FAQs

We provide both NHS and private/independent dental treatment – please contact us to discuss your options.

Currently we are fully to capacity and are not accepting new NHS patients.

Please call us on our numbers above to book an appointment. If you are wishing to book an appointment as a new independent patient, please use our ‘contact us’ form and we will get in touch with you to arrange an appointment. Alternatively, you can book online.

NHS dentist are in short supply in Bradford. We advise you use the NHS search tool here to find the nearest dentist taking on patients on the NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Dentists/LocationSearch/3

This useful NHS guide also provides information about how to get an NHS dentist:

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/how-to-find-an-nhs-dentist/

If you have an emergency and want to be seen under the NHS, we advise you ring the NHS ‘111’ service. Please see our ‘dental emergencies’ page.

NHS dentistry provides treatment of a reasonable standard to secure and maintain oral health. Fees are set by the Department of Health and will be the same with every NHS dentist. The NHS does not provide any cosmetic treatments including certain white fillings, tooth whitening, braces, implants, Botox, fillers and certain types of crowns.  Demand for NHS treatment is quite high and the wait for an appointment can be quite high.

Private dentistry provides the full range of treatment options. Prices are variable, and in certain circumstances can be cheaper than those set by the NHS.   Reserved clinical sessions are held each day for emergencies and for patients wishing to been sooner than the nearest available routine NHS appointment.  Please click here for a price list of private treatments. Our dentists are able to see you at 8am or after 5.30pm when seen on an independent basis.

Information regarding NHS dentistry, what is available, how much it will cost, and more is available via NHS Choices at www.nhs.uk

Patients do not have to pay any NHS dental charges for a course of treatment if, on the first day of treatment, they are:

• Under 18 years of age
• Aged 18 and in full time education
• An expectant mother
• A woman who has either had a baby, or a still birth in the previous 12 months

Patients are entitled to free or reduced cost NHS dental treatment if they are currently receiving:

• Income support
• Jobseekers allowance
• Working Family tax credit
• Pension Credit guarantee credit
• Universal credits

Or are named on a valid NHS low income scheme certificate HC2 for full help. The dental charge may be reduced for patients named on a valid HC3 certificate.

Please bring evidence of your exemption at every appointment and please show the reception team so they can process your paperwork. Please note that fraudulent claims will incur a penalty charge of £100 in addition to the costs of repaying your NHS treatment.

Please bring a list of your current medication and details of your current GP.  If you have previously been fitted with dentures then please also bring these with you.

We try our utmost to see everyone on time. Some people are often seen ahead of time. We do ask that patients arrive a few minutes in advance of their allotted time in order to complete important documents, and that if we are running ahead of time we can see you early. If you are more than half the allotted surgery time late for an appointment, we may ask you to reappoint as otherwise we will overrun into the next patient’s appointment. If you are running late please try to let us know as soon as possible as it may be possible to juggle appointments around so that you can be seen.

For all our patients, we try our hardest for them to see the same dentist. This allows patients to develop a rapport with their dentist which we feel is important. The NHS does not stipulate that dentist and patient has this relationship. From time to time we may have to, and reserve the right to transfer a patient from one dentist’s care to another.

Emergency appointments are available every day. Please ring as soon as possible for an emergency appointment for that day. Should you have a dental emergency outside of the practice opening hours, please call the NHS ‘111’ service.

Our latest appointment under the NHS is 5.15pm and the earliest is 9am. Independent patients are able to book in after 5.30pm or between 8am and 9.30am. Each dentist usually does one late evening session a week. Please call us to ask about our current evening availability.

Most dental appointment reminders are now only sent by text message.  We are able to email you a reminder by email if you wish.

Our front entrance has ramped access and we have a ground floor surgery. Sadly we are unable to provide a disable specific toilet due to the structural constraints of the building. Please let us know your requirements in advance and we will do our best to accommodate them.

Although we do not have a dedicated car park, there is usually plenty of on street parking in front and behind of the building. Due to the presence of a bus stop directly in front the of building and the fact we are part of a row of terraces, we are unable to provide a dedicated disabled space.

Yes. There is a bus stop directly outside the practice.

How often we will need to see you is based on the condition of your mouth, teeth and gums. It could be as short as three months, but if you have no current problems, we might not need to see you for up to two years.

