NHS Emergency Appointment

What should I do if I have an urgent dental problem?

You should make an urgent dental appointment if you have:

• Toothache that is so bad it causes pain that does not stop or ease with over-the-counter pain relief.
• Swelling in the mouth or face, like abscesses or infections, that causes pain or fever.
• Broken or knocked-out teeth.
• Bleeding in the mouth after a dental procedure or injury that does not stop by itself. If bleeding cannot be controlled, you might need emergency care.
• Loose or broken fillings that cause pain.
• Heavy bleeding from gums.
• Problems with the soft areas of the mouth, like cheeks or tongue.

Urgent appointments are also available if you are worried about:
• Pain that does not go away but eases with over-the-counter pain relief.
• Minor trauma like a chipped tooth.
• Loose, broken or displaced crowns, bridges, veneers, posts, and fillings that do not cause pain.
• Loose or broken dentures.
• Bleeding gums.

There are 4 ways to get urgent NHS dental care.

1. Contact an NHS dentist for urgent care

The first place to try is an NHS dentist.

You should contact your regular dentist if you have one or you can look for an NHS dentist at nhs.uk. The dentist will tell you how they can help or how soon you can get an urgent care appointment.

If you cannot get an appointment with a dentist, you can contact the services below for urgent care.

2. Book an appointment at an urgent dental access centre

Urgent dental access centres offer appointments to diagnose and treat urgent dental problems.

You can use an urgent dental access centre if:

you are not currently getting ongoing treatment from an NHS dentist
you cannot get an urgent appointment at an NHS dentist

Children and adults can use urgent dental access centres.

Normal NHS charges and exemptions apply.

Urgent dental access centres do not provide routine care, like check-ups.

You can book your own appointment at one of the urgent dental access centres below.

Here are some important things to know about making an appointment at an urgent dental access centre:

Appointments can be booked two days in advance.
New appointments are added every morning. If there are no appointments available when you try to book, please check again the following day.
You can book an appointment at any centre, not just the one closest to you.

Urgent dental access centres provide a limited number of urgent appointments Monday to Friday. Only book if you need urgent care and will attend your appointment.

3. Ask for an appointment with a student or junior dentist at Newcastle Dental Hospital

Undergraduate dental students and qualified junior dentists provide urgent dental care appointments at Newcastle Dental Hospital.

Student and junior dentists are supervised by qualified and experienced dentists.

Appointments with student and junior dentists are free for everyone.

Appointments can take longer than usual as they are part of the student or junior dentist's practical training.

Newcastle Dental Hospital does not provide routine dental care, like check-ups, cosmetic treatments, or replacement teeth or dentures.

If you need more treatment after your urgent appointment, you will be asked to visit an NHS dentist. You can look for one at nhs.uk.

4. Contact NHS 111 for urgent care

You should contact 111.nhs.uk or call 111 if you cannot find an urgent appointment with any of the NHS dental services above and you have:

Toothache that is so bad it causes pain that does not stop or ease with over-the-counter pain relief.
Swelling in the mouth or face, like abscesses or infections, that causes pain or fever.
Broken or knocked-out teeth.
Bleeding in the mouth after a dental procedure or injury that does not stop by itself. If bleeding cannot be controlled, you might need emergency care.
Loose or broken fillings that cause pain.
Heavy bleeding from gums.
Problems with the soft areas of the mouth, like cheeks or tongue.

The NHS 111 health advisor will talk to you about your needs.

If you do not need help right away, we may give you advice on how to treat the problem yourself until you can get an appointment.

If you do need urgent help, we may:

ask you to book an appointment at an urgent dental access centre during working hours
be able to find you an appointment at an out-of-hours treatment service

Most general hospitals do not have an on-call dental service for dental pain so you should visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111 for emergency dental care.

You should only go to A&E or call 999 if you have:

Serious injuries to your face, mouth, jaw or teeth
Heavy bleeding from your mouth that will not stop
Severe swelling of your mouth, lips, throat or neck, and you are having difficulty breathing or opening one or both eyes
Any injury to your head or face that has caused you to lose consciousness, vomit, or have double vision

Please Click the link below to find an urgent dental care appointment.