Specialist Dental Services - Adult

There are many reasons why you might not be able to leave your home. It's best to talk to us about your situation so we can work out if you meet the criteria.

Mostly, this service is offered to a patient that is unable to get to their dental practice because of a disability or medical condition.

Before a home dental care visit, you will have an online or telephone consultation appointment with a member of the dental team to confirm if a home visit is right for you.  You will also be assessed on a home visit to see if it may be best to arrange for you to be seen in one of our clinics for further assessment or treatment.   

• Patients who can leave their house or care setting to access appointments in a taxi, ambulance or car.
• Patients who can leave their house to access other services. For example, the hairdressers, GP surgery or shopping. 
• Patients who can travel to clinics using non-emergency patient transport

Treating you in your home or care setting can be very challenging for the dental team.

• They do not have access to all their normal equipment or a dental chair.
• Only minimal treatment is possible at home such as a dental check-up, smoothing teeth, fluoride application, temporary fillings, and sometimes a tooth extraction.

We may suggest coming into the clinic for a certain treatment as this may be considered the safest setting. We cannot take X rays or impressions for denture work on a home visit and you may need to come to a clinic to have these taken.

If you are bedbound, you may need to be referred into a hospital setting for a stretcher transfer to get the treatment you need.  However, the first assessment can take place at home.

A dental nurse will come with the dentist, there may be more clinicians attending as we do train staff in home dental care. We may bring a trolley with all our equipment as well as emergency medicines and oxygen. The patient who is having an assessment or treatment should have a private place to do this, to maintain dignity and privacy.

There also needs to be a clean table area to act as a base for the examination kit and access to running water. The dentist and dental nurse attending will be wearing blue surgical scrubs and have NHS ID badges. They will need a clean space to put on their personal protective equipment (PPE) which usually consists of gloves, surgical mask and visor.

They will also need to shine a torch to get a good view inside the mouth.

The dentist will let you, and if needed carers or family present, know what they see and will make a treatment plan. They will also need an updated Medical History document with a current list of your medications.

Please make sure any pets are kept in a different room for the visit.

Standard NHS dental charges apply. Some patients will be exempt from paying.

Please visit this NHS website page for more details and a list of exemptions - How much NHS dental treatment costs

The NHFT Dental Department is a referral-only service that provides a wide range of dental treatments including Special Care Dentistry, Oral Surgery, Paediatric Dentistry and Oral Health Promotion.

We provide support and dental care for children and adults who cannot access dental treatment in general dental practice due to significant medical problems, learning disabilities, complex mental health problems, physical disabilities or other issues.

If you are registered with a dentist, please contact them immediately as they will be able to help you.

If you are not registered with a dentist, contact your local Urgent Dental Centres:

• Bupa, Cottingham Road (Corby) - 01536 401925
• Bupa, Billing Road (Northampton)- 01604 639296
• Bupa, Mannock Medical Centre (Wellingborough) - 01933 224 462

For out-of-hours, contact NHS 111

• Dental and gum infections. Please tell your dentist or call handler if you have a high temperature, problems opening your mouth or medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart problems or a compromised immune system
• Severe toothache that does not go away taking painkillers
• Broken teeth where the nerve is exposed
• Bleeding following a tooth extraction
• Trauma in your jaw bone, face or that may have caused your tooth to fall out. If this is serious, you might need to go to A&E

The following problems do not mean you to urgently see a dentist: 

• Toothache that goes away with painkillers, small tooth fractures, 
• Loose or displaced crowns or bridges
• Fractured or loose dentures 
• Broken fillings
• Bleeding gums

However, you should still get in touch with your dentist or contact your local urgent dental care services as they will be able to give you further advice.

Visit the following website: www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist. You will need to contact the dental practice directly and check whether they are currently accepting NHS patients.

If you normally pay for NHS Dental treatment, there will be 3 standard charges. The amount you pay will depend on the treatment you need to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

• Band 1: This covers an examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if clinically needed, and preventative care such as the application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant if appropriate.
• Band 2: This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or removal of teeth but not more complex items covered by
• Band 3: This covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures, bridges and other laboratory work. For information about help with dental charges, including how to claim a refund, see our section on help with health costs.

The most up to date charges and exemptions can be found on the NHS website - How much NHS dental treatment costs

Your dentist will able to advise you on how often you need a dental check-up, depending on your individual risk to dental disease. This might be from a minimum of 3 monthly visits to every 2 years.

Check-ups are important for your dentist to check your mouth for tooth decay, gum disease or mouth cancer.

Visit the NHS website for further information.