Dental Services

Contact us

0300 123 4412
kcht.dentalhelpdesk@nhs.net
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm

Referral team
0330 123 9438
kcht.communitydentalservice@nhs.net
Post to Capital House, Jubilee Way, Faversham, Kent ME13 8GD
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm

Dental head office
0300 7900 158
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm

Out of hours numbers

Kent

01634 890300
Open from 6 to 10.55pm
Locations in Canterbury, Larkfield and Rochester.

Brighton and Hove

03000 24 25 48
Weekday lines open 5.30 to 10.30pm
Weekends and bank holiday lines open 9am to 5.30pm

Hastings and Rother, East Sussex and Weald

01424 850792
Weekday lines open 6.30pm appointments between 7 to 9pm
Weekends and bank holiday lines open at 9am appointments between 10am to 12noon

Lewes (and surrounding area)
01273 486444
Weekdays lines open 6.30pm appointments between 7 to 9pm
Weekends and bank holiday lines open at 09.00 appointments between 10am to 12noon

Eastbourne (and surrounding area)
01323 449170
Weekdays lines open 6.30pm appointments between 7 to 9pm
Weekends and bank holiday lines open at 1pm appointments between 2 to 4pm

West Sussex

Chichester (and surrounding area)
01243 831790
Weekdays between 5.30 to 10pm
Weekends and bank holiday between 8.30 am to 1pm

Crawley (and surrounding area)
01293 518541
Weekdays between 5.30 to 10pm
Weekends and bank holiday between 8.30am to 1pm

Haywards Heath (and surrounding area)
01444 440695
Mondays, weekends, and bank holidays only, other days use Crawley
Mon: 5.30 to 10pm
Weekends and bank holiday between 8.30am to 1pm

Worthing (and surrounding area)
01903 230364
Weekdays between 5.30 to 10pm
Weekends and bank holiday between 8.30 am to 1pm

INEL and ONEL patients

INEL and ONEL patients can call the NHS non-emergency dental line 111.

Who we are

We are a NHS dental service that provides dental care and oral health promotion in Kent, south and north east London.

We are run by NHS dentists and health professionals who have the desired skills, knowledge and drive to deliver the best dentistry we can and to improve the oral health of our patients and the communities we live and work in.

We are not a business with shareholders, which means that everything we do is for our patients. All our staff live and work in the communities we serve and have extensive training and experience in delivering dental health care. Our people are our most important asset.

Our main work is providing special care and paediatric dentistry, but we also provide family dentistry under the NHS and privately and dental care for prisoners and in other secure institutions, such as secure metal health units.

Special care dentistry is for patients who may have a social, psychological or physical disability and who could need dental care to be adapted for them. They may also find it difficult to access mainstream dentistry.

It is also about having staff with the skills to treat patients with complex medical histories, for which dentistry may a high risk. An example is patients who have learning disabilities and are unable to understand the care or co-operate with the required care.

Special care dentistry is a core service for us. For most of our patients we are their only dentist and we recall some special care patients for regular examinations. Others can have regular examinations at their own family dentist, but need our support when having dental treatment.

We work to care pathways and national referral guidelines. To access dental care, you have to be referred by your own general dental practitioner or health professional. You can also self-refer if you meet our guidelines. If in doubt, call us on 0300 7900 158 for advice.

What we do

Our Community Dental Service in east Kent and north east London provides a full range of community dentistry for patients unable to access NHS dentistry locally, requiring specialist intervention or needing a home visit.

NHS dental treatment includes all necessary to secure and maintain your oral health. We operate these services from 17 sites and a mobile dental unit.

Referrals for patients, who have special needs or require specialist intervention, will only be accepted from other health professionals according to our referral criteria.

In City and Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest, we provide ‘shared dental care’ for special care patients and children. We provide a targeted Fluoride Varnish programme in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Redbridge and additional oral health promotion services across several London boroughs.

Dental Engineering Service

Oral Health Promotion Service

Prison dental care

How do you use this service?

For our Community Dental Service: If you need specialist dental care, you can be referred by a GP, GDP or other healthcare professional or you can contact our head office team direct.

If you need an emergency dental appointment because you are experiencing pain or swelling, you can phone our dental helpdesk using the contact details listed above.

