Attending Your Appointment

Please see information regarding our waiting list trial, should you wish to join.

This may be for an emergency appointment only, routinely under the NHS, Privately or part of our Private Care Plan.

Attending your first appointment
  • Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment time, to allow us to complete all the necessary documentation
  • You will be required to fill in an up to date medical history, so please bring a list of any medications you may be taking (together with lists of those who may require you to complete their medical histories e.g. children, older relatives).
  • If you are entitled to free or reduced cost NHS dental services please bring evidence/proof of your exemption.
  • Please provide our receptionist with details of an up to date mobile telephone number and email address so we can process your dental recalls.*

* Dental recall reminders are sent via email and text message only. Text message reminders are sent automatically 48 hours prior to an appointment. Patients are requested to inform the Practice of any changes in their contact details.

Please note:

Text reminders are sent as a courtesy and text may to be sent/received for reasons beyond our control (e.g. IT failure/change in mobile number etc). Therefore, failure to attend an appointment by reason of not receiving a text message will not be considered a valid exception to our failure to attend policy.

If you need your reading glasses to complete the relevant documentation, please bring these with you!!

Booking for NHS Appointment

We've listened to your feedback and we are now opening our appointment book three months in advance.

In addition, we've increased the availability of examination appointments and introduced a waiting list. We will be monitoring these changes closely to ensure they are effective and do not lead to any unintended issues.

We hope these improvements will make it easier for patients to contact us and book appointments throughout the month.

Please note that after-school and other popular time slots will still be in high demand. If you’d like to secure one of these times, we still recommend calling us when the books first open.

Our NHS appointment book for routine examinations opens three months in advance, on the first working day of each month.

For example:

  • Bookings for September 2025 will open on August 2025
  • Bookings for October 2025 will open on 1st September 2025

This system is designed to prevent excessively advanced bookings and to ensure fairer access for all patients.

How to Book

Appointments can be booked:

  • By telephone
  • In person at reception

Appointments cannot be booked via email, due to the live, dynamic nature of our appointment book.

Please be aware:

We experience extremely high call volumes during booking release periods. If our telephone queue is full, your call may not connect. Please keep trying—your call will be answered as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

NHS Waiting List for New Patients

We are trialling a capped NHS waiting list for new NHS routine patients, or those who have not attended for an NHS routine examination in the last 2 years. This will initially be limited to 100 patients, as we assess potential future capacity. If you would like to be added to this list, please call us:

  • Patients will be contacted in strict order of joining as and when NHS slots become available.
  • We will update our website when the waiting list is open or closed, so please monitor this page regularly.

For more information click here

Private Dental Options

We currently have limited private dental capacity. If you would prefer quicker access to care, please speak to our reception team about joining our private dental plan or click here

If you've been informed by a member of our team that you're unable to schedule a routine NHS dental care appointment due to not attending for a routine check-up within the past two years, we'd like to provide clarification on this matter.

It's important to understand that since 2006, there's no such thing as "registration" with an NHS dentist. Unless you are actively undergoing a course of treatment, dentists aren't obligated to see you for an appointment if they do not have the capacity to do so. Given the current demand and capacity in NHS dentistry, we're unable to accommodate every patient. The NHS England guidelines suggest a timeline of two years to define regular attendance, and we adhere to these boundaries.

We have specific 'examination appointment' slots which enable us to manage our appointment book accordingly and ensure we can get patients booked in for treatment within a timely manner. When these slots are full, there is no additional capacity unless we are able to recruit additional dentists, which is currently challenging due to nationwide NHS dentist shortages.

As a result, while we understand this may be frustrating, our ability to offer appointments is directly tied to both clinical capacity and appointment availability. We are doing our best within these constraints to serve our patients fairly and efficiently. Please see information regarding our waiting list trial, should you wish to join.

NHS Dental Care Waiting List

We’re pleased to announce that we are launching a waiting list, for all eligible NHS patients, whether you're a new patient or an existing patient that has not been seen in over 2 years

Due to ongoing high demand for NHS dental care, we are operating a trial NHS waiting list for new routine patients. This helps us manage capacity fairly and transparently.

As part of this process, we are trialling a capped NHS waiting list to help assess our ability to manage any potential increase in demand. This list will initially be limited to 100 patients, allowing us to evaluate its functionality and implications. After initial trial, we hope this can then be an option we can provide long term.

