That's odd, jodri. Maybe the SNP have been working on a secret cure, that sucks the virus out of people, so is even better than the vaccines. Actually, no, I remember seeing something about some of the lateral flow tests being added to the totals when they shouldn't have been.. So it's probably them being removed from the data. (they have quite high false positives, apparently, which is why you have to do 2 of them).
Agree on the dentists. I understand that a lot of what they do is quite risky, and that they can't fit as many patients in because of extra cleaning between appointments and so on. But that's just a fault of the NHS conveyor belt system, surely, if its fine to get things done privately. It can be done, albeit slower, and so less profitably with the fixed cost per patient, though private patients cover that cost. If the NHS topped up dental prices until the vaccines etc kick in, that would cover the increased cost and let at least some routine/ preventative care be carried out (on children, for example) . OK, there's an enormous backlog, but at the moment it seems like they aren't even trying to clear the backlog until it becomes truly critical, because they are working at a loss to do so, which is shameful and negligent (on behalf of the NHS... you can't blame the dentists for not working at a loss!), frankly. But you're right. Teeth aren't sexy or vote winners. No one needs teeth... 
(hope you can get seen soon RJnomore... tooth problems are the pits)
I'm actually feeling quite positive this morning with the vaccine approval and a nice sunny day and whatnot. See how long that lasts.. (When are they thinking of announcing anything about the schools? It would be really nice to know soon. I know the SNP thinks 3 weeks til the end of term is an eternity, but for parents, not so much...)