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• Dentists and General Practitioners
• GP practice lists
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Dentists and General Practitioners

Dentists look after teeth and dental health. They perform treatment such as tooth removal and filling, take X-rays, advise on oral hygiene and refer patients for orthodontic surgery at hospitals.

Before you can see a dentist, you need to bring your NHS medical card to register as a patient at a dentist’s practice. Two appointments are usually necessary for each patient. On a first visit, the dentist will examine the patient and assess any dental treatment. During the second appointment, treatment is carried out.

Free NHS dental treatment is limited to schoolchildren and students under 19, welfare recipients and low income earners. Some dentists no longer accept NHS patients. Some dentists have waiting lists to register as an NHS patient. Registration as an NHS dental patient lasts for fifteen months and after this time, a patient must register again. A private (fee paying) patient will obtain an appointment within a few weeks at most dental practices.

General Practitioners are known as doctors. They examine a patient, diagnose an illness, prescribe medicine or refer the patient for specialist treatment at an NHS hospital clinic.

Before you can see a doctor, you need to bring your NHS medical card to register as a patient at a surgery. Once registered with a doctor, the surgery will keep a file of your medical records, including any treatments or hospital surgery. If you move later to a different surgery, the file will be sent to your new doctor.

Each surgery organises morning and afternoon appointments from Monday until Friday. Some surgeries book appointments one week or longer in advance while other surgeries only allow daily appointments to be made. Patients are always encouraged to visit the surgery as home visit appointments are limited.