FAQ

Smart Dental Care are a fast-growing dynamic group of 34 Dental Practices in in England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We bought our first practice in 2006 and we have subsequently grown organically and to employ over 100 Dentists and 200 other staff members in a variety of roles such as Dental Nurses, Treatment Coordinators, Practice Managers and Head Office staff.

We can help you to further your career in the UK by offering the following:

• Help to obtain NHS Panel or Performer Numbers through VTE in Northern Ireland;
• 35-40% Competitive share of Private income generated;
• Access to a dedicated marketing team to promote your private skillsets on all new media channels;
• 100,000+ Live patients on our databases;
• Call Centre and Reception services to keep your appointment diary busy;
• Referrals to specialists within the group including orthodontics, implants, hygienist, restorative dentistry etc;
• Access to the experience and expertise that we have built within the group;

To work in the UK, Dentists need to be registered with the United Kingdom dental professional registration body, General Dental Council (GDC). The process for joining the GDC Dental Register is described on https://www.gdc-uk.org/professionals/ore

The GDC are the professional body in the UK that holds the registration of all Dentists who can work in the UK.

The GDC charges fees for registering with them for the first time and subsequently on an annual basis and they require non-European Economic Area qualified Dentists to take the Overseas Registration Exams (ORE) parts 1 and 2 in order to register with the GDC.

The ORE exams normally take 12 to 18 months to pass and we decided to partner with a training institute called Advance Global Training that can provide support in passing these exams.

You need a Minimum IELTS Score of 7.0 in order to register with the GDC unless the GDC are satisfied about an applicant’s knowledge of English from their initial application.

Examples of the types of evidence that the GDC will routinely accept to demonstrate applicants have the necessary knowledge of English, are:

• A recent primary dental qualification that has been taught and examined entirely in English

Please see https://www.gdc-uk.org/professionals/registration/english-language-controls

We are looking for experienced, confident Dentists who are looking to settle in England or Northern Ireland. You must have the following:

1. Registration with the UK General Dental Council and you will need to pass the UK Overseas Registration Exams Parts 1 & 2 to achieve this;
2. Masters or a demonstrable interest in private Dentistry in either of the following fields: Implantology, Restorative Dentistry, Prosthodontics or Orthodontics;
3. At least three years Postgraduate experience;
4. Confidence in your own ability as a Dentist;

Once you register with the General Dental Council then you can work in the UK as a Dentist, Dental Nurse or a Dental Therapist subject to having a Visa that enables you to work in the UK.

The UK is a great place to work as a Dentist because:

• There is a good market for General Dental skills within the NHS system
• Growing interest in cosmetic work driven mainly by a celebrity culture and trends from America
• Great stable, open and friendly country
• Fantastic Leisure opportunities
• World-class Healthcare and Education systems

The amount of money that you will earn in the UK will depend on your experience, skills and confidence and our Dentists earn between 4,000 and 10,000 pounds per month!

Generally, in the UK the following deductions are made:

• 50% of Laboratory bills are deducted for prosthodontic work
• 100% of any NHS Pension charges but you can opt out of this

The average salary in the UK is less than 2,000 GBP per month and as a Dentist you will be earning in the upper echelons of UK society and nearer three times the average UK salary.

Upon registration with the GDC, you can work privately or independently (Low cost Private). To work in the NHS system you will need to complete the Performer List Validation by Experience (PLVE). You can offer Private treatments whilst working in the NHS system and you are allowed to offer private treatments that you are confident in delivering privately.

Dentistry is one of the few NHS services where patients have to pay a contribution towards the cost of your care. The information on this page explains what you may have to pay for your NHS dental treatment.

The charges that patients pay are covered below and separated into Bands of Treatment:

• Emergency dental treatment – £22.70 This covers emergency care in a primary care NHS dental practice such as pain relief or a temporary filling.
• Band 1 course of treatment – £22.70 This covers an examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if clinically needed, and preventative care such as the application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant if appropriate.
• Band 2 course of treatment – £62.10 This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or removal of teeth but not more complex items covered by Band 3.
• Band 3 course of treatment – £269.30 This covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures, bridges and other laboratory work.

Please see https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/whats-available-on-the-nhs/ for more information on NHS Dentistry.

We can offer NHS Dentistry in Northern Ireland to Dentists from India and you may be able to eventually relocate to England should you wish to.

We have a Corporate Sponsors License in England and Northern Ireland that we can use to sponsor Dentists for Tier 2 Visas in England. Smart Dental Care pay for the Sponsors License costs and the Dentist requiring the Visa has to pay for the following costs:

• £100 to £150 – Advertisement for Labour Market Test
• £199 – Certificate of Sponsorship
• £1174 – Home Office fee for Tier 2 Visa
• £400 – NHS Surcharge per year
• £1820 – Home Office Tier 2 Skill Charge
• £1000 – £1200 + VAT – Visa and Migration Fee to the Lawyer

If you would like us to sponsor you then you must use the Immigration Lawyer/Consultant that we recommend, and the recommended Lawyer can inform you of the exact fees that you will pay. You will also need to extra for any dependents but the Immigration Lawyer can let you know of the same.

