Free Dental Clinics in County Durham with Dentaid the Dental Charity
Access to appropriate dental care can often be overlooked. For some people, it can be a major barrier to health and wellbeing. Alongside the discomfort caused with dental issues, they can also influence mental health, self-esteem and overall quality of life.
At County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services, we understand the important role that dental health can play in someone’s recovery. Substance use and dental health can often go hand in hand, as either a direct cause of dental issues, or a result of people using drugs and alcohol to manage pain.
We partnered with Dentaid the Dental Charity to bring free dental clinics directly to the people that we support. Over the summer, Dentaid’s mobile dental units have been visiting our centres in Durham, Horden and Bishop Auckland, offering treatment and advice to the people that we support.
This is the first time Dentaid has delivered clinics in County Durham, and the response to the offer has been positive. Dentaids passionate team of volunteers offer a unique and vital service, working alongside local organisations to make dental care more accessible within their communities.
At one of the Bishop Auckland clinics, one Dentaid volunteer said “I like the experience of giving back and helping people that need us the most. Everyone is always massively appreciative.”
There is a total of 24 planned visits from Dentaid at our services from June 2025 until January 2026. The next upcoming clinics will begin from next month across all three centres.
“We are really proud to be working with Dentaid to support our service users to access dental care”, added Jane Curtis, Area Manager at County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services.
“Dental health is so important and can often go overlooked. This initiative has so far proved extremely popular which highlights how much need is there within our communities.”
We look forward to welcoming Dentaid back next month for the new clinics and continuing to provide a holistic service for the people that we support, contributing to the best outcomes possible for everyone.