Ipswich dentist Dr Tocca gives some insight into what to expect, and how to navigate your family’s relationship with the dental chair.
Conversations about our personal dental experiences are becoming as common as passing the time of the day with a reference to the weather.
Whether it’s debating the struggle to access an NHS appointment, questioning the price of procedures, or considering if it wouldn’t be altogether easier to jump on a plane to access treatment abroad – we’ve all got a view.
Dr Codrin Tocca of the Lighthouse Dental Practice, Ipswich. (Image: Supplied)
In recent weeks, the UK competition watchdog launched an investigation into the country’s £8 billion private dentistry market amid concerns about rising costs and transparency; while at the same time, reports have surfaced around the growing pressures on NHS dentistry and the fact many practices have been required to return funding.
And now, we’re about to become the recipients of a new country-wide approach to dentistry, with a deliberate and marked focus on prevention.
Dr Tocca, principal dentist at the Lighthouse Dental Practice, has been anticipating this latest major shift – which kicks in from April – and says it comes against a backdrop of a profession under pressure.
“Dentistry has been changing for a long time, but what we’re seeing now is a much stronger focus on prevention,” he explains.
“The reality is that most dental problems can be avoided if patients attend regularly and maintain good oral hygiene, and that’s where the system is now trying to move.
“It sounds obvious, but if you reflect on your experience of dental visits, a lot of the focus has been on finding the things which need fixing – less so on spending the time on prevention.
“Seen more broadly, that can potentially mean more people in urgent need, with not enough dentists and an ever growing waiting list.”
The changes coming into force this spring are expected to reshape how NHS dentistry is delivered across the country, including in Suffolk.
Under this revised model, dental teams will increasingly be charged with helping patients maintain good oral health before problems develop, rather than simply treating issues when they arise.
“The role of the dental therapist has grown in recent years, and you’re certainly going to see them stepping in far more,” Dr Tocca says.
“You’re perhaps more likely to see them than a dentist.
“They’ll carry out routine checks, offer oral health advice and be monitoring patients’ dental wellbeing.
Dr Codrin Tocca of the Lighthouse Dental Practice, Ipswich. (Image: Supplied)
“The idea is to make the system work more efficiently.
“Dentists can then concentrate on the cases that require more complex treatment.”
For patients with strong oral health, it could also mean that the familiar six-monthly dental check-up is not always necessary.
“Not everyone needs to come every six months,” he says.
“Some people may be able to leave longer between visits, while others may need to attend more frequently depending on their individual risk.”
While the emphasis on prevention may be welcomed by many within the profession, access to dentistry remains a concern.
Recruiting dentists to the county has been a long-standing challenge, with many newly qualified professionals choosing to work in larger cities.
“Young dentists often prefer places like London or Cambridge,” Dr Tocca explains.
“Suffolk has faced recruitment challenges for many years, even though practices here offer good opportunities.
“International recruitment has historically helped fill some gaps, although this too has evolved in recent years.
“A number of European dentists may well have returned home or relocated in recent years, and while newer programmes are bringing professionals from other parts of the world into the UK system, this is a process that can take several years.”
On the positive side for Suffolk, however, is the fact our county has a purpose-built facility training would-be dental therapists and dental hygienists at the University of Suffolk.
“That’s a great asset,” Dr Tocca says.
“Having a dental hygiene and dental therapy school here means we’re more likely to retain people who train locally and encourage them to build their careers in the area.”
High demand on existing dental professionals is increasing, according to news out in recent weeks, being even further stretched by the so-called ‘Tsunami’ of work required by the ‘Turkey-teeth generation’.
The concern is that many patients are and will be heading to their local dentist to have replacements or corrections for cosmetic work they’ve had carried out overseas.
“It’s perhaps inevitable that in our profession we do end up seeing people who wanted to travel abroad to get things like veneers or other cosmetic work, and that sometimes they need us to be the fixers, or just replace them when they’re at the end of their optimum time,” says Dr Tocca.
“It’s one more factor in creating an exceptionally busy practice – and perhaps highlights all the more why it’s a really helpful step moving forward, that we’re looking at a national approach to dentistry delivered by a mix of professionals for different stages and needs.”
With the inbound change coming as soon as April, Dr Tocca says his attitude to the future of dentistry is a positive one for patients across Suffolk.
“I know people often question change and wonder whether it’s needed or will have a positive bearing on their outcome and access, but I do see this with a sense of optimism,” he says.
“Our focus at Lighthouse Dental Practice has for a long time been on prevention, on reducing dental anxiety, and on having in place dental therapists who therefore allow myself as a dentist to concentrate on more severe needs.
“If what we’re now going to see is more movement toward the approach we’ve taken for many years – then great.
“It will get more patients seen when they need it, how they need it, and in a way that actually might build their confidence and comfort with the idea of the dental chair.”
Dr Tocca and his team at Lighthouse Dental Practice in Ipswich welcome those with dental anxiety or those unsure about their oral health and cosmetic needs.
Find out more by calling the practice on 01473 257379 or visit www.lighthousedentalpractice.co.uk.