Plan to convert former Ripon dentist into flat

A plan has been lodged to convert a former dentist in Ripon into a flat.

The proposal, which has been lodged by Wilkinsons Properties Ltd, would see the former W&B Dental practice converted.

The dentists was formerly based at 12 High Skellgate in the city.

The practice has since moved to Phoenix Business Centre.

Under the plans, the first floor property would be converted into a one-bedroom flat and be accessed from High Skellgate.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

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Harrogate district patients feeling ‘catastrophic impact’ of dental crisis

Patients in the Harrogate district are feeling the “catastrophic impact” of the dental crisis on their overall health, according to a new report.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire, the NHS body representing patients, is demanding a task force be set up to address the crisis in the county’s oral health due to a lack of NHS dentists.

The report outlines the impact of not being able to access an NHS dentist on the lives of more than 80 residents in the county, including Harrogate.

‘Urgent reform’

The watchdog said the issue needed “urgent reform”.

Ashley Green, chief executive officer at Healthwatch North Yorkshire, said:

“The case studies presented in this report reiterate the severe issues facing people across North Yorkshire. To hear the drastic measures people have resorted to after not being able to access an NHS dentist is harrowing.

“The financial impact, the impact on people’s mental health and on people’s physical health – these case studies reiterate the disaster people across our county are facing.

“Urgent reform is needed, and we urge that something is done now — before the situation gets even worse.”

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A Harrogate case study detailed how one patient suffering gum pain called 10 dentists, both private and NHS, and offered to pay privately, but was told none were taking either NHS or private patients.

They said:

“I called 111 and was told to go and see my dentist, I explained I didn’t have a dentist and was told it was difficult at the moment.

“The pain was worsening so I ended up taking paracetamol, codeine and ibuprofen, spaced out at regular intervals. I again called 111, and only when I said I was now taking three types of painkiller did they take notice.

“They said a dentist would call me at around 7.30am next morning, so be up and ready to go. No phone call until 1.30pm telling me to go to a practice in Harrogate the next morning. I went and was seen for a couple of minutes, confirming that I had a gum infection. The dentist prescribed antibiotics, which did clear up the infection.

“My complaint is that dentists are not bound to give a person in pain help. I have heard this complaint from quite a few friends now, surely they should be duty bound to see emergency cases.”

The recommendations outlined in the report include:

Nationally, Healthwatch England has led calls for a radical rethink of NHS dentistry and it will be announcing its next steps over the coming weeks.

The government said it was increasing investment in services to improve access.

Acute problem of NHS dentists

Last year, the Stray Ferret revealed that just two Harrogate district NHS dentists were accepting patients but both had a waiting list of at least two-and-a-half years.

The investigation revealed how acute the problem of dental care is for people on low incomes in the district, with one councillor describing the situation as “shocking”.

Meanwhile, a review of NHS dentistry published in August 2021 found that found there was just one NHS dentist practice per 10,000 people in the district.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire is calling for people to share their views and experiences of health and social care, by visiting our website, calling 01423 788128 or emailing admin@hwny.co.uk.

Covid causes Harrogate residents to seek the perfect smile

There’s been a rise in demand for cosmetic dental treatments from teeth whitening to full smile makeovers according to Harrogate dentists who specialise in the field. Treatments such as veneers and composite bonding are at much higher levels than 18 months ago.

Now we are venturing out again and social calendars are filling up, people are looking to fix the things that have always bothered them, like crooked smiles or stained teeth.

Constant Zoom video calls during the pandemic also caused the ‘mirror effect’ meaning there’s no escaping hours looking at your dental imperfections.

Dr Shoreh Ghasmi, from The Harrogate Clinic

Dr Shoreh Ghasmi, who runs The Harrogate Clinic, on Prospect Crescent, said:

“I think everybody now wants to do something nice for their smile. Before they didn’t care that much.

“Many people stayed at home during the pandemic and have been using Zoom and I think it makes them aware of their smile and the state of their teeth. I have many patients now who have said they think they look awful on Zoom and don’t want to smile.

“Also when people have stayed at home, their partners have seen them much more and have noticed their teeth, so that’s another reason they are wanting to improve them.

“One of the crucial things is people are removing their masks and they are seeing much more of their smiles. Where as before when everybody had masks, people got used to their teeth. Now half of their face isn’t under a mask all of a sudden.”

