nhs dentists sos

[sas200]

I cant find a nhs dentist within a 12 radius of gloucester ,please can anyone help . thanks

[Ethel]

Put your postcode in the box:

http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/Ser viceSearch.aspx

[MrXLA]

Contact your PCT

[bednobs]

seriously, do as mr xla says and ring the PALS service at your local PCT (office hours) who will be able to tell you the nearest one

[bednobs]

unfortunately if you use nhs choices, they will give you dentists that perform any nhs services - not necassarily those who are taking on new nhs patients

[terambulan]

Ask your GP. Most hospitals do some dentistry (if ur fearful and need to be anesthetic).

[MrXLA]

terambulan you cannot be blamed for your ignorance so this reply is not meant to offend you.
However sas200 do NOT ask your GP, the provision of NHS dental services has nothing to do with them, most of them will not understand the ridiculous manner in which these services are commisioned (now will they care!!) or how to access them. GPs are VERY, VERY, VERY busy without having the added burden of something as trivial as this.
The PCT is resposible for commisioning NHS dental servbices and they are the point of contact.
***NB - most hospitals DO NOT provide dental services (certainly not primary care general dental services, which are not surprisingly provided in 'primary care' i.e. NOT in hospitals).
Some hospitals have oral and maxillofacial surgery units and some have orthodontic units,neither of these departments provide routine restorative dentistry and the former (Maxillofacial) are NOT dentists!!!!

[MrXLA]

NB - in my respose above where is reads 'now will they care!!!' it should read 'nor will they care!!!

[masma]

We've moved to Gloucester and my husband has been looking for an NHS dentist - the one he found asked him if he was on benifit or from overseas when he said no to both questions they told him they couldn't take on anymore patients at this time. He then went privately and it cost him �200 for a check up and one filling. He's 65 and retired but not claiming benifits - makes you think....

[bednobs]

what does it make you think?

[masma]

It makes me think that after a lifetime of paying for NHS we're denied it in favour of people who haven't paid a penny.

[terambulan]

My local hospital pulled out a loose tooth I had suffered for a month and which my dentist couldn't deal with for a further fortnight.

When I said your GP, his receptionist will recommend a dentist or look in the Yellow pages.

For sas200 I did say if she was 'fearful' and needed 'anesthetic' (good ploy to use the hospital) though, there is a waiting list.

[MrXLA]

terambulan I cannot believe that you are a proponent of wasting NHS resources.
Oral Surgeons and/or Oral & Maxillofacial surgeons working in hospitals have a large remit of care, however a significant proportion of their work currently involves dentoalveolar work which for instance could be 'wisdom tooth removal' or difficult surgical extractions.
The cost of performing a routine 'dental' extraction that could otherwise be provided in primary care costs approximately ten times the amount that it would in practice.
Therefore the service should not be abused!!!!
- GPs and or dentists can refer to maxillofacial units for a number of reasons including:
- suspected head & neck malignancy
- trauma to the head & neck
- orthognathic surgery
- cleft, lip and palate
- facial pain
and yes:
- dentoalvealor pathology/surgical treatment including tooth removal (where surgicaly difficult or medically indicated)
A GP may send a patient complaining of dental pathology to such a unit that could be treated in practice (but only because they have nowhere else to refer to!!!!!)