There are three ways to access dental treatment at the dental hospital at ĢtvƵ Dental Institute.
Referral by your dentist
To be referred to our hospital for treatment we would require a referral from your primary care dentist. If you don’t have a dentist, we may accept a referral from your doctor but this can’t be guaranteed. This would usually be a referral for complex/specialist treatment, assessment or advice which your general dentist does not feel equipped to administer. Our specific referral forms can be found via the ‘Information for referrers’ page. Acceptance will be assessed by certain criteria. Waiting times follow the NHS 18 week pathway according to the urgency of the referral.
Emergency Treatment
The ĢtvƵ Dental Institute provides training for students who want to become dentists. Part of this training involves treating patients with a variety of dental problems in our Acute Dental Care Department.
In this department, patients who are not registered with a dentist but are having difficulties with their teeth may receive emergency treatment. At this time, they may also be assessed for any further treatment needs.
If you have been assessed and your needs match with a student training need, you may be asked if you would like to be placed on a waiting list for treatment by a student. If not, you will be advised to register with your own dentist for further care. The Institute cannot offer routine treatment, except for the purposes of student training.
You can get advice from the Acute Dental Care Department by contacting the telephone triage service on the following phone number 0113 392 9101 . Please note we do not provide a “walk-in” service and appointments to be seen on the Department can only be made by telephone.
The telephone triage service is available from 9:15am to 10:00amԻ1:45pm to 2:30pm Monday to Friday. If the treatment you require is appropriate for treatment in the Acute Dental Care Department you will be given an appointment for the clinic.
Only a limited number of patients can be seen on each session. If demand is high, it may not be possible to see you on the day that you telephone us.
The clinic is not an NHS commissioned emergency clinic and it only operates during the term times of the University of ĢtvƵ.
Priority will always be given to patients with dental conditions that may be a threat to their health. A high level of pain is not necessarily an indicator of such conditions.
The emergency dentist for the ĢtvƵ area is contactable through the 111 service.
Volunteer for Treatment with Undergraduates
The School of Dentistry has a limited number of places available for volunteers for treatment by undergraduate dental students or dental hygiene and dental therapy students, as part of the students’ clinical education.
If you are not registered with a dentist, you may be eligible to volunteer. To access this service you will have to register your interest, undergo an assessment and meet certain criteria.
As our students can provide only a limited range of treatments volunteers will need to undergo a short assessment. One of our tutors will speak to you about what is expected of student treatment and will carry out a brief assessment of your dental needs to see if you are a suitable candidate, or whether your needs would be better managed by a General Dental Practitioner. This does not constitute a regular dental examination and should not be thought of as a comprehensive dental assessment. Following this you will be advised as to your suitability or otherwise.
Many patients’ treatment needs are too complex for our students and it is possible that you may be declined at this stage. If you are accepted you will be placed on a waiting list for one course of treatment. The length of time waiting will depend on the type and complexity of treatment required. If that period of time is extensive you should expect to find your own means of gaining a dental check-up or emergency dental treatment if the need arises. Once the course of treatment is completed, you will be discharged.
Treatment is provided free of charge.
Due to limitations of clinic capacity, School of Dentistry reserves the right to close access to waiting lists for treatment by students at any time; apologies in advance if we are unable to help you.
To volunteer for treatment please visit our volunteer page.