Gloucestershire Community Dental Services - Specialist NHS Dental Care

Who we are and how we can help

Gloucestershire Community Dental Service is different from a High Street dental practice. Most of our patients are referred to our service for specialist care. We work in partnership with patients, families, carers, health and social care professionals to promote oral health and provide specialist NHS dental care for people who are unable to accept dental care in a family dental practice. This may be due to some physical, intellectual, medical, emotional, sensory, mental or social impairment or a combination of these factors. We promote oral health, provide access to appropriate clinical care and enable equitable opportunities for good oral health.

Our specialist dental services cover the following areas...

Physical disability

Oral health education

Domiciliary care – ‘home’ visits

Dental anxiety (adult)

Dementia friendly service

Learning disability

Mental health

Socially excluded

Medically compromised

Specialist dentistry for children

Which service is right for you?

Use this simple tool to guide you to more information:

Begin

How would you describe yourself or the patient?*
Please note that we can only talk to current and past patients. To be referred to the specialist Community Dentist service, please talk to your current dentist or healthcare professional. Find out how to find this here.
What age are you (or the patient)?
Do you have a specific medical condition?
Whatever your specialist needs are, for young people and children please see our specialist dentistry for children service
For those patients requiring specialist equipment please ask to referred to our medically compromised service. Find out more about our plus size service and equipment.
We have a specialised service operating for this. Please see dentistry for the Anxiety service
We have specialised staff and equipment to help mental health patients of all kinds. Please see dentistry for the mental health service
Specialist teams, equipment and clinics line under the title of dentistry for the physically disabled service
For those patients with dementia we have a special dementia friendly service
Are you or your patient socially excluded?
For example, homelessness, drug or alcohol dependency or any other way in which regular dental treatment is difficult.
We have a special service and clinics for those who are socially excluded. Find out more about this on our specialist dentistry for the socially excluded page.
Do you require dentistry at a specific location?
Home visits, along with referral requests can be found in our domiciliary service
Care homes. Patients living in care homes who are bed-bound or do not leave the home at all may be eligible for a domiciliary 'home' visit. Fin out more about our Domiciliary service
Schools > Children who attend special schools and find treatment at a regular dental practice difficult may be eligible for treatment with our service. You need our Education service
Have you heard about specific equipment / services?
wand > Both adults and children may benefit from the use of The Wand when having dental treatment. You need our Dental anxiety service for adults, or our Children's specialist dental care.
tipper > Wheelchair users and plus sized patients be more comfortable receiving treatment using a wheelchair recliner. You need our Physical disability service
Bariatric chair > Plus sized patients will be more comfortable receiving treatment in a bariatric dental chair. Read more about this facility: Bariactric Dental Chair
Other > Gloucestershire Community Dental Service are able to treat patients using specialist equipment making treatment more comfortable. You may look at our Medically Compromised service
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Meet the dental team

The team comprises of dentists, dental therapists/hygienists, dental nurses and oral health educators, who all work together to ensure a patients' oral health needs are met and they maintain a health mouth. The clinical team are supported by a number of administration staff; receptionists and administrators who help maintain patient records and ensure that appointments are booked efficiently.

Dentist

A dentist will examine and treat patients accompanied by a dental nurse either in surgery or in a patient’s place of residence if necessary. A dentist will:

educate patients on oral healthcare
examine teeth and diagnose dental conditions
assess treatment options and agree treatment plans with patients
carry out agreed clinical treatments such as restoring teeth affected by decay and treating gum disease
maintain patients' dental records

Dental therapist

A dental therapist will work to a dentist’s prescription for treatment and see patients accompanied by a dental nurse in surgery or in a patient’s place of residence. A therapist will:

educate patients on oral healthcare
place sealants
scale and polish teeth
work with patients to manage gum disease
carry out treatments such as fillings and extractions

Dental nurse

The nurse will support all members of the dental team both in surgery and in a patient’s place of residence. A nurse will:

assist the dentist during and examination or treatment
help the dentist to make the patient feel comfortable and at ease
be responsible for maintaining patients records including taking notes whist the dentist is examining the patient
maintain a high standard of cleanliness in surgery and ensuring it is ready for use

Many of the dental nurses working within our service have further qualifications in radiography, inhalation sedation and special care.

Oral health educator

An oral health educator will work with patients and cares to provide them with the skills and knowledge to maintain a healthy mouth.