Dr Jatinder ‘Sonny’ Sagoo, clinical director of Clover House dental practice, on Skipton Road, said he had also noticed a significant increase in elective treatments in the wake of the pandemic, as well as treatments to secure and maintain dental health.

He said:

“The two have to go hand-in-hand for long term successful outcomes. Although patients do come in asking for specific treatments we find it best to have a detailed conversation of the outcome they desire and then working out the best way of achieving it. Sometimes simple interventions can make a remarkable difference. With modern dentistry we increasingly make use of digital technologies to help plan, visualise and deliver results.

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Dr Sagoo also said people have money to spend after a year of lockdown:

He said:

“In addition the inability to make other discretionary spending, such as holidays and eating out, probably means there is a higher level of disposable income available. Costs of treatments can now be easily spread over several months, making treatment more affordable from monthly cash flow.

“Dental treatments have also become really accessible and easier to tolerate, for example clear and invisible braces that straighten teeth without anyone knowing about the treatment.

“I definitely agree Zoom is a factor. In normal circumstances you can’t see your own smile, so it’s easier to ignore it if there’s something that’s not right.

“When you see your smile on the monitor – now often in high res – it can be a prompt. People generally want to present themselves in the best possible light and with Zoom the only bit of the person you normally see is their face and smile.”

Dr Jatinder ‘Sonny’ Sagoo, from Clover House dental practice

There has also been a notable increase in the number of adults getting braces in a bid for straighter teeth, said Dr Sagoo.

He said:

“In the noughties there was a marked trend in instant smile makeovers using ceramic veneers and crowns. If teeth were not straight they could be disguised to look straight.

“Whilst this gave instant results, there were long term consequences such as damage to enamel and dentine and also eventually the ceramics needed replacing.

“With the advent of clear aligner and invisible brace systems, it became easier and more acceptable to move crowded teeth so they were straight.

“If you couple this with tooth whitening to lift the colour and cosmetic bonding to make subtle refinements, it became easier to get great results and keep the natural tooth perfectly intact.

“The “Align, Bleach, Bond” method is much more conservative in its approach and therefore better for long term dental health.”

Successful teeth whitening and cosmetic recontouring at Clover House dental practice

 

An example of composite bonding at Clover House dental practice

 

 

Whitening and composite bonding at The Harrogate Clinic

 

An example of dental aesthetic treatment at The Harrogate Clinic

Watchdog report: Just one NHS dentist per 10,000 people in Harrogate district

A health watchdog has laid bare the shocking lack of provision of NHS dentists in the Harrogate district in a new report published today.

NHS Dentistry in North Yorkshire: A Review of Public Feedback 2020-2021 found there was just one NHS dentist practice per 10,000 people in the district.

The report, published by Healthwatch North Yorkshire, also revealed that no Harrogate district dental practices were currently taking on new patients.

With so few dentists and so many patients, the report said many patients faced either long waits or high bills through private treatment.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire also highlighted how confusing it can be for someone attempting to find an NHS dentist.

In most areas across the county there are dentists listed on the NHS Choices website which do not actually provide an NHS service.

Volunteers from Healthwatch North Yorkshire called all of the practices listed on the NHS website in the county to ask if they were taking on new patients.

Three of the 19 in the Harrogate district said they were not NHS practices.

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This means there are 16 NHS dentist practices in the Harrogate district for an estimated 160,500 people. None are taking on new patients.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire received 176 calls from the public in the last year about NHS dentists. The vast majority — 84% — were negative.

Some of the complaints from Harrogate residents:

Anonymous email, December 2020, Harrogate:

“I needed an emergency filling at the beginning of the first lockdown. I was offered a temporary DIY kit which worked for all of two days.

“Weeks go by. I finally got my appointment, only to find that they still can’t fix it because they can’t use all equipment without the correct PPE.

“God knows how many months later and I’ve still only got a temporary fix.”

Anonymous website feedback, April 2021, Harrogate:

“I have been trying to obtain an NHS dentist for my 10-year-old daughter, myself and my husband.

“One dentist in Knaresborough said they could add us to a list that had a three year wait for an appointment.

“Another told me that the only way that my daughter could be seen would be if myself and my husband took a private place at a cost of £75 for an initial consultation each.

