No dentists taking new patients because of covid.

[CallmeFP]

Have a tooth or gum infection and was told by my dentist that because we ‘haven’t been in a while’ my DC and myself have been struck off the list and no new patients being seen.

Have rang around the whole borough I live in and not one dentist is accepting ‘due to covid’.

I’ve had to ring 111 and get an appointment very far away for a simple procedure. Or pay privately £120 just for the consultation for not much closer.

This is ridiculous! It makes me realise the impact on health issues not related to covid.

It sucks.
Might be able to get emergency antibiotic prescription from some kind of NHS emergency dentist; worth googling.

How frustrating. DH and I don't have a dentist and rely instead on the emergency dentist if we've got an issue. I believe there is a number you can call if you can't find a dentist, and they will look through their system to help you find one to register with. Is that what you tried already?

Our HV reminded me the other day that our 2 year old needs to get registered with a dentist and I'm not sure if it's possible at the moment. I need to do a bit of phoning around myself!

To be fair, NHS dentistry was in a dire state long before Covid.. I tried practically every local dentist pre-Covid and all had long waiting lists. I gave up at the time and thought I would try again at a later point.. Then Covid happened! In the end I decided to just join as a private patient (I thought I needed work done which is why I didn't wait any longer) who luckily also took my DC on as NHS patients. I paid £84 for the privilege of a three-minute check and two x-rays.. On the upside I (thank heavens) didn't need any work doing and at least we're now on the books..

It's shit isn't it. We were due to see our dentist in April but they were understandably closed. Our dentist (the only one at the practice who was NHS) then retired over the summer. We can't find any NHS dentists at all within about a hundred miles that are even willing to put us on a waiting list - even if we could afford cover. We can't find a private dentist that's taking any new patients at present. DH needs work at least once a year (he has really shit teeth; it seems to be genetic, he pulled a tooth out a few weeks ago as it was loose & bothering him, & another fell out a while before. He will probably need dentures in a few years). Thankfully I've never needed any fillings or any work since my wisdom teeth came out, hopefully DD will take after me. I took the precaution of buying some emergency dental filler from Boots as soon as Lockdown was announced because of this issue. It's only supposed to hold for about a month though.

I think we will just have to pay for insurance for DH, & I will go without, & register as a one-off if I ever need treatment. DD will presumably get it free until she's 18.

OP - is it possible to contact a doctor or online pharmacy or something to request a prescription for antibiotics? (It may not be, it's a very long time since I've had a dental infection & I was able to see an NHS dentist, now sadly closed).

@honeybee03 - AFAIK that was the old system where I found my previous dentist. They abolished it some time ago as I tried to used it recently to find a new NHS dentist. Now they just direct you to a list of details of dentists in your local area, it's up to you to ring round them to see if they do NHS & to see if they are taking new patients. Invariably, none are. Just warning you in case this is your usual method.

Thanks @SisyphusAndTheRockOfUntidiness. The HV actually suggested we do this and I didn't question it as I've heard of doing it that way in the past. I really hope that a dentist somewhere nearby will take DS.

Thanks all, it’s really shit especially if you’re in pain. In the end just as pp said, a doctor called and sent a prescription of antibiotics to local pharmacy.

It’s awful not to be able to join anywhere and Im so annoyed at surgery chucking me out as I hadn’t been in a while!

My dentist didn't reopen until August despite being allowed to from June. Apparently they decorated the bloody surgery! I phoned them to make an appointment when they reopened as I have a problem with a crown abs was told I have to wait for them to contact me. Needless to say I'm still waiting so I've had to register with a private dentist. I didn't ask if my one would see me privately as I wouldn't go on principle.

We have had to go private. Ds needed a filling and could not find an nhs dentist to do it. Nhs dentist care is very limited at the moment.

Covid is just this week's excuse to be honest. The vast majority of dentists were using various reasons to avoid taking on NHS patients long before Covid existed and will continue to do so for years after it is hopefully eradicated.

Being struck off as you havent been in a while is nothing new. It’s happened for years. Presumably they are referring to the last time you attended prior to COVID. I always go every six months so I don’t get struck off.

In Scotland where I am we still can’t get fillings. No aerosol work at all. No drilling, no suction, no water thingy. Only extraction or root treatment so you can’t feel the pain but then the tooth dies!

I’ve had discomfort since a filling fell out the first day of lockdown, with no end in sight I am beginning to think I will need to go private on my credit card to get it done. And now I have another one twinging too. Great.

To be honest even if you are still registered with a dentist then getting an appointment is difficult and delayed especially if you need one urgently. The child of a friend of mine needed an urgent appointment during the lockdown and was told by her dentist that there was literally nothing they could do to help and to think about done DIY dentistry if it continued. My dentist told me it would take two years to clear their backlog of work.

Dental problems caused by Covid restrictions may not be hitting the headlines but they are very real.