Toothbus delivers dental checks for R2R clients

 
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On a March Monday the Toothbus parked up in Skinner Street, Poole to provide free dental check ups at the Routes to Roots homeless drop-in. This gave homeless and vulnerably housed people in Poole the opportunity to see a dentist for a check-up. It can be difficult to look after your dental health if you’re homeless. Karen, “I was really nervous about seeing a dentist because I know I need some work done, but the Toothbus dentist was very friendly and put me at ease. They also gave me some great advice”

2017 Toothbus

There are a lot of health problems that are exacerbated by poor dental health eg. heart conditions, diabetes and pneumonia. Poor dental health can also affect how someone feels about themselves, so it’s important that everyone has easy access to NHS dental treatment.

R2R Chairman Rev Pat Southgate explained: “We support a number of homeless people who have been refused urgent dental care in the past because they weren’t registered with a dentist. We’re very grateful to Healthwatch Dorset for organising this Toothbus visit; it’s provided a safe place for the people we work with to get a dental check.”

The Toothbus Manager, Angie Naughton told us: “We’d like to thank Healthwatch Dorset & Routes to Roots for a great afternoon. The dentist saw 10 patients at the event and everyone received details of how to register with a local dentist for ongoing treatment.

The Toothbus is available to everyone. It usually parks up in Poole High Street on Mondays and in Boscombe High Street on Fridays. So, if you haven’t seen a dentist in 2 years or more – pop down and see them.