Community Dentists

The University of Central Lancashire is the only university in the North West and one of only a few nationally to boast its own on-campus dental clinic. The Clinic provides clinical facilities which support the educational activity of dentistry students at our Preston Campus.

We are fully equipped to give postgraduate students direct access to practical clinical experience within the institution as well as providing suitable clinical experience for the whole dental team at the same location as they undertake their continued professional development.

Our Services

We provide specialist dental services to customers from across the region in our bright and modern clinic located approximately a 10-minute walk from Preston city centre. The Clinic features a host of up-to-date technologies and equipment including our Zeiss dental operating microscopes and Dental Cone Beam CT Scanner.

Our services are only available to patients who have been referred by their General Dental Practitioner.

Referrals

Our students carry out the clinical based element of their Masters programmes at the our training facility.

All postgraduate students are qualified GDC registered dentists and all course dates are under specialist led supervision. We operate lists for treatment by students but acceptance for treatment is based on criteria as defined by the school below. Course treatment dates which run between September and July are set a year in advance and cannot be changed.

Patients need to be informed that treatment is not provided within the NHS and the cost of all necessary treatment, investigations and planning must be paid by the patient. All costs and potential charges will be discussed with patients at their extended treatment planning appointment on acceptance to the programme.

All patients require a free initial triage appointment prior to being placed on a programme.

About Referrals

We require a detailed letter and recent radiographs in .jpg format; letters must contain the following details:

Referring dentist’s name, address and telephone number
Patient’s name, address, telephone number and DOB
Brief medical history/ complications
Full details of the case specifying which course they are requesting to attend
Recent radiographs

We do not take referrals for patients who are not actively participating in a good oral health regime or heavy smokers.

Indicative cases for students

Patients will receive supervised treatment on the MSc Prosthodontics but will have to cover all the associated laboratory costs involved in treatment planning and definitive dental treatment.

Patients should be highly motivated with good oral hygiene and stable periodontal health. It is essential that good quality supporting radiographs and a current BPE are sent with all referrals.

Replacement crown/bridgework
Aesthetic improvement
Tooth wear cases
Restoration of missing teeth with fixed or removable prostheses
The clinics run on Thursdays.

Patient’s desire to undertake specialist care and motivation for treatment
BPE Score of 4 in any sextant
- Appropriate non-surgical management initially carried out in general practice (including oral hygiene and smoking cessation advice)
- Diagnosis of aggressive periodontitis as assessed either by severity of disease for age or based on rapid rate of periodontal breakdown
- Diagnosis of refractory periodontitis
Surgery involving the periodontal tissues
- Patients requiring surgical procedures involving tissue augmentation or regeneration, including surgical management of muco-gingival problems
- Patients requiring surgery involving bone removal (eg crown lengthening)

Please note that in addition to relevant radiographs of diagnostic value, we would also require:

Confirmation of appropriate oral hygiene instruction (including interdental aids)
Confirmation of a full course of non-surgical periodontal treatment (which would normally consist of supragingival and subgingival scaling and root surface debridement under local anaesthesia)

Periodontology clinics run on a Tuesday

Referrals without this information will be returned.

Urgent referrals for example acute adult dental trauma must be clearly marked and given priority.

Referrals are accepted based on good restorative status, prognosis of treatment and strategic importance of maintaining the tooth.

Primary root canal treatment
Root canal retreatment
Surgical endodontic treatment of restoratively sound teeth when orthograde endodontic treatment is not viable
Vital pulp therapy (traumatic pulp exposures; stabilised deep caries with adequate tooth structure, possible exposure and absence of periapical disease)
Root resorption: affecting single restoratively viable tooth or affecting multiple teeth
Endodontic diagnosis or opinion

We do not currently consider accepting patients for:

Patients who have untreated primary dental disease
Unrestorable teeth with poor prognosis

Additional information required:

As well as the general referral information, the following is required:

Parallel view periapical radiograph(s) of the tooth/teeth in question must be enclosed; these must be of diagnostic quality
The tooth/teeth in question must be clearly stated
The type of treatment required should be stated, e.g. primary root canal treatment, root canal re-treatment, vital pulp therapy, surgery
A thorough pain history must be provided
A detailed history of previous treatment for the tooth in question, including any previous root canal treatment provided and of any difficulties encountered
Details of any fractured instruments, if applicable
Details of any previous treatment including, for example, pulp capping
Confirmation that the patient is free from primary dental disease (e.g. dental caries or periodontal inflammation) and details of treatment carried out to address these aspects. Basic periodontal examination (BPE) scores are required.

