Following the covid crisis, your dentist is likely to add an additional surcharge to your bill to cover PPE. This petition is not to ask for this to be removed but for Public Health England to review the charges and provide a cap to ensure that dentists are not profiteering from the crisis and ensuring dental treatment is accessible to all.

After waiting months for my dentist to reopen I immediately booked to have my broken tooth treated and booked my son in as he has experienced some issues too.  Less than 24 hours before our scheduled appointments, I was contacted and asked for a payment of £50 (£25 per person) otherwise my appointment would be cancelled. I am a denplan patient and pay monthly to cover my appointments and was advised that this is a charge to all patients for all appointments to cover PPE costs.We are likely to need follow up appointments so this will be £100 with the obvious costs of the treatment being additional to this.

I would like a review of the charges that dentists are allowed to charge each patient to cover PPE with a cap being implemented. I understand extra costs will be incurred for PPE but the cost needs to be reasonable. 

£25 per person, per visit is excessive especially in the current climate with people losing jobs or on a reduced income due to furlough. Food banks are seeing a surge in demand which speaks volumes in itself. 

My fear  is that those without the means to fund extra fees will suffer as a result and dental services will out of their reach. This petition is to cap this surcharge for all patients and ensure that everyone can afford essential dental care.