“This is disgraceful and holding people ransom for their children to be able to access basic dental treatment.”

Anonymous telephone call, April 2021, Harrogate:

“Caller rang about their partner. They have a hole in their tooth. Rang 111 to arrange an emergency appointment because of the pain – it took a week and a half to get an appointment.

“The dentist charged £90, and gave antibiotics. Told them to come back two days later for further treatment, bill to be £1,600.

“I tried finding NHS dentists elsewhere, none anywhere. Partner can’t pay that as they have been unemployed for the past six months.”

What can be done to fix the problem?

Ashley Green, chief executive of Healthwatch North Yorkshire, said:

“The lack of access to and availability of NHS dentists has severely affected the health and wellbeing of people across North Yorkshire, from Scarborough to Selby, from Craven to Harrogate.

“The impact of coronavirus has only acted to exemplify a dental system already under enormous strain and challenge.

“We feel it is now time to act – and to use upcoming changes to NHS and social care reforms, specifically the emergence of integrated care systems to fuel this change.

“We hear on a weekly basis the struggles of people and families unable to be seen by an NHS dentist, but also the desire by NHS dentists to see and treat their patients more effectively.”

‘Extremely urgent’ action required to tackle NHS dentist shortage

Health bosses have insisted they are doing everything possible to attract NHS dentists to set up in North Yorkshire after admitting there is a growing backlog of patients awaiting treatment.

After grilling NHS bosses responsible for dentistry across the region, North Yorkshire’s scrutiny of health committee concluded the health service needs to take “extremely urgent” action to address dire access to services.

It comes as the Stray Ferret revealed in March that just two NHS dentists in the Harrogate district were accepting new patients — and both have a waiting time of at least two-and-a-half years.

At the time, Cllr John Ennis, chair of the health scrutiny committee for North Yorkshire, described the findings as “shocking”.

‘Residents demand explanations’

The health committee meeting heard that over the past 12 months, practices in North Yorkshire had started handing back NHS contracts and others had been terminated for failing to provide contracted services.

Of the 100 remaining dentistry NHS contracts in the county, some only take children as NHS patients if their parents pay for private treatment and others that do take adult NHS patients report waiting lists of more than 8,000 patients.

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Cllr Tony Randerson told the meeting that residents were demanding explanations as to why parents were having to take children as young as six to places such as Middlesbrough and face bills of £100 for check-ups.

He called on the county council to put pressure on the government to improve access to NHS dentistry.

Cllr Randerson said:

“The government has got a responsibility to look after not only the small few that can afford private treatment, but everybody. It is a duty of care.

“It’s absolutely criminal that these people are having to travel as far away as Hull or Leeds if they are fortunate enough to get an appointment, and not necessarily NHS appointments. This cannot be allowed to go on.”

The meeting heard access to NHS dentistry had been grave in some areas for many years.

NHS dentistry commissioner Debbie Pattinson said that due to nationally imposed pandemic restrictions practices were continuing to operate at about 60 per cent capacity. 

She emphasised practices had been asked to prioritise those in need of urgent care.

Ms Pattinson said: 

“We’ve got a growing backlog, a growing number of people who want a regular check up and cant get one.

“It is unprecedented. We’ve not known anything like it in North Yorkshire with the contracts coming back.”

Managing perceptions

However, she added NHS bosses were working to manage “public perceptions”. 

She said: 

“Dentistry isn’t free. It is a subsidised service.”

Ms Pattinson said finding replacement practices was proving difficult as due to covid restrictions “nobody wants to take on more activity”.

Nevertheless, she said the NHS hoped to have commissioned some out of hours urgent care appointments on Saturdays at a number of different clinics in bigger towns across North Yorkshire by the beginning of October.

To target inequality, North Yorkshire and Humber Local Dental Network chairman Simon Hearnshaw said the NHS was looking at introducing a dentistry programme for children linking a practice to a school, supporting supervised brushing, increasing fluoride, and supporting access to care.

He added the NHS was “trying extremely hard” to improve provision, which included examining incentivising practices to set up in areas of county with no NHS dental cover.

Harrogate dentist drops plans to stop NHS services

A Harrogate dentist has dropped plans to stop providing NHS services after patients raised concerns.

Chatsworth House Dental Clinic proposed in August transferring NHS patients to Starbeck Dental Centre.