How It Works:

  • The list will be capped at 100 patients
  • Patients may be added by reception staff via telephone request/in person
  • New NHS patients (not seen in 2+ years or never seen before) are eligible
  • Patients must not be given an estimated wait time as this can not be accurately determined.
  • The Practice website will be updated monthly to indicate whether the list is open or closed

Protocol for Contacting Patients for Appointments

  • When NHS capacity becomes available, patients will be contacted in chronological order.
  • Patients will be offered an available appointment slot during the call.
  • Voicemail messages will not be left. If the patient does not answer, we will:
    • Move on to the next patient to avoid missed booking opportunities.
    • Attempt to contact the missed patient again when further spaces become available.
  • Procedure for if a Patient Cannot Attend:
    If the patient answers the call and declines the offered appointment (e.g., due to schedule conflict), they:
    • Remain on the list in the same position.
    • Will be contacted again in future when new availability arises.
    • Patient preferences of appointment days/times can be discussed and noted, but can not be guaranteed.
  • Procedure for if a Patient Returns a Missed Call:
    If the patient calls back after the slot is filled:
    • They will remain on the list in their original position.
    • They will be contacted again when future availability arises.
  • List Maintenance:
    If you would like to be removed from the list for any reason, please contact our reception team.

Wish to be added?

If you would like to be added to this waiting list, please attend or call the surgery:

Our reception team will be happy to assist you.

Prefer not to wait?

If you would prefer not to wait, you may wish to consider our private dental plan, which offers faster access to appointments and additional benefits. Click here to view more details.

You may qualify for free NHS dental treatment if you are:

  • Under 18 years of age
  • 18 years of age and in full time education
  • Pregnant or had a baby within the last 12 months (Please bring your valid NHS maternity exemption card to your appointment)

or if during the course of treatment you are receiving:

  • Income Support (Incapacity benefit and Disability Living Allowance does NOT count)
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (Contribution-based does NOT count)
  • Income-related Employment & Support Allowance (Contribution-based does NOT count)
  • Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (Savings Credit on its own does NOT count)
  • Universal Credit (If in the last assessment period there were no earnings or earnings were within the allowed limit, please check at www.nhs.uk/healthcosts)

or if you are named on one of the following certificates that is valid during your course of treatment:

  • HC2 Certificate
  • NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate/Card (Please note: you are not automatically entitled because you receive Tax Credit; there are qualifying conditions. Please check at www.nhs.uk/healthcosts. If you qualify you will be sent an exemption certificate/card)

  • You MUST provide evidence/proof of your exemption from NHS Dental Charges at the start of EVERY course of dental treatment when you sign a Patient Record ("blue") form.
  • In cases where no proof is provided, this will be documented as 'NO PROOF'.
  • The patient is responsible for the accuracy of their claim, NOT the dental practice
  • If you are not certain you are entitled to receive free or reduced cost dental services you MUST pay the dental practice.
  • If you subsequently confirm you that you are entitled to free or reduced cost dental services, you can claim a refund from the NHS.
  • If you have applied for a qualifying benefit or exemption certificate, but have not yet received it, you MUST pay and claim a refund when/if you do receive it.
  • In above cases where you may be entitled to a refund, please request an NHS Refund Form from our receptionist. Refunds are obtained from the NHS and cannot be provided by the practice.

Checks on claims are undertaken to confirm you are entitled. Incorrect claims for free or reduced cost NHS dental services will result in a penalty charge of up to £100 in addition to the cost of the NHS dental services received. In cases of incorrect claims, you will not have the opportunity to pay for the NHS dental services first to avoid the penalty charge.

Please note all claims that are documented 'no proof' are checked by the NHS Business Services Authority for validation.

How to Find Us

Fenham

18 Netherby Drive, Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 2RS

Call us: 0191 274 7734 | Email: reception@newcastledental.com

Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday 8:30 am - 7:00 pm | Friday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday & Sunday Closed
Closed everyday between 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Denton Burn

522 Denton Road, Denton Burn, Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 7HJ

Call us: 0191 228 0018 | Email: reception@newcastledental.com

Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm | Friday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday & Sunday Closed
Closed everyday between 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Smile With Confidence

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