Earlier this week it was revealed that 91% of NHS dental practices in England were not accepting new adult patients, which may lead some to question if any practices in Southend are able to take on new patients.

The British Dental Association (BDA) and BBC completed the research and found of those practices not taking on adults in England, 23% (1,124) said they had an open waiting list, and 16% (791) said the wait time was a year or longer or were unable to say how long it would be.

Due to this shortage of NHS dentists, it has seen some people go to dangerous lengths which has been referred to as "DIY dentistry".

This has seen some desperate patients "making teeth out of resin and sticking them into their gums with superglue" according to the national director of Healthwatch England, Louise Ansari on the BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 

Echo: Southend has some dentists that are accepting new adult patients (PA)Southend has some dentists that are accepting new adult patients (PA) (Image: PA)

For those who are looking for a new dentist in the Southend area, here are some that are accepting new patients.

NHS dentists in Southend accepting new patients

Dentistry for You

Address: Leigh Primary Care Centre, 288 Leigh Road, Leigh On Sea, Essex, SS9 1BW

The dentist is:

  • accepting children (under 18)
  • accepting adults (18 and over)
  • accepting adults entitled to free dental care

Southend Dental Care

Address: Unit 2-4 Southchurch Road, Southend on Sea, Essex, SS1 2NE

The dentist is only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.

Southend Orthodontics

Address: 107, Baxter Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6HX

The dentist is only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.

Parmar Dental

Address: 673 Southchurch Road, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2PW

The dentist is only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.

N D Rankin and Associates Dental Surgery

Address: 647 London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 9PD

The dentist is only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.

Leigh Dental Centre

Address: 790 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 3NJ

The dentist is only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.

View the NHS website here for a full list of dentists in the area.