Prescriptions issued when clinically appropriate as part of your dental care at Highfield Dental Clinic, Edgbaston.
A prescription is only ever part of a wider plan. Our team assesses the cause of the problem first, then prescribes only where it is genuinely needed.
A private prescription is written by your dentist for a medicine related to your dental treatment. You take it to a pharmacy, where you pay for the medicine itself as well as any pharmacy charge. This is separate from the fee for your dental appointment.
Dentists can only prescribe medicines that relate to dental care, and only after examining you and taking a full medical history. We cannot issue prescriptions without an appointment, and we cannot prescribe for general medical conditions, which remain the responsibility of your GP.
In discomfort or concerned about a dental infection in Birmingham? Our experienced team will examine you and recommend the right course of action.
Any prescription follows an assessment, never a phone request. The process usually involves:
Your dentist will explain why a medicine is being prescribed, how to take it and what to do if your symptoms do not improve.
Antibiotics do not cure most dental problems. Toothache and dental abscesses are usually caused by infection inside a tooth or around it, and the lasting solution is dental treatment such as a filling, root canal treatment or an extraction. Antibiotics may reduce symptoms temporarily, but the problem will return without treatment.
For this reason, and in line with national guidance on antimicrobial resistance, we only prescribe antibiotics where there is a clear clinical need, such as spreading infection or systemic illness. Please always finish a course as directed and never take antibiotics left over from a previous occasion.
No. Your dentist must examine you and review your medical history before prescribing. This is both a legal and a professional requirement, and it keeps prescribing safe.
Not usually. Most toothache needs dental treatment rather than antibiotics. Your dentist will explain the cause and the appropriate treatment, and will prescribe only if there is a clinical reason to do so.
No. A private prescription fee covers the medicine and pharmacy charges, which you pay at the pharmacy. Your appointment fee is separate and will be explained beforehand.
No. Dentists may only prescribe in connection with dental treatment. For anything else, please contact your GP or NHS 111.
Contact us as soon as possible. If you develop facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, a high temperature or you feel very unwell, seek urgent medical help immediately, including A&E if needed.
Not automatically. Any further prescription needs a fresh assessment so your dentist can check how you have responded and whether more treatment is required.
