Updated information on the nature of dentistry in Thanet.

Finding a dentist in Thanet is hard. It's harder still if you have no car and little money. Just currently there are, according to PALS, exactly no dentists taking on NHS patients in Thanet.

NHS - Second Class Dental Service

For those of us dependant on the NHS for dental services it is likely to be apparent that we are very much the recipients of a second class standard of service.

You cannot get checkups for you or your children. You can only get dental treatment once you are in pain and then you have to phone at 8am and keep trying until you get through - after that you will be told when the appointment is and you had better be able to get there early to fill out the paper work.

The number to call appears to have changed several times. The current number is 01233 667997 and you will need to call after 8am but before 9am. Any time after nine in the morning and you would need to be very lucky to get an appointment at the Ramsgate dental access clinic.

Hope for Thanet's NHS Dental Patients

In the later half of this year there is to be a new dental practice opening in the Cliftonville area. If you want even a shot at getting in there you need to phone PALS on 0800 0856606.

If that does not suit you then, if you can get to Herne Bay, the nearest available dental practice that takes on NHS patients is Melbourne House Dental Centre. Their number is 01227 374454

According to the only review I could find (here) the waiting times are often lengthy.

This article is an update of the January 2008 article "Dentists and Thanet - Things You Should Know"