A chain of dental surgeries has been accused of "exploiting" the Covid-19 crisis by charging some patients £25 to cover PPE costs.

Mydentist - which has branches across Kent - says the add-on pays for "enhanced safety measures" required as a result of the pandemic.

But one unhappy patient believes the dental care provider is "taking advantage of vulnerable people with dental pain".

Mydentist insists it is making no profit from the additional charge.

The patient, who does not want to be named, visited their branch in Jubilee Way, Faversham , on Monday to have a filling put back in.

But they were left fuming after the surcharge was added to their bill.

"I refuse to believe it would cost them £25 per patient for a big dentist practice like this," they said.

"If they were to see just 15 patients per day, they would be making £375 per day on this PPE charge.

"As the practice opens on Saturdays, this could be £2,225 per week or £8,900 per month that they are estimating they are spending on PPE."

They also said it was "impossible" to get an NHS slot for a dentist in Faversham which, they added, was why private firms were behaving so "abominably".

Mydentist is Europe's largest dental care provider and also has branches in Ashford , Canterbury , Deal , Herne Bay , Maidstone , Margate , Ramsgate , Sheppey , Tonbridge and Westgate-on-Sea .

A spokesperson said: "Due to the high costs of the enhanced safety measures that are now required, we have had to introduce a temporary safety supplement for patients who are starting a new course of private treatment.

"This supplement includes the costs for additional personal protective equipment, the extra time we are required to leave between patients, and other measures that have been put in place across our practices to protect our patients and staff."

They said the charge does not apply to NHS patients, customers with open courses of private treatment, or those with a dental plan.

Patients are told they need to pay it when booking an appointment and again before attending a practice.

"We are reviewing the supplement continuously to keep it as low as possible and we will remove it as soon as we are able to do so," they added.

If a treatment requires an aerosol generating procedure, the extra charge is £25.

All other appointments which do not require such procedures have a charge of £7.

Read more: All the latest news from Faversham

Read more: All the latest news from Kent