HOW do you get to the dentist when you are more than 8,000 miles from home?

Well, if you serve on a Royal Navy ship, the dentist comes to you – all the way from Plymouth.

Currently deployed on an Atlantic Patrol Task (South) mission, Devonport-based HMS Montrose has been visited by the flying dentist from the HMS Drake Dental Centre at Devonport Naval Base.

Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Alistair Lovell and Dental Nurse Jade Hutchison (pictured) joined the frigate on deployment island-hopping around the South Atlantic, conducting clinics from their temporary surgery in the ship's sickbay. Lt Cdr Lovell said: "It is always a challenge for ships and other units to remain in date for dental treatment when they are away from the UK for a significant period like HMS Montrose.

"We provide a valuable capability by being able to deploy with all the equipment we need to conduct a broad range of treatment – this has been a highly successful trip for us and we leave HMS Montrose dentally fit for the remainder of her deployment."

Naval dental teams are able to deploy anywhere in the world with all the equipment they need packed into a portable dental unit in four suitcase-sized containers.

With the equipment set up and ready to go Lt Cdr Lovell treated 97 of HMS Montrose's crew.

Aside from routine check-ups and hygiene treatment, he performed emergency extractions, root canal fillings and dealt with a severely infected wisdom tooth.

Running the clinics on board meant that the team had a 'captive' audience, with even the most reluctant patients persuaded to jump in the chair for a check-up.

After 10 days on board, 88 per cent of the crew were fully dentally fit with the remainder undergoing longer-term treatment.

The ship is due to return to Devonport later this year.