We are two family run NHS dental practices based in the Corstorphine and East Craigs areas of Edinburgh. We are committed to providing high quality NHS family dental care, which always includes a free check-up. As well as providing great general and preventative care, we also offer a fantastic range of cosmetic treatments.
Our friendly and welcoming team provide exceptional dentistry for all members of the family. The majority of our patients come to us following a recommendation from an existing patient.
If you are looking for the convenience of dental appointments before work, our first appointment is at 8:15am each day, Monday to Friday. We also offer late appointments, with the last check-up at 6:15pm Monday to Thursday. Unlike many practices in the area, we are always open on Friday afternoons until 4.45pm.
Both the St John’s Road & East Craigs Dental Practices have been operating at the maximum permitted capacity since re-opening to patients in June 2020. We have appointments available every day for those in pain or needing urgent treatment, but all patients phoning for an appointment need to speak to a triaging dentist before visiting the Practice so we can prioritise those in most urgent need.
Our hard working & committed team continues to do their very best for our patients despite the significant challenges of providing dentistry through the pandemic. We understand that many of our patients are struggling to understand quite what is happening with NHS dentistry at the moment so we have tried to explain below.
The Scottish Government previously announced that from 1 November 2020, the range of treatment which NHS dentists can offer would increase, but at the time acknowledged that it would not be business as usual because the number of appointments each day must be strictly limited to keep patients and team members safe – this has not changed as of Spring 2021. Operating restrictions relating to ensuring social distancing, PPE and decontamination remain strictly in place and there is no indication of this changing before the summer.
The Scottish Government and Lothian Primary Care have issued guidance on what we can do. Since the second lockdown began after Christmas, like all practices in Scotland we have been further restricted. As with all NHS practices, we are not allowed to have all our dentists working at once and are asked to see just 30 NHS patients per day of whom a up to 15 patients can be seen for an aerosol generating procedure (AGP) – e.g. something involving the use of a drill. Each time we use a drill we are required to leave the surgery empty for a set time, after which it is thoroughly cleaned. The majority of our available NHS appointments are given over to emergencies and the rest to “urgent” treatment.
If you have been to see us since we re-opened in June 2020 you will have seen the extensive measures we have taken to ensure that all patients (and our staff) are kept safe.
We know this is frustrating and distressing for our patients, as it is for us, and kindly request your continued patience and understanding.