Most dental disease causes no pain at all until it is well advanced. Although it is perfectly possible that the reason you have no pain is that you are completely healthy, it is equally possible that you have significant tooth decay, or advanced gum disease, or a chronic abscess, but do not know it. Our healthy mouth assessments are designed to pick up all types of potential problems, including checking for mouth cancer. If your teeth are healthy we can advise you on how to keep them that way. If you do not visit the practice in over 2 years, you are at risk of losing your place.

Currently no. However, we are able to refer you to appropriate practices that do.

Yes you can, and we would appreciate as much advance notice as possible so that we can offer your appointment to someone else. Multiple cancellations less than twenty-four hours prior to your appointment may risk your status at the practice

If you are in pain, we will do our best to get you out of pain.  We will do a full check-up of your mouth, chart the existing condition on our computer, take radiographs if necessary, discuss the options for your treatment and give you a written treatment plan – if you only require a small amount of treatment then, time allowing, we may complete your treatment during the same appointment.

The tooth will need to be re-implanted into its socket immediately so contact your dentist. In the meantime, hold the tooth by the crown and rinse off the root of the tooth in water if it’s dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, gently insert and hold the tooth in its socket. If that isn’t possible, put the tooth in a cup of milk and take it with you to your dentist as quickly as possible.

Whilst we are trained and equipped to handle many dental treatments, when we feel that a specialist would be better, we will discuss your needs and requirements and refer you accordingly

One of the reasons dentists suggest you avoid eating and drinking following treatment is due to the effects of the local anaesthetic. The numbness of the mouth may cause you to inadvertently bite the soft tissues, and or scald your mouth if the temperature of the food and drink cannot be perceived. We would advise you to wait 2-4 hours until the effects of the anaesthesia have worn off.

Good dental health begins with you. By following this simple routine you can keep your mouth clean and healthy:

• Brush your teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste.
• Have sugary drinks and snacks less often.
• Use a small to medium sized toothbrush.
• Use a toothbrush with soft to medium multi-tufted, round-ended nylon bristles.
• Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
• Use small circular movements to clean your teeth.
• Change your toothbrush regularly.
• Clean between your teeth using dental floss or other recommended interdental products such as TePe brushes
• Visit your dentist at least once a year

The nicotine and tar in smoke will stain your teeth, it will cause and accelerate gum disease which may lead to tooth loss, you may get bad breath and it also increases your risk of developing mouth and throat (and obviously lung) cancers. Smoking reduces the blood and oxygen supply to the gums. Quite often this will mean that if you smoke your gums don’t bleed (first warning sign of gum disease), even though they are very unhealthy.

Mouth cancer can appear in different forms and can affect all parts of the mouth, tongue and lips. It can appear as a painless mouth ulcer that does not heal normally. If you ever have a mouth ulcer which does not heal after 3 weeks please come to see us so we can check it out. We do a thorough inspection for mouth cancer at every check-up.

The amount of radiation received from a dental X-ray is extremely small. Radiation is present all around us all the time. You get about the same amount of radiation from having two dental X-rays as you do travelling on a flight to Spain.

If you were particularly impressed with the treatment you received from your dentist you may wish to let them know by sending us an email or letter. Practices value feedback and some may publish patients’ comments on their websites or in their leaflets or newsletter. You may also like to post a review on our NHS Choices page or Google Map page.

Girlington NHS Choices Page
Girlington Google Page
Wibsey NHS Choices Page
Wibsey Google Page

If you have had restorative treatment on the NHS, and something goes wrong, requiring repair or re-treatment, within 12 months of the original treatment, then your dentist should carry out the necessary work free of charge.

Restorative treatment includes fillings, root fillings, inlays, porcelain veneers or crowns.

This will not normally apply if:

•  within the 12-month period another dentist has carried out any treatment on the same tooth that has been restored, or
•  the patient was advised at the time of the restoration that it was temporary or a different restoration was more appropriate, but the patient insisted on a different form of restoration, or
•  the repair or restoration is a result of trauma

We will repair, adjust or replace as necessary any fillings, crowns, bridges, and dentures that we have placed which fail prematurely within two years. However, on top of this we will always assess each case on its merits, and if we believe an item needs replacing because of something we could have done better, we will redo it free of charge or at a reduced cost even if it is over two years since it was placed. Valplast dentures are guaranteed for life against breakage in normal use. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee root fillings (as even perfect technique does not 100% guarantee a successful outcome), nor can we guarantee treatments that you request against our advice. For example if we advise that the only suitable treatment for a broken tooth is a crown, and you request we do the best filling we can in the circumstances, we will always try to fulfil your requirements but we cannot guarantee that the filling will last.