An oral health educator will:

educate patients on oral healthcare using various visual aids
provide advice and teach brushing techniques
advise on diet and snacking
educate carers so that they can maintain oral health for their family member or patient including caring for dentures
apply fluoride

Dental receptionist

The reception team is the first point of contact for our patients. They will welcome patients and complete any paperwork necessary prior to them being seen by the clinician. They will assist patients to make appointments for their examinations and treatment.

Administrators

The administration team will carry out various clerical tasks, such as managing the referral process and patient records.

The Wand

The Wand is an injection system which replaces the traditional syringe. Using computerised technology the Wand delivers a supply of anaesthetic in a slow comfortable manner.

Panoral radiographs – dental X-ray

We provide a panoramic X-ray machine that takes a two dimensional image of the entire mouth. It is quicker to take than a traditional dental x-ray and the image is clearer and can benefit a lot of our patients.

Inhalation sedation

We are able to offer dental treatment with Inhalation Sedation for children and adults who experience dental anxiety. Patients are usually referred to our service by their dentist and must meet our acceptance criteria.

General anaesthetic

Very young children and patients with special needs may not be able to receive routine dental care such as extractions in the dental surgery in the normal way. It may be necessary for treatment to be performed under General Anaesthesia.

Wheelchair recliner

Patients who are unable to transfer to a dental chair and do not use a wheelchair which can be reclined, can be treated in surgery at our clinics in Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham.

Bariatric dental chair

It is important that patients feel comfortable and supported whilst receiving their dental treatment. We have bariatric facilities at our clinics in Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham.

I liked going in the chair, I was nervous about coming but the dentist and nurse made me feel happy

– FFT Dental comments

The staff are always very helpful and put the patient at ease

– FFT Dental comments

The care here is always perfect. The staff are kind and professional.

– FFT Dental comments

Brilliant care for my autistic son, they get him to accept such good tooth care. Amazing team!

– FFT Dental comments

Absolutely amazing A* all the way. Thank you for your awesome advice

– FFT Dental comments

Fantastic nurses, they put me at ease and explained what was going to happen in the appointment. I left feeling happy

– FFT Dental comments

Information for professionals

If you are a general dental practitioner or healthcare professional, you can find out more about our criteria for referring patients in the section below.

Information for professionals

The role of the Community Dental Service has developed over the last few years and we are commissioned to provide special care dentistry for adults and children in Gloucestershire. We have a central system for all referrals, which are triaged by a senior clinician prior to being accepted onto the waiting list. Patients are then offered an appointment at a clinic that has appropriate facilities for their particular needs.

The Service is led by a specialist in special care dentistry, but patients will be booked with a dentist appropriate to their needs as identified within the referral. Patients should be informed they are being referred to the special care dental service.

Referral information

Referral criteria for patients varies per service.

You can request access for your patients using our online referral forms.

Information for both can be seen on our referral page.

Useful links

Dental Health

NHS -Tooth Decay

POhWER

Inclusion Gloucestershire

Our services cover the following areas...

Physical Disability Learning Disability

Oral Health Education Mental Health

Domiciliary Care – ‘Home’ visits Socially Excluded

Dental Anxiety (Adult)Specialist Dental Care for Children

Medically Compromised

Our dental team are highly skilled and dedicated professionals who appreciate that some people can have difficulties in accessing dental care. We are here to give high quality treatment with a caring, understanding approach. Members of the team also have special interests in learning difficulties and dementia and are able to assist patients and their cares with their dental needs. We have a number of clinics at various locations throughout Gloucestershire. All clinics are accessible by wheelchair and some clinics have specialist equipment, such as wheelchair recliners and bariatric dental chairs to enable patients to received dental treatment in comfort. (See clinic details.)

Charges for Treatment by Gloucestershire Community Dental Service

People will be charged the current NHS dental patient charges unless proof of exemption can be provided. The charges you pay depend on the treatment you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. You will only ever be asked to pay one charge for each complete course of treatment, even if you need to visit the dentist more than once to finish it. Our payment charges are categorised as – Band 1, Band 2 or Band 3 – visit the link to understand which treatments come into each band. The charges are reviewed and subject to change on 1^stApril each year.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/

How to find us

Gloucestershire Community Dental Service have seven specialist sites across the county. For details and clinic opening times use the searchable map opposite or click 'Find our clinics'.

Find our clinics

Community Dental Services are ONLY available to current patients and those who are referred by their dentist, or healthcare worker

To access our specialist services please be sure to contact your current dentist, or healthcare professional.

Find an NHS dentist