If you have been to see us recently on the NHS, you may have received a letter letting you know that our NHS provision will stop from 1st March 2021.
If there’s anything you’d like to know, read the FAQs below, or you can get in touch and we’d be happy to help. (But please don’t visit the practice in person during the COVID pandemic unless you’re attending an appointment).
Am I still a patient at Market Place Dentistry?
Yes, you’re still a patient with us. Any appointments you have booked in future will stay in the diary for the time being. We hope you’ll still come to see us for your future dental care and we ask that you confirm before 18th February 2021 if you wish to keep any future appointments.
What do I need to do?
At the moment, you don’t need to do anything, and your appointments are still in the diary. Over the next few weeks, you just need to decide what you’d like to do going forwards. You can stay with us either on a Membership Plan or Pay-as-you-go, or you may choose to search for a dentist accepting new NHS patients if this is important to you.
How does payment for private dental care work?
Our Pay-monthly Membership Plans are very popular with our patients. Membership Plans help to cover the cost of your routine health check and hygiene appointments, and they also give discounts on treatments.
More details on Membership Plans
Alternatively, you may choose to Pay-as-you-go. You wouldn’t pay any monthly fees, but would pay for each routine appointment when you attend, and would pay the usual full fee for any treatments.
How do I sign up for a Membership Plan?
You can sign up online for a Membership Plan using the unique login details in your letter. Automatic sign-up is currently only available with our Extended Membership (details here), which is suitable for the majority of patients. We can move you to a different Plan in future if appropriate.
If you need any help signing up online, please get in touch and we’d be happy to help.
If you’d prefer to sign up by post, let us know, and we can send you the forms you need.
What are the benefits of private dental care?
Private dental care gives us the freedom to provide the type of care we think is best for our patients. This means that we can spend longer with you, and emphasise the preventative care which helps to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Hygienist appointments are available for everybody, not just those who already have gum disease. This means that teeth and gums can be kept healthy, with a greater focus on prevention.
Private dental care also gives you access to a wider range of treatments, like white fillings in back teeth, teeth whitening or other cosmetic treatments. It also means we have more choice and can use more modern and natural-looking materials for treatments like crowns and bridges.
What if I want to continue seeing a dentist on the NHS?
You can search for an NHS dentist on the NHS website. The website should give information about any practices which are accepting new NHS patients. (Market Place Dentistry appears in the NHS list at the moment, but will disappear from the list in March 2021).
Can I come back to Market Place Dentistry in future?
Absolutely.
If you move to an NHS dentist, but then decide it’s not right for you, you’re more than welcome to come back. You just need to be aware that, if we’re particularly busy, you may need to wait on a waiting list for a short while.
