Are Dentists Open Now – And When Will Appointments Return To Normal?
Every Monday we’ll answer your questions on Covid-19 and health in a feature published online. You can submit a question here.
This week, HuffPost UK reader Chris asked: “When do we expect dentists to resume routine procedures, such as fillings?”
Depending on where you live and the state of your finances, getting a dentist’s appointment during the pandemic has been either near-impossible or relatively fuss-free.
When lockdown was first announced, dental practices across the UK remained closed until June. Anyone needing emergency help was told to phone their dentist, with a view to being referred for urgent treatment in hospital. But capacity was limited and some ended up carrying out DIY dentistry at home.
Since June, dental practices have been steadily reopening across the UK, but most have been working on an emergency basis trying to deal with a backlog of patients needing urgent work – so routine appointments are getting pushed back. The main problem with delaying such appointments is that they act as a preventative measure, so people don’t experience hefty dental issues later down the line, which often require drastic (and expensive) procedures.
Routine appointments are also an opportunity for dentists to keep an eye out for other issues like gum disease and oral cancer – and the earlier patients are treated for an issue, the better the prognosis.
Eddie Crouch is chair of the British Dental Association and works at two practices in south Birmingham, offering both NHS and private appointments. He tells HuffPost UK he can’t provide a date for when routine NHS dental appointments will resume across the board. Reports suggest it might not be until 2021.
When will routine appointments resume?
The NHS England website states that because of coronavirus, changes have been made to routine dental treatment. In England, some routine dental treatments are available again. An NHS spokesperson...
