I was shocked today by a patient that I was seeing for an implant yearly review, to find she had a massive filling missing from one of her teeth. I said to her that she must as a matter of urgency, have it repaired by her own dentist. She then told me the sad tale; she had contacted them, only to be told that they were “not allowed” to do fillings at the moment, due to NHS restrictions imposed by the government, however, privately, this would be allowable, as these regulations do not bind the private sector. I can already hear the chorus of “only doing it for money” tribe.
This is not the case, we choose to treat our patients because they need treatment, and we are well prepared and equipped to carry out treatment safely and efficiently as we always have, without massive government interference. As a sector we should be congratulated for “being on the frontline” when patients actually need treatment.
Prime Minister, its time to get the NHS dental service back to work to do AGP’s (aerosol generating procedures), so that people like my poor lady this morning do not have to suffer months of discomfort, when private practice has proved that it is eminently achievable.