Barts and The London Dental Hospital >> For patients
For patients
What to expect
Patients accepted for treatment
There is a limit to the number of patients that we can accept for treatment. However, when capacity allows we are delighted to be able to offer treatment for patients at the dental hospital. Some patients may be accepted under a shared care scheme where we will carry out certain treatments and then the patient’s general dental practitioner will continue with other necessary treatment requirements. After a course of treatment, all patients are discharged back to the care of their general dental practitioner.
Priority patients
There are a small group of patients who take priority and will receive treatment by qualified hospital dentists, these priority patients will be receiving treatment for the following conditions:
- Mouth cancer
- Developmental dental disorders eg: cleft lip/palate, developmentally missing teeth (hypodontia) and imperfecta (malformation of enamel)
- Orofacial trauma
- Medical conditions eg severe bleeding disorders or a recent organ transplant patients
Referrals and first appointments
Once you have been referred to the dental hospital by either your GP or your dentist, you will be seen by one of our consultants in clinic. One of the first steps will include detailed x-rays and you will be referred to our radiology department.
X-rays
The radiology department provides a service for all our dental specialities and plays a crucial role in patients’ diagnosis and treatment.
You will be referred to radiology by a specialist who will have requested certain x-rays. Depending on the nature of the treatment, either one or several x-rays will be taken and this procedure may involve placing small films directly into the mouth to make sure that all the angles of tooth formation are captured on film.
After the x-rays are completed, you may need to wait for the film to be processed which takes approximately ten minutes. You are normally asked to take your x-rays back to the clinic where your consultation will continue.
As we are a major teaching hospital the x-ray department may be extremely busy so there may be a delay if x-rays are required.
Cancelling appointments
We do ask that those patients who have been accepted for treatment let us know in good time if they need to cancel an appointment. Cancellation of 2 appointments close to eachother will result in patients being discharged from the dental hospital. Failure to attend the first treatment appointment or 2 failures to attend will also result in patients being discharged from the dental hospital.
Surgery
If you are due to have routine dental surgery, this will take place at the dental hospital and the surgery is carried out while you are in a dental chair. Ideally, you should be accompanied by an adult, particularly if you are having sedation prior to your surgery as you may need to go home by car.
We recommend that all patients rest as much as possible after surgery. Adults should not return straight to work and children should not return to school, although it is unlikely that you will need to be away from work / school for more than 24 hours.
Information materials for patients
We use a range of patient information leaflets to explain different procedures and treatments, giving patients details of what to expect before, during and after their treatment.
Follow-up care
Follow-up care depends entirely on the type of treatment you are receiving. Sometimes a treatment plan is put in place for you at the hospital and this is managed by your general dental practitioner, so you will be seeing your local dentist for follow-up care. If you are not sure about your follow-up care, always ask your consultant who will be able to provide you with the right advice.