Standard protocol for referring patients into NHS Dental Services

Patients to be referred should meet at least one of the following referral criteria.

Group 1 special needs – patients who have medical, physical or mental conditions which make access to NHS dental care within the General Dental Service (GDS) difficult.

Group 2 special needs – as above, but these patients can receive regular examinations within the GDS so that following any treatment by referral; they can be referred back to the original dental practitioner.

Group 3 Pedodontics – Patients under 16 who have;

Behavioural management problems
Anomalies of the dental tissues

Please note children over the age of 6 must have had treatment attempted by their GDP before being referred into the service. This must be documented in section 4 of the referral form. Failure to complete section 4 may result in the referral being rejected causing a delay in the patient’s treatment.

Group 4 Gerodontics - patients who have a complex ageing dentition.

Group 5 Periodontics

Patients requiring surgical procedures involving periodontal tissue augmentation and / or bone removal (e.g. crown lengthening surgery)
Patients with BPE score of 3 or 4 in any sextant PLUS one or more of the following factors:
- A concurrent medical factor that affects the periodontal tissues
- Root morphology that adversely affects prognosis that is directly affecting the periodontal tissues
- Rapid periodontal breakdown, more than 2mm attachment loss in one year.

Please note that:

It is mandatory for all sections of the Referral Form for Periodontal Treatment to be complete.
You must include Periapical x-rays and a periodontal chart.
All non-periodontal treatment has been completed before the assessment appointment so that the patient is dentally fit for treatment.

Failure to do so may result in the referral being rejected causing a delay in the patient’s treatment.

The Periodontal Service is not a replacement for routine oral hygiene maintenance in the Practice.

The patient remains the responsibility of the referring Dentist and it is expected that all necessary routine dental work is, or has been carried out to maintain oral health. To aid developing a periodontal treatment plan referrers should provide a current plan to ensure a consistent holistic approach.

Group 6 - patients who are unable to access NHS dental care – because local NHS dental care provision is limited.

Service provided limited to urgent care & one course of dental treatment
Self-referral via Dental Call Centre 0300 123 4412 or text 07943091958 for a call back.

Group 7 LAC (Children in Care) – new LAC referral as part of new healthcare assessment.

Group 8 Bariatrics – patients who are over the weight limit of 21 stone or 133 kg’s and cannot receive dental treatment with a General Dental Service due to weight restrictions on dental equipment.

The patient’s weight must be completed on the referral.

Group 9 Domiciliary - patients who cannot reach a NHS Dental Care Service themselves.

To be accepted for referral, domiciliary visit referrers must provide all of the following:

Nature of the problem and why a domiciliary visit is the only solution
Medical history including medication
Evidence of exemption from NHS charges or how the patient will pay for dental treatment
Evidence of who can consent for dental care or who has legal capacity to consent for the patient
Details of next of kin.

Specialist Services for Sedation, General Anaesthetics and Domiciliary Care are available. Decisions on which treatment option is most appropriate will be made after consultation at a review appointment.

Essential referral information:

All sections of the referral forms must be completed. Failure to do so will result in the referral being refused therefore causing a delay in the patient’s treatment.

Referral procedure:

Referrals should be made using either: Community Dental Service referral forms or by secure email kcht.communitydentalservice@nhs.net.

N.B. hand written letters are only acceptable if clearly legible.

All referrals must be sent to:

NHS Dental Services
Capital House, 1^st Floor, Jubilee Way, Faversham ME13 8GD

N.B. Individual referral Clinics and Dental Officers should NOT be contacted directly.

Any queries please ring 0330 123 9438.

NHS dental charges

The charge you pay depends on the treatment you need to keep your mouth, gums and teeth healthy. You will only ever be asked to pay one charge for each complete course of treatment, even if you need to visit your dentist more than once to finish it – either Band 1, Band 2 or Band 3.

If you are not exempt from charges, you should pay one of the following charges for each course of treatment you receive:

Band 1 course of treatment – £23.80
This covers an examination, diagnosis (eg X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if needed, and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant. If you require urgent care, even if your urgent treatment needs more than one appointment to complete, you will only need to pay one Band 1 charge.

Band 2 course of treatment – £65.20
This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or if your dentist needs to take out one or more of your teeth.

Band 3 course of treatment – £282.80
This covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures and bridges.

