A Carnoustie dental practice is to stop serving NHS patients after more than 20 years due to “significant” financial losses.
Graham Laws, who runs Laws Dental on Brown Street, says he has not been “left with much of a choice” but to move to more expensive private care only.
Mr Laws, who is principal dentist at the practice, expects the change to take place in March 2024.
He told The Courier: “I have been loyal to NHS dentistry for 21 years, but the significant changes enacted recently have pushed me, very reluctantly, in the direction to leave the NHS.
Laws Dental in Carnoustie ‘has no choice but to ditch NHS treatments’
“The service has been severely underfunded for a while now and for the last six months the practice has been making significant losses which, if not addressed, would ultimately lead to closure of the practice and several thousand patients left without dental care.
“I’m not really left with much of a choice.”
He says new regulations, introduced by the NHS on November 1, have also forced the move.
The new rules mean that general dental check-ups can take place less frequently.
But that has drawn criticism from some, including one Fife dentist who warned it could cost lives.
Carnoustie dentist Mr Laws said: “The new regulations mean that for a large proportion of our patients, routine dental examinations will only be carried out every two years.
“Early detection and treatment of diseases such as oral cancer, gum disease and dental decay require regular six-monthly dental examinations.
“As a practice that strives to provide patients with the highest levels of care, only seeing a large proportion of them once every two years is not acceptable.”
One patient affected by the move contacted The Courier to say the town only has two dental practices and that “nobody can afford” the plans being offered as part of Laws Dental moving to private care only – with prices from £17.98 to £27.14 per month.
Mr Laws says the practice will continue seeing children under 18, pregnant women and mums with children less than a year old on the NHS.
‘I appreciate some won’t be able to afford the move to private but what can I do?’
He added: “This has been a very difficult decision for me, as I fully appreciate some of our patients will not be able to afford the move to private dental care.
“But what can I do?
“Unless significant changes occur within our healthcare system, which make owning an NHS dental practice financially viable, dentists like myself will continue to be forced to leave.”
NHS Tayside says it cannot comment on service provision from individual practices as they are run independently, but pointed patients to information on dental services on its website.
Public health Minister Jenni Minto said: “It is incorrect to suggest patients can only be seen every 24 months.
“Dentists are free to use their clinical discretion to see patients as often as they like based on their oral health, in line with NICE guidelines.
“The new fee levels are more reflective of the increased costs of modern dentistry, providing longer-term sustainability.
“Under the new system a dentist would get over 60% more for providing a full set of dentures while the fee for a single surface filling increased by almost 45%.
“By setting a fairer fee for dentists, we are seeking to protect provision of treatment for NHS patients and attract more dentists, while ensuring that costs remain significantly below the prices charged by private providers.”
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