We are open

In the first national lockdown, we were closed (or as good as) for around 12 weeks. However, during this second national lockdown, we remain open.

We are safe

Dentists and our teams have trained in oral health care but also infection prevention and control too. We are well-versed in providing safe care and having practised cross-infection control for many years, using personal protective equipment.

The experience of coming to see us might be different now, but we remain a safe place to be.

Patients might need to be patient.

We are still trying to catch up from when we were closed during the first national lockdown and for NHS care in particular, we have an extensive backlog.

Our priorities are:

  • Patients needing urgent care
  • Patients at higher risk of oral disease and
  • Patients with outstanding treatment needs.

The reason for the long waits is not just because of the backlog, but also because there is a lot more disinfection of surgeries required after each treatment.

Attending The Practice

NHS and private care

Some patients might find that a treatment is available quicker privately than it is on the NHS. As with medical care, this is often because the queue for NHS treatment is longer. It may simply be that there are many more people looking for NHS appointments than private appointments. We provide a mix of NHS and private care. But we have a limit to the amount of NHS care we are able to provide.

Calling the practice

Please make sure you keep your appointment if you have one; it’s going to be safe and it’s important we don’t waste limited resources. If you can’t make an appointment, we may be able to offer it to someone else who really needs it.

If you’re looking for care, you may receive initial remote advice via the phone or video call. This may lead to advice being given or the arrangement of an appointment if the dentist deems it necessary. Some routine care like a check-up will be delayed, potentially until next year unfortunately.

Please be assured that dentists are working within the current guidelines issued by governments and are doing their best to help patients wherever possible.

Receptionists are also doing their best to ensure that priority cases are treated as soon as possible. Please treat all the staff with respect. We know it can be stressful, but they are doing their best to help.

How you can help:

  • Please do not arrive without an appointment
  • Please ensure you complete the pre-screening questionnaire before attending this will be sent via email or text.
  • With the exception of children and persons in need, patients should come alone
  • Patients should attend wearing a mask if possible or be prepared to wear one. A distance of at least two metres must be observed if another patient is present in the dental practice
  • Please do not arrive early to the practice. If necessary, you should wait outside the practice
  • Staff will not shake your hand
  • If you show symptoms following appointment booking, you should contact NHS Test and Trace
  • If asked to send in photographs of your children’s teeth, first watch this helpful video on how to photograph children’s teeth

It is likely to be some time before dental services can return to what you previously experienced as normal.