Free NHS dental treatment or help with health costs

You may be eligible for help with all or part of the costs of your NHS dental treatment. To see if this applies to you, see the leaflet NHS dental services in England, which is available from any NHS dental practice or visit the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/ or call 0300 300 1343.

For further information on NHS dental services and dental charges, see the leaflet NHS dental services in England or the dental services section of the NHS website (www.nhs.uk), or ask your NHS England Local Team for help.

Out-of-hours dental problems

DentaLine is the NHS’s emergency dental service. DentaLine can treat patients who:

are bleeding heavily (haemorrhaging) from the mouth
have an injury to their teeth or mouth
have severe facial swelling
are in pain that started suddenly and cannot eased by pain killers.

NHS charges apply at all DentaLine centres.

For information about NHS dental services and costs, see NHS Choices. Normal opening hours are 6 to 11pm every day, plus weekends and bank holiday mornings, from 8.30am to 1.30pm.

Patients should call before attending and will be assessed during their call to determine how urgently treatment is needed. For emergency advice or help in finding your local Kent DentaLine service, please call 01634 890300.

INEL and ONEL patients can call the NHS non-emergency dental line 111.

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Your comments

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October 2024
Hainault Health Centre

A huge thank you to the entire team. It is much appreciated. Excellent service. Everything went well, from support and advice and planning for treatment, through to receiving his treatment. Everyone was first class. Amazing!

September 2024
Loxford Polyclinic

We were given very clear and professional information. Very good care. Our son's needs were met.

August 2024
Loxford Polyclinic

The team has welcoming reception. Spoke to us patiently and supported patient according to his needs. Very person centred care.

July 2024
Margate

Another fantastic appointment, we are always made to feel so welcome and the staff are very attentive towards my son during his treatment.

June 2024
Langthorne Health Centre

Everyone was very patient with my brother. They showed a lot of care and consideration towards him, making sure he was okay throughout the appointment. They made us feel very reassured and comfortable at all the times.

May 2024
Five Elms Medical Centre

I am super happy. Outstanding treatment. They made myself and my son calm and relaxed.

April 2024
Hainault Health Centre

A very friendly team, explained everything and was very polite and respectful.

March 2024
Margate

Kind and patient with my little boy with ASD. Really interactive with him. Excellent service.

February 2024
Five Elms Medical Centre

Great service as always. Staff worked really well to keep my daughter calm and feeling safe.

January 2024
St Leonards Hospital

Everything went better than I could have imagined. They spoke and treated me very professionally and friendly. My best experience at a dentist by far.

May 2023
Appleby Centre

Every thing very highly professionally staff are very kind and helpful. 5 Stars.

May 2023
Hainault Health Centre

My wife feels staff are knowledgeable and helpful to her.

May 2023
Homeless Service

Dentist very gentle and kind.

May 2023
John Howard Centre

Dentist communicated very well. Explained the treatment plan.

May 2023
Sandwich

Very kind caring and understanding. Love coming to this dental practice.

May 2023
Langthorne Health Centre

Dentist made my child feel very relaxed and took time to explain things.

May 2023
Five Elms

Amazing approached to patient who has lots of sensory difficulties and is not easy in approach. Excellent care.

May 2023
South Hornchurch Health Centre

Ladies were lovely, put my daughter at ease. Explained everything they were doing.

May 2023
St Leonards Hospital

The calming, gentle care that was given to my mum who has not been to the dentist in over 6 years - thank you.

May 2023
Loxford Polyclinic

We are very happy from the procedure. Very professional and caring doctor, the staff was amazing.

May 2023
Margate

Very kind staff that made us feel welcome.

May 2023
Canterbury

Lovely dentist and wonderful staff, always kind and helpful.

May 2023
Dover

Dentist and dental nurse excellent at getting my daughter to have filling, excellent team with children.

May 2023
Ashford

Caring, friendly and professional staff throughout the whole appointment.

May 2023
Aylesham

Level of care was brilliant. Nothing was rushed.

April 2023
Canterbury

Perfect, relaxed and great service.

April 2023
South Hornchurch Health Centre

So comforting and really caring with my son, so much reassurance and keeping us both informed.

April 2023
Canterbury

they are very kind and gave me the confidence to have my teeth done.

