Dentists to reopen on June 8 for patients in England, confirm officials

29 May 2020, 08:53

Only emergency cases have been treated over the past nine weeks of lockdown.

Dentists across England have been given the official date they're allowed to reopen and start taking appointments.

Restrictions for lockdown are gradually being eased, and the Chief Dentistry Officer for England, Sara Hurley, has revealed the welcome news that dental serviced can begin again from June 8.

The country went into lockdown back on March 23rd, and dentists were forced to stop their treatments such as fillings, root canals and more.

Patients have only been allowed to see dentists in cases of emergencies during the past 10 weeks.

This has understandably caused a lot of those with issues, so the news that dental practices can reopen their doors has been welcomed with open arms.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announce yesterday that all five tests have been met in order for the country to move forward to the next step of easing lockdown.

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But as the Prime Minister announced all five tests had been met today, the CDO confirmed dentists would be able to return to work in just over a week.

Strict measures will be in place as they reopen, with staff needing all PPE before they start treating patients.

The CDO has also warned that previous operating volumes will inevitably phase back in and that remote consultations will continue as part of a practice's revised operating model.

Ms Hurley wrote: "We are asking that all dental practices commence opening from Monday 8 June for all face to face care, where practices assess that they have the necessary IPC and PPE requirements in place."