Are dentists open during the second lockdown?

UK has entered a second national lockdown

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On Saturday 31 October, Boris Johnson announced a second national lockdown will begin in England on Thursday 5 November and last until at least 2 December.

The second lockdown means that all non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants, and gyms have been forced to close.

Meanwhile, Britons have been told to stay at home and leave only for shopping for essential items, education, or outdoor exercise.

But there are some key differences between this lockdown and the first, which began on 23 March, when it comes to healthcare.

Here’s everything you need to know about whether or not dentist services are staying open during lockdown in November.

Will dentists stay open during November?

Unlike during the first lockdown, a number of public services are reportedly able to stay open, and that includes NHS and private medical services such as dentalcare.

On Saturday, the Conservative Dentists group tweeted that Jo Churchill, the parliamentary under secretary of state for prevention, public health and primary care, had confirmed dentistry will remain open during the second lockdown.

Additionally, on 31 October, the British Association of Private Dentistry confirmed that private dental practices will remain open during lockdown.

“Despite an impending lockdown private practices will remain OPEN,” the organisation tweeted.

“It’s safe and essential to attend the dentist. We remain open to all, for both routine and emergency treatments.”

However, the Department of Health & Social Care tells The Independent that the guidance is being finalised and will be updated in due course.

The British Dentistry Association tweeted that it was seeking confirmation from the government in light of Boris Johnson’s speech, in which he said, “we are supporting the NHS to safely carry out urgent and non-urgent services and it is vital anyone who thinks they need any kind of medical care comes forward and seeks help".

What other medical services will stay open?

In Boris Johnson’s speech, he said that it is “vital” to keep non-coronavirus healthcare services up and running.

“So please - this is really important - unless your clinicians tell you otherwise, you should continue to use the NHS, get your scans, turn up for your appointments and pick up your treatments," he said. 

"If at all possible, we want you to continue to access these services, now and through the winter. Indeed it’s only by taking this action that we can protect the NHS for you.”

The guidance comes after an estimated 2.1 million patients were awaiting screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer in June, according to Cancer Research UK.

The organisation said that the coronavirus pandemic had disrupted the diagnosis, treatment and care of millions of cancer patients, leading Macmillan Cancer Support to warn that cancer is at risk of becoming “the forgotten ‘C’”, with the NHS currently overwhelmed by a backlog of cases.