News and Updates

It would be greatly appreciated if patients could attend for their appointments 5-10 minutes early and be prepared to complete paperwork that is required under current regulations. For example a medical history form must be completed at every examination appointment. Please do not be offended when asked to complete these forms each time you attend.

Zero Tolerance Policy – No Excuse for Abuse

Shouting, swearing or threatening behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Patients who are abusive may be asked to leave the premises and could be removed from our patient list.

Staff will end telephone calls if they feel they consider the caller aggressive, abusive or offensive. Our staff have the right to tell the caller that their behaviour is unacceptable and end the call.

We are here to help and aim to be as polite and helpful as possible.

July 2024

We would like to wish our Dental Therapist Amy Clark the best of luck as she goes off on maternity leave. Mia will be covering for Amy until she is back.

Unfortunately Dr David Priestley is currently off long term, we do not have a confirmed date when he will be back. We will keep patients informed of the situation but please contact us if you have any concerns or queries.

January 2024

We would like to welcome Iona Tough, our new Associate Dentist to the practice. Iona qualified at Dundee University in 2022 and will be joining us in January 2024.

October 2023

Please take time to read this important update regarding significant changes to NHS dentistry.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CHANGES HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED BY THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AND AFFECT ALL NHS DENTAL PRACTICES AND NOT JUST BONNYGATE DENTAL SURGERY.

CHANGES WILL COME INTO FORCE ON NOVEMBER 1st 2023.

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF ANY DOUBT, BONNYGATE DENTAL SURGERY IS STILL OPERATING AS AN NHS DENTAL PRACTICE.

1. From November 1st 2023, there will no longer be the availability for free dental exams/check-ups every six months. The minimum period between free exams will be a year.

(If you are concerned by this and wish to continue to have a six monthly exam between your free annual exam, then this can be arranged for a private fee. Or you may wish to consider joining one of our Dental maintenance plans. Please speak to reception or your dentist for further details)

2. Please be advised that all charges for NHS dental treatment are being significantly increased by The Scottish Government, across all NHS Dental Practices. As a result, for those patients who are not exempt from dental charges, you will notice a change in the fees. Items that you have regularly paid for in the past, such as basic fillings, x-rays, dentures and extractions for example, will all be more expensive from November 1st. Please see our notice boards for some examples of the basic costs for some treatments.

Paying patients will continue to pay for 80% of costs with the NHS contributing the other 20%.Exempt patients will continue to receive free NHS dental treatment, so please bring evidence of your exemption to all appointments.

3. Some treatment options that were previously provided ‘on the NHS’ have been removed and are now only available as a private option.

4. Some treatment options that were previously provided free of charge to the patient; for example, denture repairs, are now no longer free. The patient will have to pay for these and in some cases the new costs involved may have an impact on your choice of treatment.

5. From November 1st 2023, any unscheduled/emergency appointments will now attract a charge. This is a new fee introduced by The Scottish Government. Please be aware that if you are a non-exempt NHS patient and you attend for an emergency or unscheduled appointment, you will have a fee to pay, regardless of what treatment is involved. Please do not be offended when asked to pay for these visits. Thank you.

6.Appointments with our Dental Therapist, Amy Clark, are now only on a private basis and will be 30 minute appointments and will be chargeable at a fee of £45. Amy is no longer available for NHS periodontal (gum) treatment.

Please be advised that we respectfully request that any treatment carried out is paid for either in advance or on the day of treatment. Please do not be offended if you are asked for payment each time you attend the practice and receive treatment. This is our standard policy regarding payment. Any outstanding fees that we have to ask for, will be subject to additional administration fees.

If you require further information regarding the changes then please speak to reception or your dentist.

If you have any complaint to make or comments regarding these changes, then please be aware that these are significant changes made by the The Scottish Government and not by us; therefore, please direct any comments to your local MSP/MP.

Thank you.

Nigel Eynon. BDS

Owner and Dentist

Bonnygate Dental Surgery

June 2023

Dear Patient.

It is with regret that I write to inform you of a change within the practice. As from November 1st 2023, we will no longer be able to offer NHS scales with our Dental Therapist, Amy Clark. This is simply due to the Scottish Government’s reduction in funding from this date, meaning that it is not financially viable for us to continue to offer this very important service under the constraints of the NHS. As such, we have reluctantly decided to follow just about every other dental practice and stop providing NHS scales with the Dental Therapist.

However, Amy will continue to offer her professional service to all patients, but it will change to be a patient only funded service. The appointment lengths will be increased to 30 minutes allowing her to provide an even greater level of service. In addition we are looking at introducing some new technology to this treatment option to make it even better for the patient.

Periodontal treatment and gum care are a vital part of one’s oral health and we are pleased to be able to offer this enhanced service with Amy going forward. The new cost for Dental Therapist scaling, gum and periodontal care will be £45 for a 30 minute appointment.

If you wish to just have an NHS scale, then our team of dentists will continue to offer this, but please be aware that appointment waits for this may be considerable and even up to several months due to a huge backlog in outstanding treatment still, as a result of the Covid restrictions.

Please also be aware that due to these backlogs, as a Practice, we are no longer following a 6 monthly check up schedule and the interval is more likely to be 9-12 months. This is simply due to capacity and availability of appointment spaces. In addition we have recently lost one of our dentists and despite advertising for several months, we have received ZERO applications to replace her.

A further option for patients is to become part of Fife Dental Care’s PRIVATE DENTAL Maintenance Plan, whereby for an affordable monthly payment, you can still receive Dental Therapist scales 2-4 times a year and it also includes twice yearly exams ( on a 6 month basis ), x-rays as required and 15% discount on all of our other private prices; and there is also ‘Dental Cover’ for any issues while you are away from home, such as abroad on holiday etc. If you are interested in this, then we have leaflets available within the practice, or ask your dentist or at reception for more details.

We apologise for these changes and the difficulty and waiting times for getting appointments.

Many thanks

Nigel Eynon and staff.

Bonnygate Dental, Cupar.