NHS dental services

Most people think they should go to the dentist every six months. This used to be the advice but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published new guidelines. NICE found that people need to see the dentist more or less frequently, depending on how healthy their mouth, teeth and gums are.

Your dentist will decide how often they need to see you based on the condition of your mouth, teeth and gums. If you have no current problems, your dentist might not need to see you for up to two years. The same applies for children, although they should be seen at least once a year.

Dentists no longer need to register patients but this does not prevent them from keeping lists of regular patients for providing ongoing treatment and care.

Registration was introduced in 1990 as a way of measuring how much dentists should be paid for providing NHS dental services. This system is no longer relevant.

Under the old system, dentists received a payment for the number of patients registered with the practice. They were also responsible for providing out-of-hours care for patients registered with the practice.

No. Dentists cannot make access to NHS dental services dependent on any agreement for private treatment. There is a small number of practices who have a contract to provide NHS services for children only, in which case, they cannot offer NHS treatment to adults.

If your dental practice makes it a requirement that you see them privately in order that your children are seen on the NHS, you should inform your local primary care trust.

You have a right to say which dentist at your practice you see. However, while the practice will do its best to accommodate your wishes, this may not always be possible.

You may also notice that the frequency of your appointments changes. This is because of guidelines introduced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). These guidelines recommend that patients visit the dentist at intervals that reflect their oral health needs and not at fixed times. So people with higher treatment needs may need to attend more frequently than before. People with good oral health will probably only need to attend once every 12 to 24 months.

Most dentists who worked for the NHS prior to April 1 2006 are continuing to provide NHS dental services. However, since April 2006 a small number of them have decided either to change the amount of NHS dentistry they provide, or to stop providing NHS dentistry altogether.

Where this is the case, the money to provide these services now remains with your PCT to reinvest in local NHS dentistry services. Over time this will ensure that the people in your area receive the services they need. This is because your PCT now has money that must be spent on dental services. The PCT can now agree contracts with NHS dentists to provide the services local people need and influence where new practices are established.

Updated information on the NHS dental services available in your area can be found on this site. You can also contact your PCT or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. (Please note that whether your dentist is able to offer appointments may vary according to local arrangements. If you cannot find a dentist using the information on this site, contact your PCT directly). 

No. If your dentist thinks your teeth need scaling and polishing then it should form part of your treatment plan and you should pay a band 1 charge (unless you are having other treatment that is in a higher charge band). It does not matter whether it is the dentist or the hygienist that actually does the scale and polish – it is still part of your NHS treatment and included in the overall cost of your treatment.

Orthodontic treatment is only available free of charge on the NHS for young people under 18 years of age and who have a clear clinical need for treatment.

A rating system, known as the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN), is used to assess the need and eligibility of individual cases. The IOTN is made up of five grades, which are listed below.

• grade 1: almost perfect teeth
• grade 2: minor irregularities with the teeth, such as slightly protruding upper front teeth
• grade 3: greater irregularities with the teeth do not require treatment for health reasons, for example, upper front teeth that protrude 4mm (0.15 inches) or less
• grade 4: a severe degree of irregularity with the teeth that requires treatment for health reasons, for example, upper front teeth that protrude more than 6mm (0.25 inches)
• grade 5: severe dental health problems, for example, upper front teeth that protrude more than 9mm (0.35 inches)

NHS treatment is available for grade 4 or 5 cases. Grade 3 cases are usually judged on a case-by-case basis, and treatment may be made available if the appearance of the teeth is particularly unattractive.

• Find out more about orthodontics

Contact your primary care trust (PCT), which will have a panel of experts who can look at your child’s case to see if he or she meets the treatment criteria. Your PCT can provide you with more details on the process of appealing.

• Find contact details of your local PCT here

If you are not a UK resident but you experience a dental emergency while in the UK, you can have urgent treatment on the NHS. Urgent treatment involves ensuring you are not in pain, stopping any bleeding and any temporary work to repair the problem. For non-urgent dental treatment, you will normally be required to be registered with a GP or be able to demonstrate that you are a UK resident.