It takes roughly three months but can take longer to go through the following processes to get an UK Visa.

Labour Market Test

COS Application

Smart Dental Care pay £1,000 back per year towards your Visa costs to a maximum of £5,000, should you join us

Yes, you can bring your spouse and children to the UK (if you have them), but you will have to pay some extra immigration costs to bring them to the UK, the immigration Lawyer can advise you of the same.

Yes, the UK Dental Market has changed significantly in the last four years because of Brexit, European Dentists are not migrating in the same numbers to the UK like they used to and many European Dentists are returning back to their home countries.

There is a lot of demand for NHS Dentists in the UK because the NHS Dental system is so popular with patients and there are some big Dental companies that are interested in recruiting Dentists from outside of the EU because there is a shortage of NHS Dentists in the UK.

It is true that the National Health Service has taken Dentists out of the UK Shortage Occupations List and this is because currently they can find enough Dentists to fill the NHS Hospital Positions, however there is still a huge shortage of Dentists in General Practice and it is not difficult to secure an Immigration Visa from a Corporate like Smart Dental Care (subject to their recruitment criteria).

You can apply for a standard Visa to take the ORE Exams in the UK. The standard visa costs £95 and allows you to stay in the UK for 30 Days. If you need to stay in the UK for six months then you can apply for a Short Term Study Visa which costs £97.

For more information please see https://www.gov.uk/choose-uk-visit-short-stay-visa

There are 15 Universities offering Post Graduate qualifications in the UK. The courses are very expensive and the cost varies from 45,000 USD to 60,000 USD per year. Generally, ORTH and ENDO is 3 Years, other PG is 2 Years.

See https://www.hotcoursesabroad.com/uk/

You can also take shorter courses but the cost of living is quite high in the UK and it is more advisable to work in the UK and take the short courses that are funded publicly and organised by the NHS or the Local Deaneries in the UK. You can also take short courses that are held on the weekends or one or two days per week with an element of remote studying as well. These courses are generally cheaper.

No, you don’t need to pass the ORE to take a PG Course in the UK but you can’t work in the UK without passing the ORE Exam.

Yes,  to take a PG in the UK you need to pass the Academic IELTS exam.

Yes, it will be recognised in the UK if you would like to take a PG in the UK.

It depends on the University but generally no, the UK University will generally accept your level of experience.

Yes, you will still need to clear the ORE to work in the UK.

If you have a minimum of three years experience or a Master program then it is not difficult to find work in the UK as long as you are willing to work initially in a less populated location such as in a small town or in the Countryside.

Smart Dental Care will give the guarantee that they will employ you if you have a minimum of five  years experience and/or a Masters degree in Orthodontics, Oral Surgery or Prosthodontics.

It is not difficult to secure a Visa for the UK because you need to be able to earn a minimum of 37,000 UK Pounds to secure a Visa and as most Dentists earn between 60,000 UK Pounds plus then you would earn much more the minimum income requirements for the UK and so qualify for a Visa.

Your Spouse does not need to be a Dentist to relocate to the UK.

Your parents can come to visit you in the UK once you are settled in the UK on the UK Elderly Dependent Visa.

UK Elderly Dependent Visa

This visa exists for individuals who are present and settled in the UK to bring their elderly dependent relative (parent or grandparent), in certain circumstances, to join them in the UK. 

Elderly Dependent Requirements

• The elderly dependent is a parent or grandparent;
• The elderly dependent is wholly financially or mainly dependent on the relative present and settled in the UK and has no other relatives; in their home country with the ability to provide adequate support;
• If widowed/made widower the elderly dependent is 65 years of age or older;
• If travelling as a couple one of the elderly dependents is 65 or older;
• The relative present and settled in the UK must be able to support and accommodate their elderly dependent without recourse to public funds.

In certain exceptional circumstances other relatives may be considered as elderly dependents, please contact one of our consultants for further clarification regarding this.

In the UK, you don’t have to be a Specialist Registered Oral Surgeon or need a Masters to place Implants, the GDC requires you to work within the scope of your ability, if you feel confident and experienced enough to place Implants then you are able to do the same in the UK.

Here is a sample of some of the short courses that you can do in the UK.

• https://www.maxcourse.co.uk/henw/guestCourseList.asp
• https://www.mandec.co.uk/
• https://tiptontraining.co.uk

The minimum time that it takes to clear the UK ORE Exams is 12 Months. Most candidates take between 1 and 2 Years to clear their ORE.