Endodontics runs on a Monday.

Straightforward cases based on the ITI SAC classification scale.

Patients need to be advised costs for a single restored straightforward implant can cost up to £950 with postgraduate placement more complex treatment can only be costed at planning stages.

Implant special conditions:

Not to refer patients with active periodontal disease, Perio has to be stabilised and kept stable for at 12 months before they are sent for consultation

The patients’ dental pathology needs to have been dealt with before referring – i.e. Root fillings for peri-apical lesions and fillings for decayed teeth.

The patients need to be dentally fit before referral and need to be advised that they will be assessed for suitability at their consult appointment.

Prosthodontics

Clinical placements anticipated to recommence in 2023. Prosthodontics is a specialist field of dentistry. Prosthodontics involves the replacement and repair of teeth using artificial materials.

We restore damaged teeth to enable patients to eat, smile and communicate. Advances in materials and manufacturing technology allow dentists to rebuild teeth. This is achieved using a wide range of safe, long-lasting and aesthetic materials with a choice of fixed and removable solutions.

Community Dentists is a dedicated educational facility. Qualified dentists treat patients under supervision as part of our training programme. Our clinical staff are well-qualified and have extensive experience in the management of more complex cases. They provide support and guidance to our training dentists.

Treatment is usually carried out under local anaesthesia, but many procedures do not need an anaesthetic. The length of each course of treatment depends on the amount and complexity of the treatment required. As the dentists are in training and need to discuss patient care with their supervisors, appointments will take longer than in the NHS, one to two hours on average. Our dentists are only available on specific days within University term times. Our clinics run on Thursdays.

We endeavour to provide the highest quality and most appropriate treatment for our patients. To do this we utilise state-of-the-art equipment and advanced materials.

Example of fees

When you are accepted as a patient we will assess your needs on an individual basis and outline the costs following diagnosis.

The below fees are designed to indicate costs for restorative treatments and are subject to change. For more information on fees, please contact us.

(£50 Treatment planning fee required)

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

Fillings	From £15
Single crown	From £183*
Inlay	From £152
Partial denture (acrylic)	From £146
Full upper or lower denture (acrylic)	From £255
Full upper or lower dentures (acrylic)	From £438
Single veneer	From £133
Upper and lower home teeth whitening with 6 x syringes of whitening gel	From £215

*Price will alter for precious metals

Patients will receive supervised treatment on the MSc Prosthodontics. Patients cover the associated laboratory costs involved in treatment planning and dental treatment. To be acceptable for treatment you should have good oral hygiene and stable periodontal health.

You must provide us with good-quality radiographs & a current Basic Periodontal Examination when submitting your referral letter.

We provide the following services:

Aesthetic improvement
Replacement crown/bridgework
Restoration of missing teeth with fixed or removable prostheses
Tooth wear cases

Periodontitis

Periodontitis, or gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. If untreated, the teeth can get progressively looser, drift and ultimately fall out.

The first part of the management of periodontitis is a thorough assessment, including measuring the depth of any pockets in the gums around the teeth. The depth of these are often an indication of how much bone has already been lost, and this can be confirmed by radiographs.

Patients are given instructions and demonstrations regarding cleaning around any affected areas and the roots of the teeth are cleaned in order to shrink the size of the pockets. Occasionally the roots need to be cleaned a second time, under a local anaesthetic, and in certain cases some minor gum surgery may be necessary to eliminate a pocket.

The aims of treatment are to eliminate or reduce pockets to the extent that the patient can keep their gums healthy with effective tooth cleaning at home.

