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Community Dental service

Kate Kestrel

Hello - can I ask if anyone on here has used the Community Dental Service? 
My young adult son hasn’t been to the dentist since the Pandemic started in 2020 - firstly due to the pandemic and then because he was so anxious about going after such a long time of not going. He has recently got toothache and after some persuasion he allowed me to phone to make an appointment - and the receptionist told me my son hasn’t been de-registered as he didn’t come in for such a long time. Apparently they are allowed to do this. The dentist tells me they contacted us to warn us but I don’t remember ever receiving a letter about this. Anyway - I think I just have to accept it ultimately as there’s nothing I can do it seems.

i can’t find an nhs dentist that will accept new patients for my son in our area. So I’ve had to book a private appointment as what other choice do we have? It’s scarily expensive - we can maybe stretch to paying for one filling - but if he needs several what on earth can we do? I phoned nhs England and they mentioned the Community Dental Service - but when I phoned them they said I’d need a referral - and they gave me the impression it was unlikely I’d get one for my son. They said they have long waiting lists.

i don’t really understand it. I don’t know what to do. My son hasn’t a terrible diet as he has very restricted tastes and loves sweet food and smoothies - all the things that are terrible for his teeth, and he hates cleaning his teeth and will only do them at night - so only once a day, and we need to help him or he wouldn’t do them at all. So I’m guessing that tooth problems are going to be a lifelong issue for him possibly. 

Does anyone have any advice to offer? I feel very worried about the whole thing - and I wondered if the Community Dental Service is something other autistic people use? And how they’ve found it, and how they got a referral? 
Help! 

Parents

  • There's the Find an NHS Dentist page, which lists the available NHS Dentists in order according to your postcode.   You've probably seen it.

    However the records aren't always up to date, and some say they'll admit patients 'when space allows' or similar, which isn't helpful.


    Yes, they can de-register after just one missed appointment.  Such is the demand these days.

Reply

  • There's the Find an NHS Dentist page, which lists the available NHS Dentists in order according to your postcode.   You've probably seen it.

    However the records aren't always up to date, and some say they'll admit patients 'when space allows' or similar, which isn't helpful.


    Yes, they can de-register after just one missed appointment.  Such is the demand these days.

Children
  • in reply to overwhelmed & underwhelmed ( O & U )

    Yes - I rang some of the few that it said were accepting nhs patients and it turned out that they didn’t anymore. It’s mad isn’t it? Not impressed at all with this country right now - so many basic services that we really rely on are a total shambles.