Healthy smiles and urgent dental appointments
The Healthy Smile team provide oral health training in many settings to strengthen the knowledge and skills of front-line staff.
Their programme is available to voluntary and paid staff including health visitors, school nurses, early years practitioners, care home staff, social workers, charity organisations, community hospital staff and other relevant teams.
The Community Health Champions project currently has Smile toothbrush and toothpaste packs to be distributed to families across Stoke-on-Trent. This aims to get children, young people and adults to look after their teeth and gums and comes with top tips about toothbrushing, snacks and drinks and visiting the dentist.
The Smile packs are available to collect from VAST in the Dudson Centre. Stocks are limited so please email chc@vast.org.uk in advance with quantities of children and adult packs you require.
If you’re in pain or experiencing an urgent dental issue, NHS urgent dental appointments are now available across Stoke-on-Trent. This is part of the Integrated Care Board’s Local Dental Plan to improve dental access, and support better oral health for all communities.
These urgent slots are reserved for patients in need of immediate care, such as:
- Severe dental pain or swelling
- Infections or dental trauma
- Bleeding or urgent post-treatment issues
You’ll be signposted to available urgent appointments by contacting the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Dental Advice Line (via Community Dental Services) on 0300 123 0981.