Example of fees

Each patient will be assessed on an individual basis and costs will be outlined following diagnosis. The below fees are designed to indicate the costs for perio treatment and are subject to change. For more information on fees, please contact us.

From £50 for Perio treatment*

*Price will alter for precious metals

Endodontics

Millions of teeth are treated and saved each year with endodontics or root canal treatment.

This procedure is carried out to treat the nerve of a tooth when it has become infected due to decay or injury. The treatment serves to provide pain relief and save teeth which would otherwise have to be extracted, it involves cleaning of the tooth with special files and disinfectants, under a dental microscope. The space inside the root is then filled to prevent further infection. Some teeth may require a crown at the end of the procedure, to provide additional strength and protection.

Treatment is carried out under local anaesthesia, so should be pain free. The duration of the procedure will depend on the complexity of the tooth’s root canal system and individual circumstances. On average, each appointment may last one to two hours, over one to two visits.

We endeavour to provide the best quality of treatment and care, utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and materials. We are dedicated to our patients comfort and wellbeing during and after their appointment.

Example of fees

Each patient will be assessed on an individual basis and costs will be outlined following diagnosis. The below fees are designed to indicate costs for endodontics treatments and are subject to change. For more information on fees, please contact us.

From £200 for RCT

From £300 for Re-RCT

*Price will alter for precious metals

Oral Surgery

Most people think of oral surgery as being the extraction of wisdom teeth, and whilst this is certainly a significant part of it, the scope of oral surgery is much broader.

Unerupted, impacted or broken teeth often require surgical removal, and this is usually carried out in the dental surgery under a local anaesthetic. Some more complex surgical procedures require a general anaesthetic, and this is usually performed at a hospital. Occasionally, in order to assess the health of a mouth, it is necessary to remove a piece of tissue and look at it under a microscope. This is called a biopsy, and can be carried out in the dental chair under a local anaesthetic

Oral surgeons have additional training in the diagnosis of medical conditions that can affect the mouth, and which may present as sore patches, ulcers or swellings.

Example of fees

Fees do not usually apply for Oral Surgery as this is carried out under an agreement with Blackpool Victoria Hospital or the FCMS Emergency service and is not for direct referral.

Implantology

Dental implants are a modern way of replacing a missing tooth. The process involves the surgical placement of a titanium ‘root’ into the site of the missing tooth. This is then used to support a new crown.

In a healthy mouth, implants have been shown to be a very successful alternative to a bridge or denture. Not every patient is suitable for implants as there must be sufficient bone present for the implant to be placed in the correct position, and often a cone beamed CT scan is taken to assess the remaining bone volume as part of the planning procedure. Smoking has also been shown to be a contraindication to implant treatment.

The treatment will take approximately 4 months in straightforward cases, and it is important that any decay or gum disease has been treated prior to any implant treatment, and that patients are able to clean their teeth effectively.

Example of fees

Each patient will be assessed on an individual basis and costs will be outlined following diagnosis. The below fees are designed to indicate costs for implant treatments and are subject to change. For more information on fees, please contact us.

From £950 for a Single Implant with Crown Restoration

From £1650 for a 3 Unit Bridge on 2 Implant Abutments

From £ 1500 for an Implant Retained Denture on 2 Implants

From £3000 for an Implant Retained Denture on 4 Implants

*Price will alter for precious metals

Contact us

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 8.30am - 6.00pm

Patients must be available to attend between 9.30am and 4pm. We are unable to offer any student service outside of these times and the set dates.

Address

Community Dentists
Harrington Building
University of Central Lancashire
Telephone: +44 (0)1772 896300

Email: dentalreception@uclan.ac.uk

There is a limited amount of free parking outside of the clinic. However, there are several pay and display car parks within a 5-minutes’ walk of the clinic.

Complaints

We take all complaints seriously and aim to deal with your concerns in a timely manner. The person responsible for dealing with any complaint made directly to reception, face to face, via telephone or email is the Practice Manager, Jane Pearson, using the contact details on this page. We will acknowledge your complaint in writing and enclose a copy of our full code of practice as soon as possible, normally within three working days.

Company Reg: 12125325

Malcolm Edwards GDC: 55435

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