A pensioner from Ballaugh says he is ‘disgusted’ at the ‘total fiasco’ resulting from an NHS dental practice’s sudden suspension of services.

Smile Dental Care, which normally operates from its base at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital, has announced it will remain closed until the hospital fully reopens.

It had been the only practice offering NHS dental services in the north of the island.

In December, services were temporarily relocated to Hillside Dental Practice in Douglas while significant refurbishment works, including pest control measures, were carried out at the Cottage Hospital.

Those works were due to have been completed by the end of April, but the reopening has now been pushed back as the hospital requires further structural repairs.

In a surprise move last week, Smile Dental Care informed patients that it would remain closed until the Cottage Hospital reopens.

Smile patient John McLaughlan was advised this week that his appointment to have a new denture fitted had been cancelled until further notice - to September at the earliest.

He said: ‘I recently had to phone them after my top denture wouldn’t fit.

‘This meant getting a bus from Ballaugh and travelling for an hour to Douglas, then getting a taxi to the dentist at Hillside.

‘I had an impression made for a new top denture and I was told they would contact me when it was ready.’

On Tuesday morning he received a text message from Smile which stated: ‘Dear patient, we regret to inform you that your upcoming dental appointment has been cancelled.

‘At this time, we will not be rescheduling appointments until we return to our practice in September.

‘We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding during this period. Please bear with us, we thank you for your patience.’

Mr McLaughlan said: ‘This may be all well and good for Smile dentist but what’s going to happen with all the patients who have undergone partial appointments and who are waiting to have their dental treatment completed?

‘It’s a total fiasco. Now people are expected to wait six months to get an appointment.

‘Being a pensioner I can’t afford to go private so what is Manx Care going to do to resolve this situation.

‘I’m thoroughly disgusted that Smile can ride roughshod over this situation and get away with it.’

Hillside Dental Practice had been hosting Smile Dental Care on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during what Manx Care had described as a ‘short-term arrangement’.

Smile posted on Facebook that it was ‘unfortunately’ not operating at Hillside ‘due to circumstances’.

A spokesperson for Smile said: ‘We recognise the distress felt by patients affected, but the circumstances leading to the suspension require clarification.

‘Manx Care was formally informed on March 17 that we would cease working from April 1.

‘It took one week for them to respond in which they informed us that RDCH would not be reopening until September 2026.

‘The Community Dental Service [Hillside] was not a suitable environment, and we faced multiple operational issues that made it unsafe to treat patients to an acceptable clinical standard.

‘In addition, our team felt increasingly pressured and unsupported, including our receptionist being prevented from working at the reception desk and instructed to sit in a corridor.

‘This was unacceptable and further undermined safe service delivery.

‘On Tuesday April 7 we contacted Manx Care with a proposed date and time for a meeting. We are still awaiting a response.’

In a joint statement, Manx Care and the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘We understand the disruption and uncertainty patients have experienced following the situation at Smile Dental, and our priority remains ensuring people can continue to access safe and appropriate dental care.

‘At present, dental services are unable to return to Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital while essential works continue on a phased basis.

‘Areas are only brought back into use once it is confirmed they can operate safely, and there is currently no confirmed date for the reinstatement of dental services at the site.

‘Timescales remain dependent on the progress of these works. Manx Care is focused on maintaining continuity of care for affected patients and will provide updates as soon as possible.

‘The DHSC is collaborating with Manx Care to achieve a positive outcome.’