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NHS dentists

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Health & Wellbeing
I need to register with a dentist as ive recently moved. Im on jobseekers allowance and so get free nhs treatment.

However, ive just done a search on the NHS website for a dentist, and theres none accepting new patients in my city!

Just wondering, what exactly am i supposed to do? I have a hole in one of my teeth where a filling recently fell out and i need treatment, yet cant register....

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Are there any in the vacinity? You could travel...

    Have you rung the local PCTs?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I assume you were with a dentist before you moved, i'd suggest contacting them and telling them you need to be transfered to one closer to where you live. I bet if anyone can help you, they will be able to.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote:
    I assume you were with a dentist before you moved, i'd suggest contacting them and telling them you need to be transfered to one closer to where you live. I bet if anyone can help you, they will be able to.

    Aha! is that possible then, to be transferred?

    Im not sure if im registered any more...i havent needed to go there for a few years and apparantly at this dentist you get deleted from his records if you dont go for a certain amount of time or something silly like that.

    MOK- i did a search for dentists in lincoln. I cant afford to travel far...but thats a different story. Whats a PCT?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Blah wrote:
    Aha! is that possible then, to be transferred?

    It's irrelevant now, unless you want private care. In your shoes I doubt that's likely.

    Since the new dentist contract came in, you don't actually have to register with a single dentist. You can now pick and choose depending on when you need one.
    Whats a PCT?

    Primary Care Trust. They are the body who run the dental contracts and will know who is offering a service in your general area.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So i can just go to the nearest nhs dentist and request treatment?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not in all cases, which is why I suggest that you contact your local PCT.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Man Of Kent wrote:
    Not in all cases, which is why I suggest that you contact your local PCT.

    Ah ok then. I shall do that

    thanks for your help!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree to try to get hold of the PCT. I havent had this issue with dentists but I once had the same thing when no GPs in my area would register me. I rang the PCT and told them and they looked it up and saw which ones really were full and which ones were just saying so, then allocated me to one that had space. Different PCT's in different areas might do other things but its worth a try.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i have another query about dentists acually.

    How do you know which ones are any good?

    Ive had quite a few dentists in my time, and alot of them have been really, really bad. For example, my most recent dentist did an xray on me when i went to see him because i was having extreme pain in one of my front teeth. He told me that its because i am cleaning my teeth too hard....bullshit because i have always cleaned my teeth like that, and i dont press hard anyway and they never bleed, and i never have this pain normally. So anyway, i knew he must have missed something, went and got a second opinion and they found a nerve dying in my tooth and an abcess growing in there too, nice. If i hadnt got that second opinion who knows how bad it would have got

    So the moral of that story is there are shit dentists out there, and i dont want them fucking up my teeth.

    I guess its just a case of trial and error...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can check that they are accreddited but beyond that there's not much you can do other than go on word of mouth. On things like nerve damage though its very subtle so it may not have appeared to the first one.

    Ring NHS direct, your local PCT or ask at your doctor for who to get in touch with locally. If your not getting much luck, ring up your PCT and give them hell til they find you one. The new contract has royally screwed with the provision of NHS dentistry in some areas as it treats them so badly.
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