HElp!!!!!!!!!! Just when I'd found a lovely kind understanding dentist in Cornwall the practice suddenly closes!! I was going to go along in a few weeks to have her look at a problem tooth & ask for a new partial denture. So I desperately need a new kind, understanding of phobics dentist. Would have to be NHS as I'm unable to work due to ill health but don't claim benefits. Hope theres a lovely dentist out there willing to help. I prefer a female dentist due to problems encountered in the past which I won't dwell on!
Many thanks.
Sorry to hear of your problems
. We have a few recommendations for Cornwall and the South West here:
https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum/forums/south-west.32/
Unfortunately most of the recommendations tend to be private rather than NHS. This is mainly because NHS dentists don't always have as much time to spend with their patients as private dentists do... and time is the one thing that most fearful or phobic patients need. Having said that, not all private dentists charge the same, so it's worth contacting a few places and seeing how they can help.
You could also check the NHS website:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist
You can enter your postcode in the search box and it will give you a list of NHS dentists in your area. The website also tells you whether a practice is accepting new patients, however, the information on the website isn't always that up to date, so it's worth contacting a few practices to check whether they're taking on new patients.
If you're not working because of ill health, I think there are various benefits and other financial help that you can claim for. Try contacting your local citizen's advice bureau as they're usually quite good with this sort of thing and they will be able to tell you what you can claim. If you're out of work because you genuinely can't work for health reasons, then I'm sure that you should be entitled to some sort of financial help (and you can put this towards your dental bills
).
There is also the NHS Low Income Scheme which provides financial help, either with some or all of the costs of certain NHS services like dentistry and prescription charges. I think you have to fill in some assessment forms and then based on their assessment, they will issue you with a certificate (HC2) for help with some or all of the costs.
This is from the NHS website:
If you are on a low income you may be eligible to receive financial help through the NHS Low Income Scheme. To apply for an HC2 certificate, you should complete form HC1, which is available from Jobcentre Plus offices or most NHS hospitals. Your doctor, dentist or optician may be able to give you one, too. You can also get an HC1 form by calling 0845 610 1112.
Whether you qualify for help is based on a comparison between your weekly income and assessed requirements at the time the claim is made. For more information about requirements visit NHS: help with health costs.
You will qualify for a full-help HC2 certificate (which includes free NHS prescriptions) if your income is less than or equal to your requirements, or your income is greater than your requirements by no more than half the current English prescription charge.
You will qualify for a limited-help HC3 certificate if your income is greater than your requirements by more than half the current English prescription charge. The HC3 certificate shows how much you have to pay towards your health costs.
Certificates are usually valid for periods of between six months and five years, depending on your circumstances.
Find out more about the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS).
Hope this helps; let us know how you get on
.
