Student treatment clinics
Your first appointment will involve a detailed check-up of your teeth and mouth to let you know what dental treatment you need and to make sure that the work you need is manageable by a student. We will then let you know whether we will be able to take you on for treatment, and what the approximate waiting time will be until treatment can start. If for any reason we are unable to offer you treatment, we will discuss this with you and advise you appropriately.
The treatment undertaken at this level can take a long time to complete and the treatment may be interrupted for long periods due to the students’ examination periods, time at outreach clinics, holidays and other learning commitments. During these times it is essential you contact your own dentist for any emergencies as we cannot support this in the dental school.
As the treatment takes a long time to complete, the patient may see more than one trainee during the course of treatment.
Your treatment will be provided for free, but the cost is in your time and commitment.
Appointments
Appointments with students are available on weekdays only. Each appointment will generally be for 1.5 - 2.5 hours.
Our students have a great deal to learn during their five years of study, and have a fixed and limited amount of time allocated to see patients.
- Patients must be able to attend regularly and reliably for their appointments. If they do not attend on more than two occasions will be discharged back to their own dentist for completion of treatment.
- Patients who are late for their appointment on more than two occasions will be discharged from our care.
- Under no circumstances will patients be transferred to the care of our specialist level dentists in the hospital.
Dental treatment provided by our students
Dental treatments provided by our students
Our need for new patients can vary greatly from year to year and at different times of the year, so we cannot guarantee to take everybody for treatment and the waiting lists may be up to a year for some treatments.
We would be delighted to take on patients who need routine dental care:
- We particularly need patients who need fillings.
- We need patients who need root fillings.
- We need patients who need new dentures.
Dental treatments not provided by our students
Unfortunately not all patients are suitable for training and we have specific items of treatment that we cannot ever take on for treatment:
- Repeat crown and bridgework of any sort or dental implants.
- Repeat endodontics (root fillings) on back teeth.
- Root fillings needed through existing crown and bridgework.
- Any patient requesting treatment for cosmetic reasons.
- Patients who need to have all their treatment under general anaesthetic or complex treatment under sedation.
Some patients may be taken on for very specific treatments only and the rest of the care will be in general dental practice.
Ongoing care
All patients must register with a dentist outside the Dental Hospital in addition to ourselves and this dentist will be expected to provide emergency care for you during the treatment period as we are unable to do this.
The Dental Hospital does not provide long-term care for patients. In order to ensure that we have a steady flow of new patients enrolling for treatment, those who have received a course of treatment from our students will be discharged to their own dentist on completion of the course of treatment.
At the end of your treatment, you will be discharged back to your dentist for continuing and maintenance care.