Dental practices have been closed throughout the coronavirus pandemic with services limited to emergency dental care only in urgent dental centres located across the country.

However, as the coronavirus alert level in the UK decreases dental practices have been given the go-ahead to re-open. Dental care will resume in a way that is safe and with flexibility for dental practices to do what is best for their patients and their teams.

This means there will be a gradual approach to resumption of dental treatments based on clinical risk assessments, the availability of PPE and the ability to apply infection prevention control measures.

Those shielding are still being advised not to visit the dentist unless they absolutely have to. It is likely to be some months before dentists are able provide care in a way that you may be used to and will depend in part on the further easing of COVID-19 control measures.

Access to dental care is vitally important, and something that I have been working on improving long before coronavirus outbreak, please be assured I will continue to do what I can to support people in West Cornwall to be able to access the treatment and to work with the Government, NHS England and local dentists in ensuring that there is good provision of NHS dental care.