Urgent and out of hours care
What is an urgent dental problem?
You are regarded as having severe problems if you have:
- Severe, persistent toothache that cannot be managed by over the counter pain relief
- Severe swelling around the mouth or face
- Bleeding from the site of a recent tooth extraction
- Suffered trauma to the teeth, resulting in breakages or loss of teeth; this should be reported immediately.
During surgery hours
If you are experiencing the problem during normal surgery hours contact your dentist. They will access how urgently you need to be seen and will inform you about what to do next.
If you are suffering with severe problems you will receive an assessment that day. If your problem is considered to be less severe you will be asked to wait for an assessment.
NHS Dentistry for All
You no longer need to register with a dentist to get regular or emergency dental treatment. You can contact Buckinghamshire PCT’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) free on 0800 328 5640 to obtain a list of local dental practices that are accepting new patients. The PALS service is usually staffed Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4.30pm and Friday 9.30am to 3.00pm. Outside of these hours, at weekends or public holidays you can call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. NHS Direct is a 24 hour service.
Out of hours dental care
If you are experiencing severe dental problems outside of normal surgery hours call the out of hours dental care helpline on 0845 602 0703. They will tell you what to do next.
The out of hours service is provided centrally for Buckinghamshire so you may need to travel to see a dentist.