The provider never made a formal approach to the NHS and has now confirmed it has no intention to stop the service.

The owners of Chatsworth House Dental Clinic said in a statement to the Stray Ferret:

“At the time, the practice was merely seeking opinion from our patient base about the possible merging of NHS services with another practice in the locality.

“We decided not to pursue this any further after feedback from our patients and the logistics of such a proposal.

“We have no intention of ceasing NHS services and the practice is fully committed to providing NHS services for the long-term future at its current location.”

The decision surprised the management team at Starbeck Dental Centre, which was set to take on the NHS contract.

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Jonathan Campbell, group operations manager at Starbeck Dental Centre, said:

“I can confirm that the transfer to Starbeck Dental Centre is not happening following the unexpected withdrawal from the owners of Chatsworth House Dental Clinic.

“At Target Dental Group our aim is to provide the best possible care to the patients to both NHS and private patients of Harrogate and surrounding areas.”

Investigation into NHS dentist provision in Harrogate district

It comes after an investigation by the Stray Ferret found that just two NHS dentists in the Harrogate district are currently accepting patients and they have a waiting list of at least two-and-a-half years.

We looked into the availability of free NHS services at the 18 district dental practices listed on the NHS website.

Many have not updated their information for years. But they all fall into one of three categories: they have a long waiting list; they have such a long waiting list that they are not taking on new patients; or they no longer hold an NHS contract.

Of the 18 practices, only MyDentist in Knaresborough and AW Jones Dental Practice in Boroughbridge are taking patients — with waiting times of two-and-a-half years and three years respectively.

Harrogate dentists prioritise emergency patients

Dentists in Harrogate have been hit hard by lockdown restrictions and some fear that social distancing measures at surgeries will be place for a long time to come.

Dr Tim Doswell, who is a dentist at the Raglan Suite in Harrogate, said dentistry will not be able to “go back to normal” and that surgeries will have to prioritise emergency procedures.

He said non-essential areas, such as cosmetics, will have to be seen as less important and appointments may remain limited for some time to come.

Meanwhile, patient appointments may have to be spaced out which means some dentists will be forced to remain open longer in order to see them.

Dr Doswell said the industry will have to adjust to life after the coronavirus pandemic.

“The problem with dentistry there is a lot of aerosol-generating procedures and it has been shown that this can stay in the environment in the surgery for up to three hours, so this then puts the next patient at risk,” he said.

“So in the new world when we do go back to work it’s going to be very different until we get a vaccine.

“Appointments will have to be spaced out which is going to limit availability, so non-essential dentistry is going to be very limited for a long time as dentists will have to prioritise emergencies.”

At the moment, dentists can only see patients for emergency appointments.

This includes life threatening infections, trauma caused by accidents, severe pain that cannot be controlled by pain killers or a fractured tooth which has exposed the nerve.

Other patients are triaged over the phone and offered advice or prescribed medicine, such as pain killers or antibiotics.

Anne Benson, who works as a carer for St Margaret’s, told the Stray Ferret that she would not have been able to get back to work without the swift work of her dentist:

“The day after the lockdown came into place I started to have really bad toothache. After a few courses of antibiotics prescribed by my dentist did not seem to be doing the trick he booked me in for another appointment. He carried out an x ray and then drained the abscess. He was in full PPE along with his assistant the whole time, it was absolutely brilliant. If I didn’t get the care from my dentist then I would not be able to do my job looking after vulnerable people.”

WATCH: Harrogate Dentist using 3D printers to make protective visors

 

Dentists and technicians from the Raglan Suite Dentistry Laboratory in Ripon have developed a protective visor from 3D printers normally used for dental work.

So far they have provided almost 2,500 visors free of charge to local care homes, hospitals and other key workers that need them.

Steven Campbell, Dental Technician at the Raglan Suite and MD of Nexus Dental Laboratory, told The Stray Ferret:

“Dentistry is on pause, so we wanted to make use of our 3D printing machines that usually make night guards, liners and dentures. I was shocked at the lack of PPE available so we have managed to come up with the perfect design to create these essential visors. It is brilliant to be able to provide  PPE equipment to our local area.”

The technicians have also been making 900 ear savers each day to make the visors more comfortable for people to wear for long periods of time.

There has been industry funding for the production of these and there is also a go fund me page where people are able to donate towards the making of them.