During the Covid-19 pandemic all routine NHS and private dentistry has stopped. However, the NHS is continuing to provide urgent and emergency dental care. This is available to both NHS and private patients.
Seven urgent dental hubs have been set up across Kent and Medway with services in:
- Larkfield
- Rochester
- Ramsgate
- Canterbury
- Chatham
- Ashford
- Maidstone.
They are part of a network of 36 centres being set up across the South East by NHS England and NHS Improvement.
How to access the urgent dental services
If you have a dental emergency please call your dental practice during their normal opening hours for further advice. If you do not have a regular dentist, you can search for a local dentist on the NHS website at www.nhs.uk and call them.
When you call, a member of the dental practice team will carry out a telephone assessment with you to assess your dental needs. They are able to offer advice or prescribe medication to relieve any pain or to treat an infection.
If the dental team believes that you need to be treated urgently, they will refer you to a local urgent dental care hub.
The hub will carry out a further assessment of your dental and Covid-19 status and if required may call you in for treatment.
The hub will also provide you with information prior to the appointment about arrangements for treatment which meet the social distancing requirements.
If you have a dental emergency outside of normal surgery opening hours you can call 111 for advice and information on your local out-of-hours emergency dental service.
