Dentists
Advice by the NHS on finding a dentist is given here. You can also contact NHS England on 0300 311 22 3 or email england.contactus@nhs.net
NHS dentists are in short supply nationally and the same is true in our area.
However access to a dentist is the same for all UK residents including refugees.
Dental care information in Ukrainian
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry have translated some of their documents in to Ukrainian explaining the process of dental care in the UK.
https://www.bspd.co.uk/Patients/PatientInfo
Find a dentist
You can search for NHS dentists closest to your home here.
Here are the dentists in our area with a search centred on Shaftesbury High Street . You will see that some are accepting NHS patients but many are not. This can change over time so its worth checking regularly.
Being accepted as an NHS patient
Finding a dentist is the first step. Many dentists will have a limit to the numbers of NHS patients they will take. Some will put you on a waiting list but for others locally you may be asked to ring regularly to check availability.
You can only apply directly to each dentist. You can try any dentist, they are not limited to patients in an area.
Dentists will be more likely to accept patients under 3 or under 18 than adults. Some dentists will only accept patients who have been referred. A referral could be made via the NHS but do not contact a GP use the NHS 111 service.
Private dentistry
Dentists will provide treatment as part of a subscription plan or dental insurance such as Denplan or BUPA. The monthly rates will depend upon an initial dental health assessment and so can vary greatly from patient to patient. They are not cheap but if your dental health is very good they are worth considering even if your income is low.
Emergency dentistry
NHS dentists can provide emergency care but may be difficult to find. Maximum emergency fee should be £25.
Most private dentists are likely to provide emergency dental services. You will need to ring around to find one with an available emergency appointment. These can be about £60 for an assessment appointment before a treatment plan is agreed with you.
A Google search for dentists near me is a starting point.
For emergency treatments further afield you can also try Salisbury and Yeovil where there is a greater density of dentists and a greater likelihood of appointments.
The NHS service does not recommend attending A&E for dental emergencies unless there are serious circumstances, such as:
severe pain
heavy bleeding
injuries to the face, mouth, or teeth
If in doubt contact the NHS 111 service.
