Dentists for disabled adults and children

You may be eligible for free NHS dental treatment in an NHS general or specialist service.

You cannot get help with the costs of private dental treatment.

Free NHS dental treatment

With the right adjustments, a general dentist might be accessible.

The waiting list for general dentists is usually shorter than for specialist dental services.

Checking if dentists are accessible to you

If you cannot read letters because you have a visual impairment you could say:

• "My condition means that letters are not accessible to me. Please could you send me emails instead of posting me letters?"

You could ask the surgery to find out if it is accessible to you.

Reasonable adjustments

The surgery must make reasonable adjustments so that it is accessible to you.

There is no set definition of what is 'reasonable'. It depends on:

• what you need
• how expensive the adjustments might be
• if the adjustments are legal

Adjusting policies which usually apply to all patients can also be a reasonable adjustment, depending on what you need.

For example, the surgery might not allow dogs into appointments. But allowing assistance dogs would be reasonable under the Equality Act 2010.

Asking for reasonable adjustments

If they refuse reasonable adjustments

Send an email or letter saying what you need and why.

For example:

"I understand that you do not normally allow dogs in. But there is a legal requirement for you to make adjustments so that your service is accessible to disabled people. My dog is a guide dog and I need them to access your surgery. Please can you discuss this with the practice owner or manager."

If they still refuse, ask to see the practice's complaints procedure. The procedure should say:

• how to make a formal complaint to the surgery
• what to do next if that does not work, usually complaining to NHS England or the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman

You can also ask the dental practice to refer you to a specialist dental service.

You need a referral to access a specialist dentist service. They may be able to offer home visits, if that is what you need.

For example, you may need a specialist dental service if your condition affects your movement. They may be able to give you sedation to help you stay still.

Specialist dental services usually have longer waiting lists than general dentists.

You can get a referral from a:

• GP
• social worker
• learning disability worker
• hospital doctor

Contact NHS England if you want to find out more about community dentists.

Dental treatment for people with special needs (NHS)

You could:

• use breathing exercises for stress (NHS.UK)
• play music through headphones to distract you

Some dental services may be able to give you sedation, depending on your condition. Talk to your dentist if you feel that sedation might help.

On the day of your appointment, you could:

• bring somebody to support you with your visit
• bring something to do that might help you relax

Preparing for a dentist appointment

Before your appointment, you could:

• speak to your dentist and nurses to explain how you feel and decide together what to do
• agree with your dentist on a signal you will make if you want them to stop
• ask if you can have someone with you during your appointment

Helping someone to prepare for an appointment

Often, talking about what will happen before the appointment can help. You could use visual tools, for example:

• a calendar if your child finds it hard to understand dates and times
• pictures of the things and people they will see at the dentist

You could ask to visit the dentist in advance so that you can:

• visit the building
• meet the dentist and other staff

Your child will notice how you speak about going to the dentist. Explain what is going to happen in a positive way, even if you might be scared of going to the dentist.

You could also ask the dentist to show your child what equipment they will use and how it works. Choose words that you think your child will understand. For example:

• instead of ‘local anesthetic’ you could say ‘numbing water’
• instead of ‘drill’ you could say ‘buzzing tooth cleaner’