Dentists

NHS Dentists

General Dental Services are provided under the National Health Service and comprise examinations (check-ups) and all the necessary treatment required to have and maintain a healthy mouth. The NHS dental practices and their contact details are listed below.  Primary Care Services maintain the NHS dental waiting list and are responsible for making patient allocations to the NHS dental practices as and when practices have availability to take on new patients.

How to join the waiting list for allocation at one of the NHS dental practices

You can contact Primary Care Services in person, by phone or via email (dental@gov.im or use the link below). 

The office opening hours are:

9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm Monday to Friday (closed at weekends and bank holidays).

We will need your name, date of birth, address, contact email and telephone number and you will then be added to the dental allocation list. You may also specify if there is a particular area or practice you'd prefer to be allocated to. Once practices are able to take on further NHS patients you will be contacted accordingly. Please note that if you wish for family members to also be allocated a place you must also give their details too.

If you are not already allocated to a dental practice you do have access to the Department's Community Dental Service at the Central Community Health Centre, Westmoreland Road, Douglas. If you have any pain, bleeding or swelling please contact +44 1624 642785 to arrange an emergency appointment on Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 4:30pm and Friday 8:30am to 4pm.

Out of Hours Emergency Dental Clinic

An Emergency Dental Clinic (EDC) is provided by an on duty dentist for weekends and bank holidays. This service is delivered at one of the NHS Dental Practices. The rota can be found in downloadable documents.

The Service is available between 9am and 11am each weekend and bank holiday. Patients can make contact direct with the practice responsible for operating the EDC and should always call the relevant dental practice first to arrange a visit on the day – this is not a drop-in service. The charge patients can expect to pay (unless exempt from charges – see exemption categories below) is £18.50.  Any patient notes/records taken at the EDC will be computerised at the dental practice visited, but a patient’s regular dentist can request a copy of these records if required. The dentist at the EDC will be able to assist with any of the treatments listed within Schedule 4 of the Dental Charges Regulations linked at the top of this page.

The Manx Emergency Doctor Service (MEDS) is available every weekday evening and 24/7 at weekends and bank holidays. MEDS GPs can offer advice and pain relief if required.

If you are suffering with bleeding or facial swelling outside of the EDC hours of operation, please attend the Emergency Department at Noble's Hospital.

NHS Dental Charges

A charge is normally payable for NHS dental services (except for groups who may be exempt listed below) and a dental practice may ask you to pay before treatment has taken place. All patients should expect to be given a treatment plan which shows exactly what treatment they require and how much this will cost before they commence treatment with their dentist. 

If you normally pay for NHS dental treatment, there are three standard charges (Band 1 £18.50, Band 2 £50.50 or Band 3 £219) and you will pay one charge even if you need to visit more than once to complete your course of treatment (as identified in your treatment plan). The amount you pay will depend on the treatment you need to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

If you need more treatment at the same charge level (e.g. an additional filling) within 2 months of seeing your dentist, this will be free of charge.

Endodontic Treatment (root canal treatment)

Non-complex endodontic treatment (e.g. on anterior teeth/single rooted) is delivered under the NHS and this treatment is available from your NHS dentist if it has been identified as required treatment on examination.  You will receive a treatment plan that will identify all options available to you.  This currently falls under a band 2 charge for this type of treatment.  Once this treatment has been carried out your dentist is likely to review you again once the tooth has had time to heal and you may be offered further treatment of a crown under a new treatment plan (this would be a band 3 charge). 

There will be occasions where the endodontic treatment required is considered complex (posterior teeth/molars/multi or curved roots/previously failed treatment or retreatment of root canal) and your dentist may feel the prognosis of carrying out the root canal treatment themselves would be low in terms of success and you would need to be referred to a specialist endodontist or a dentist with a special interest in endodontics to receive the best outcome.  This would be a private referral and would be an option given to you as part of your treatment plan by your dentist.  Private fees for this treatment would not be available or refunded to the patient by Manx Care.  All dentists are to work to the General Dental Council (GDC) standards which includes “standard 6.3.3 - You should refer patients on if the treatment required is outside your scope of practice or competence. You should be clear about the procedure for doing this.”.  Therefore if your dentist feels they would not be able to deliver the treatment with a high % of success rate for you then it is correct that they offer to refer you to a more appropriate provider. 

