Currently, there is only one NHS dental surgery in the town, serving more than 15,000 patients, and the funding means up to 4,500 more patients per year will be able to see an NHS dentist in Thetford from early 2010.

The news, which was announced by NHS Norfolk last week, has been welcomed by health bosses and residents and a tendering process for additional dental services in Thetford has been launched.

Ann Piper, 68, of Elm Road, said: "This is brilliant news as there is a real shortage of NHS dental services in the town and many people have to travel to Brandon or Bury St Edmunds to see a dentist.

"Private treatment is very expensive, and many people who have paid their taxes for years are not getting the treatment they deserve, so it's good to see that Thetford will benefit from more NHS dental services."

William Simper, 61, of Durham Way, said: "This extra money is a really good thing for Thetford, especially as there is only one NHS dentist in the town.

"There should definitely be better access to services, especially as the NHS is funded through public money, so hopefully this will go some way to improving the situation."

The extra money will be spent on improving dental services by increasing access to NHS dentists, providing more orthodontic services and improving dentistry provision in elderly care homes.

Fiona Reynolds, NHS Norfolk's assistant director for primary care, said: "This additional investment will go a long way to helping us to further improve the NHS dental services in our area.

"While we have already made significant investments and improvements in recent years and months, having extra money in the budget means we can do even more.

"This is part of NHS Norfolk's on-going commitment to improve services in the Thetford area and we will continue to evaluate the need


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