April 2023
Sandwich

Very pleased with the service. Hannah kept me informed every step of the way about my appointments.

April 2023
Ramsgate

Very thorough and gave very useful answers to my questions.

April 2023
Dover

Great with my daughter, made her feel at ease and explained well all treatment.

April 2023
Margate

Very good. Very calming, took their time, explained really well all of my options.

April 2023
St Leonards Hospital

Really lovely. Excellent communication and reassured me.

April 2023
Five Elms Medical Centre

Dentists really worked well with my son, kept him calm. Very good with him.

April 2023
Langthorne Health Centre

Rea gave very thorough information and looked after my three year old, she was very patient and had great consideration.

April 2023
Ashford

Really friendly team and very helpful. Makes you feel at ease.

April 2023
Loxford Polyclinic

Amazingly calm for my autistic son.

April 2023
Aylesham

Very relaxed environment, staff were reassuring and friendly.

April 2023
Hainault Centre

Nadia and Constance were very kind and patient with my son.

March 2023
Homeless Service

Dentist spoke to me like a person and treated me kindly.

March 2023
Loxford Polyclinic, London

It was a very quick and smooth tooth extraction. My son was made to feel an ease. Everything was explained.

March 2023
John Howard Centre

Dentist was able to answer all questions asked in a way that was understood.

March 2023
Langthorne Health Centre, London

Rea and Vee were very understanding, polite and cheerful. Great service.

March 2023
Five Elms Medical Centre, London

The dentist was very friendly well explained the procedures.

March 2023
Aylesham

Excellent - best ever treatment. All staff so friendly and compassionate. They are a credit to their profession.

March 2023
Shrewsbury Centre, London

Dentist very gentle. Explained everything to my son before she did it.

March 2023
St Leonards hospital, London

Iqra was amazing. She is the best dentist for my son. She is very high skilled. She deals with kids. Extremely recommend. Thank you.

March 2023
Kent

The team being kind and supportive. (Mobile Unit)

March 2023
Dover

Very patient and understanding. They gave lots of praise and reassurance to the young person I care for.

March 2023
Ramsgate

All positive. The staff were amazing, from meeting and greeting and interacting with myself, and person I support was made relaxed.

March 2023
Hornchurch Health Centre, London

So comforting and really caring with my son, so much reassurance and keeping us informed.

March 2023
Appleby Centre, London

Prep, procedure and advice post procedure. Very good experience over all. Sara and Teody handled my daughter fantastic and guided her very well the whole process.

March 2023
London

What a fantastic team, they were so caring towards my dad. They listen when he spoke. My dad had a stroke three years ago and it takes him a long time to understand but they were very patient with him (Domiciliary Service).

January 2023
Ashford

Staff very kind and talked to me throughout.

January 2023
Loxford Polyclinic

Amisha was amazing, gave my daughter confidence and made her smile The doctor Nader spoke calmly, he is an amazing doctor.

January 2023
John Howard Centre

Environment very clean and the service excellent.

January 2023
Appleby Centre

Prab and Kristina made child and parent very comfortable, very informative and explained process well.

January 2023
Homeless Service

Perfect denture - very pleased.

January 2023
Canterbury

The ladies are brilliant and made the dental appointment really easy.

January 2023
Dover

Amazing staff, so helpful and made my daughter feel comfortable.

January 2023
Hainault Health Centre

First time bringing my autistic daughter here. Very impressed about the service provided here. Thanks for the welcoming service.

January 2023
Newington Road Clinic, Ramsgate

Friendly, patient, calm, child centred, good explanation of treatment etc.

January 2023
New Street Clinic, Sandwich

Very grateful to be seen through the emergency line as been up all night in pain. Very kind, friendly, understanding and considerate staff.

January 2023
HMP Swaleside, Sheppey

Great welcoming service. Fast, easy and pain free.

January 2023
Aylesham

Helpful with directions. Friendly. Accommodated special needs well.

January 2023
Five Elms Medical Centre

Dentist Kim is really helpful, very nice in treating my daughter. Fixed all dental issues of my daughter, very nice. Kim is an absolute star.

January 2023
Shrewsbury Centre

Punctual, friendly, explained treatment, empathic, caring, kind.

January 2023
Margate

The dentist last time was very friendly and engaged with me to cater to my needs.

