Accessing urgent dental care
The NHS has introduced a number of urgent dental appointments so those needing help can get seen quickly in a dental setting. So, what is an urgent dental appointment? And how do you get one?
If you have any of these seven dental conditions they should be considered for an urgent dental appointment:
- Severe toothache - persistent and intense pain that cannot be managed with self-help advice and over-the-counter painkillers
- Dental abscess- infection causing swelling, pain, and possibly fever
- Broken or knocked-out tooth - trauma resulting in a fractured or completely dislodged tooth.
- Bleeding in mouth following a dental procedure or an injury that doesn’t stop bleeding
- Swelling - significant swelling in the mouth or face that could indicate an infection
- Fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain
- Severe bleeding from gums, or acute conditions affecting other soft areas of the mouth (such as cheeks or tongue) which require urgent treatment.
Some dentists will class other treatments as an urgent dental appointment, and these are at the discretion of the dentist.
If you have any of the conditions listed firstly contact your regular dentist about arranging a visit for urgent dental care. If you don’t have a regular dentist, call NHS 111. NHS 111 will ask you a series of questions and if appropriate arrange an urgent dental appointment for you with a local dentist within 24 hours. It may not be your usual dentist.
If you’re not sure about how serious your dental condition is, talk to your regular dentist or NHS 111. Delaying urgent dental care can lead to more serious, long-term complications, so it’s important that you make the call right away.
Learn more about NHS Dental Services