NHS Private Denplan

All the dentists at Bamford Dental Practice can offer treatment under the NHS, Privately or under Denplan.

NHS

We provide a full range of NHS treatment (except sedation and orthodontics where appropriate referrals can be made)

Under the NHS you’re entitled to have all clinically necessary treatment. This means that the NHS will provide any treatment that you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain. The NHS will not provide cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening, which you may want to make your teeth more attractive but which are not clinically necessary. However you can opt to have these treatments done privately but still remain an NHS patient. If you are receiving any private treatment you will always be provided with a written treatment plan which clearly identifies which treatment is to be provided on a private basis.

You may be surprised to learn that patients are no longer registered with an NHS dentist. This ‘registration’ was removed in the 2006 NHS dental contract change. Although many people still use the term ‘registration’, it actually no longer exists for NHS dentistry. Just because you have been offered an NHS appointment in the past it does not mean that you have guaranteed access to an NHS appointment in the future.

At Bamford Dental Practice we have a large volume of patients on our database who are seen on an NHS basis. These are patients who attend the practice regularly for routine examinations and treatment as required, although they are not registered to the practice. Patients are assessed at their examination and their recall interval is recommended for 3-, 6-, 9- or 12-months’ time, depending on their risk factors for dental problems. This means patients will be called at different intervals and it may not always be possible to book appointments with family members if your recall intervals are different.

We will send patients a dental recall reminder when they are due for their next examination. It is important that you attend for this examination even if you are not experiencing any problems. This courtesy reminder will be sent by your preferred method of communication: letter, email, or SMS. When you receive this recall, please contact the practice to book an appointment. Please remember that it is important to continue regular attendance at the practice for you and your family, it is your responsibility to contact us, you will not be reminded to contact us again. To make sure that you receive this reminder please make sure you keep us informed of any changes in personal contact details.

Due to the large volume of patients wishing to receive NHS dental treatment and our very long waiting list, we can no longer see patients for an NHS examination who have not attended for two or more years.

If you have an appointment, please make sure you don’t forget it!

Please take every step necessary to make sure that you arrive in good time. If you have to cancel, make sure you do so at least 24 hours in advance.

Please be aware that after one missed appointment or late attendance, you will be offered another appointment. If you fail to attend a second appointment, Bamford Dental Practice will ask you to find another dental practice and no more appointments will be offered.

We cannot keep NHS courses of treatment open indefinitely. If you do not book in for any recommended treatment, we will contact you once to remind you that you have outstanding treatment. If you do not contact us, then your course of treatment will be closed. This will mean that you will need to pay again for a new examination and a new course of treatment

In order to keep your NHS appointments please remember:

1. Always book your next dental examination appointment as soon as you receive your reminder.
2. Always attend any appointment booked or cancel the appointment more than 24 hours in advance.
3. Please arrive for your appointment on time
4. Don’t allow more than two years to lapse between appointments.
5. Check and update your contact details