January 2023
South Hornchurch Health Centre

Everything! Both staff very helpful and friendly, talked my daughter through whole procedure. Thank you both.

January 2023
Langthorne Health Centre

Katy and Vee were very lovely, made my son feel very comfortable.

December 2022
Hainault Health Centre

Excellent treatment five star *****

December 2022
Ashford

Fantastic with my son, so kind and caring.

December 2022
Margate

Staff here are lovely and kept my friend very calm.

December 2022
HMP Swaleside

I was so relaxed and had my full trust in the dentist and his assistant.

June 2022
Margate

Always great care given and my son is always treated with respect.

May 2022
Dover

We were late but they were all so kind, still saw us and they were really lovely.

June 2022
Hainault Health Centre

The staff was very professional examining my dad.

May 2022
Margate

The dentist and her team were really lovely and understood everything that was going on with my daughter.

May 2022
Broadstairs

Excellent with children, made my daughter feel so comfortable.

April 2022
Ramsgate

Have always found service satisfactory and helpful.

April 2022
Margate

Staff were very helpful and made me feel comfortable.

March 2022
Hainault Health Centre

Very professional and very personable.

March 2022
Faversham

The treatment given to my son was excellent. He was dealt with nicely and professionally.

March 2022
Dover

Understanding and patient. Listening and very caring for nervous patient.

February 2022
Faversham

The dentist and nurse were exceptional and kept me fully informed.

February 2022
Dover

The staff are amazing. Camilla calms me all the time as I am so anxious about dentists.

February 2022
Ashford Domiciliary

Very helpful, explained exactly what they were doing today. Extremely polite.

January 2022
Broadstairs

The ladies always make me feel less stressed about my visit with their friendliness and chattiness.

January 2022
New Romney

Everyone's really supportive.

January 2022
Faversham

Very friendly, treats patients with learning disabilities with respect and patience, good communication with patient and carer.

January 2022
Margate

Its absolutely perfect. Everybody is friendly and kind. Was seen on time. We were listened to and felt at home. Everything explained and plan done.

January 2022
Faversham

Very caring and reassuring, explained everything very well.

November 2022
Aylesham

I cannot fault the service, everything went smoothly.

November 2022
St Leonards hospital

Dentist Mehreen and nurse Rahima was very good with treating my autistic child, they listened and provided treatment with ease. Great team work.

November 2022
Margate

The reception staff and dental staff were all very friendly. Appointment was on time.

November 2022
South Hornchurch Health Centre

Everything went well. Very professional and explained and executed with care. A great pair working well together.

November 2022
HMP Swaleside

Quick and easy, kind and supportive care.

November 2022
Mobile Unit, London

I'm very happy and grateful with the treatment I'm receiving from Emma. If it wasn't for this van then I won't have anywhere else to go.

October 2022
Faversham

Very kind and understanding with helping my child. Thank you so much.

November 2022
Ashford

Great experience. Lovely staff, very patient with my son.

October 2022
Dover

It was amazing , staff very patient.

October 2022
St Leonards hospital

Receptionist has been really kind to me as well as the dentist and nurse.

October 2022
South Hornchurch Health Centre

Great with my daughter. Very patient and understanding.

October 2022
HMP Swaleside

Very happy and helpful people.

October 2022
HMP Swaleside

The girls were helpful and the dentist was also good in his care and handling.

October 2022
Margate

The people at Greenbanks are all so lovely and reassuring when I got panicked.

September 2022
Medway

Fantastic service.

October 2022
Ashford

Caring dentist and nurse, wasn't rushed in any way. Was able to ask as many questions as I liked and was patiently listened to.

September 2022
New Street Clinic, Sandwich

Easy to contact and communicate with. Pleasant surgery.

September 2022
South Hornchurch Health Centre

Everything was explained clearly. Good understanding of patient's needs.

September 2022
Barkantine Centre

Excellent. Explained well.

September 2022
Margate

Very friendly and positive. Staff are patient and understanding. Staff make the effort to get to know their patient.

September 2022
Ashford

Staff were kind and patient. I was put at ease and told what was happening at all times and was able to have treatment.

September 2022
St Leonards hospital

They were very friendly and good with children. They made sure my child was calm and explained everything.

August 2022
Shrewsbury Centre

Everyone so kind.