A dentist in Wolverhampton is providing an extra 2,000 places for NHS patients.
There is a chronic shortage of dentists in the Black Country who will treat NHS patients and that leaves many people with little choice but to pay for their dental care. Gopinath Totha says he has been shocked by the level of demand since he made the places available.
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Coven Dental Surgery news in Express and Star
A dental practice near Wolverhampton is bucking the national trend by announcing it is taking on an extra 2,000 NHS patients after employing a new dentist.
Coven Dental Surgery in Codsall is expecting a rush when it opens its books on Monday. The practice in Wolverhampton Road has boosted its dentists from two to three to help ease dire shortages in the area.
Proprietor Gopinath Thota, who took over the practice two months ago, said more people needed access to an NHS dentist.
"We already have 5,800 patients but we know there are many people who are not registered," he said.
"Now that we have taken on Dr Satish we can provide for up to 2,000 more."
People will be able to register from 9am on Monday.
A recent report for Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust showed one half of the city's residents are not registered with a dentist and waiting lists for treatments were "unacceptably long".
It showed the uptake was one of the lowest in the West Midlands and there was a wide disparity between richer and poorer regions of the city. Although a majority of adults have signed up to a practice, fewer than one in two children have.
The shortage is partly due to a shortage of registered NHS dentists.
Teeth Whitening News
Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help you improve the look of yours.
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You can take several approaches to whiten your smile':
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