Chargeable Treatments within each Band

During your check up, your dentist may:

• Carry out a full examination of your mouth, teeth and gums
• Ask about your general health and any problems you have had with your teeth, mouth or gums since your last visit
• Ask about and give advice on your diet, smoking and drinking
• Identify any treatment that is required, explain any risks, as well as costs of all treatment you may need and provide a treatment plan detailing this
• Ask about your current teeth cleaning habits and advise the appropriate ways to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy
• Discuss when your next visit should be 

Patient groups exempt from NHS dental charges:

• You are under 16
• You are aged under 19 and in full-time education
• You are pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months
• You have reached state retirement age
• You, or your dependent, receive Income Support
• You receive Income Based Job Seekers Allowance or Employed Persons Allowance
• You are a war disablement pensioners
• You are registered blind

There is no charge for writing a prescription* or removing stitches or repairs to dentures.

*Usual charges apply when prescriptions are dispensed.

Patients not falling within the above categories may be able to get help with the cost of NHS treatment on low income grounds and are required to complete a form F1, which is then submitted to:

List of Dentists providing NHS Treatment on the Isle of Man 

Douglas

• Central Community Health Centre - +44 1624 642785 (Emergency Dental Treatment for patients who do not have a NHS dentist and Community Services Only)
• Hillside Dental Practice +44 1624 642389 (currently no vacancies)
• 36 Woodbourne Dental - +44 1624 676994 (currently no vacancies)
• 65 Woodbourne Dental- +44 1624 675164 (currently no vacancies)
• The Tracey Bell Clinic - +44 1624 613323 (currently no vacancies)
• The Square Dental Practice - +44 1624 621440 (currently no vacancies)
  

Onchan

• Avondale Dental Practice - +44 1624 624620 (currently no vacancies)
  

Ramsey

• Grove Mount Dental Practice - +44 1624 812157 (currently no vacancies)
• Smile Care (IOM) Limited - +44 1624 811885 (currently no vacancies)

Port Erin

• Port Erin Dental Practice  - +44 1624 833667 (currently no vacancies)
  
• Thie Rosien Dental Practice - +44 1624 831857 (currently no vacancies)
  

Peel

• Regent Dental Care - +44 1624 843311 (currently no vacancies)

How to Make a Compliment or Complaint

If you wish to make a comment about a Dental Practice or to compliment their services, you can do this by either telling the practice direct or by contacting the Primary Care Dental Service Team (contact details above). Additionally you may wish to use the Friends and Family online survey (below).

If you are dissatisfied about the services provided to you by your NHS Dental Practice you can either contact the Practice directly or Primary Care Services, who will pass on your complaint to the relevant NHS Dental Practice. To make a formal complaint, this must be in writing either by letter or email. For more information on making a complaint.

Friends and Family Survey

Every time you visit your NHS dentist you are invited to take part in a short online survey. This is an anonymous survey and you are free to leave your comments about the practice in the space provided. The survey results are checked regularly and will be discussed with the dental practices accordingly.

Additional Information

Each NHS Dental Practice will have their own patient leaflet and also have their own policies and procedures. Patients are welcome to ask for a copy of this when they visit their practice. From time to time practices remove patients from their list – there should be clear guidelines given to patients as to why this happens.  As an example, practices tend to remove patients if:

• A patient has failed to attend 3 or more appointments (practices may differ)
• A patient has not returned to the practice for an examination appointment for over 2 years
• A patient behaves violent or aggressively
• A patient refuses necessary treatment