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Dental Services Division

Access to services 

Last refreshed: 31st March 2021

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that England will be entering a second lockdown from Thursday 5 th November 2020 until Wednesday 2 nd December 2020, we would like to reassure patients that any appointments which have been booked during this period will still be going ahead as planned. You will be contacted directly if anything does change.

For those who may be required to shield, the Government have updated their guidance to confirm that individuals can leave their home for medical appointments, including for NHS or private dental treatment, and advise that if you do need to receive care in person, you can do so due to the stringent measures the NHS have in place to keep you safe. They urge people to continue to seek support from the NHS and other health providers for any existing health conditions or any new health concerns.

As we are continuing to treat patients during this time, you do not need to cancel your appointment unless:

  • You have symptoms of coronavirus, including a new persistent cough, high temperature, loss or changes to your senses of smell and / or taste, or you live with someone who has these symptoms;
  • You or someone you live with has tested positive for Covid-19;
  • You have been told to self-isolate for example by NHS Track & Trace or your school or college


To read our most recent update and communication on how our Dental Services are being restored, please select either of the following:

  • If you are an existing patient (including student patient) who usually attends the Birmingham Dental Hospital, please click here: Letter for Hospital Patients
  • If you are a patient who usually attends one of our community clinic sites in Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell or Walsall, please click here: Letter for Community

 What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that is caused by a type of virus called coronavirus. Coronavirus can be transmitted through droplets of saliva from the mouth or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes.  It can also be caught by touching objects which have been previously contaminated with the virus.  It is therefore important we all follow the guidance to prevent the spread of the virus and in particular observe social distancing, have good cough hygiene and wash our hands thoroughly and often.

Why does COVID-19 affect your dental care with us?

We have a range of measures in place to reduce the risk of virus transmission and ensure the safety of our patients and staff. This includes for example, specialist personal protective equipment (PPE) for certain procedures and limiting the number of patients within our waiting areas. While these measures are very  important they will reduce the number of patients we are able to see each day, which means we may take longer than usual to offer you an appointment.

Our clinical teams are working hard to see our patients in order of clinical priority and appointments are being issued on this basis. This applies to any new referrals received by us and for patients who were accepted prior to 23rd March 2020 or had appointments cancelled by us during the pandemic.

Our booking team will contact you as soon as we are able to offer you an appointment. In the meantime the easiest way to contact us with any general queries is by email; bchnt.dsd.bookings@nhs.net. Alternatively you can call us on 0121 466 5555 between 08:45-16:30, Monday – Friday (excluding bank holidays). Please note telephone lines may be extremely busy.

If you no longer require an appointment with our services, please contact us so that we can remove you from our waiting list. You can do this by emailing us at bchnt.dsd.bookings@nhs.net

Birmingham School of Dentistry - Student Patients

At present, student clinics are operating at a reduced capacity, prioritising patients currently under the care of a student at Birmingham Dental Hospital. Patients have been assessed for risk and appointments are prioritised in accordance with this process, as per all dental specialities. You will be contacted as soon as the team are able to facilitate an appointment for you. Please be advised that when seen, students will need to reassess all patients due to the time elapsed since the last appointment.

It is important to note that as student appointments take place on open plan clinics, there are some restrictions in place meaning appointment times/lengths may vary and patients are encouraged to attend alone. Although management of some dental emergencies may be restricted on some open plan student clinics, patients will be given advice and support in preventing deterioration until these treatment items can be safely managed.

At present screening clinics for self-referred patients are suspended with no further patients being added.

For any general appointment queries/updates, please contact our booking team on the contact details above. If you require urgent dental care, please see your clinical options below.

Patient Information Leaflets

 

Urgent Dental Care

Our patient advice sheets below contain frequent dental issues which may help you to alleviate some issues at home:

  • If you still require assistance that is not contained in the above and are under the care of a General Dentist, we ask that you contact them regarding any immediate dental management, including clinical advice and obtaining any required medication, such as analgesics (pain-relief medication) or antibiotics.
  • If you require further urgent treatment your Dental Team may then link you to an Urgent Dental Care Centre, as determined locally.
  • If you are not under the care of a General Dentist and you are in pain/have an urgent dental need, please call NHS 111. Phone lines are 24/7, including bank holidays.

 

Out of Hours

Please be advised that from Wednesday 31st March 2021, we will not be providing an Out of Hours service. If you require emergency dental care over the weekend or national Bank Holidays, please contact NHS 111. They will be able to offer advice and direct you to the nearest emergency dentist based on your needs.

Community Dental Services

We are operating a limited service and will be contacting you to arrange future appointments. Please see attached updated telephone numbers for the clinics within our service.


Advice for Dental Practitioners/Specialist Dental Teams

Please be advised we are now accepting new routine referrals Please see our referrals page for ways to refer in to our services: https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/patients-public/dental-services/dental-referrals-for-professionals/_

Please be aware that due to reduced capacity and high demand within our services, there may be a significant delay in providing an assessment appointment to your patient. During this time we request that General Dental Practitioners continue to monitor any patients referred to us and provide ongoing advice and treatment where possible

If you are a General Dental Practitioner or Specialist Dental Team requiring information on urgent dental care support for your patients, please click here.