments really quickly. (DS needed one because his tooth hurt on Friday and they squeezed us in 30 minutes after I called.)
We aren't in the UK anymore, though.

The one we had in England was about 10 minutes by car. We lived in a small village and had to drive into town.

Original poster
MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 08:25

PolliFlinders · 10/09/2023 08:21

160 mile round trip

😯😯😯

OP posts:
TheFluffiestCat · 10/09/2023 09:13

10 miles. I registered with the one near work years ago and was able to add DD when she was little. Work has moved premises now but the dentist is lovely and there isn't another one taking NHS patients in the whole county so we'll count our blessings and stick with it.

ConnieTucker · 10/09/2023 18:25

MentholLoad · 10/09/2023 08:06

she missed the first one due to V&D so rearranged for couple of weeks later. then she got COVID! just bad luck, no doctors visits

Show quote history

Did you register the covid positive on the app? As that would be evidence you were following their procedures of covid symptoms = stay away.

APurpleSquirrel · 10/09/2023 18:38

14 miles but takes 45mins as it's mostly windy country lanes. Our local dentist dropped all the NHS patients & we were lucky to find another who'd take us but the downside is the distance.

Imamumgetmeoutofhere · 10/09/2023 18:46

1.6 miles from our house. Have been registered there since I was 16 so been there 20 years now. Make sure we go every 6 months so we aren't kicked off their books

girlygirly · 10/09/2023 18:47

Me and DH - 7 miles. Youngest (adult) son - 70 miles. Yep. And, even more bizarrely, the dentist lives in our home town and commutes daily.

You cannot make this shit up can you?

Zingy123 · 10/09/2023 18:48

10 minutes drive away.

My DC2 has to see an orthodontist which is 30 miles away. It's every 6 weeks and takes half a day each time.

richteaftw · 10/09/2023 18:49

Next village. 5 mins in the car. We could walk but it's down some very busy lanes and would take around half an hour

Mammillaria · 10/09/2023 18:53

10 miles (each way) to the nearest private practice that was accepting patients.

Previous NHS dentist was 11 miles away. Our temporary registration expired and they were not able to extend it any further. They didn't even have room on their waiting list for private patients.

NHS dentist before that was just 3 miles away, but closed suddenly and without warning.

DS is currently 1 year into a wait to see a private orthodontist. He's expecting to wait up to another year before he gets seen.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page