Extra urgent dental appointments now available

Extra appointments are now available for people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire who need urgent dental care.

The urgent appointments are part of the 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments being rolled out across the country, announced by the government in February.

The appointments are for urgent conditions including:

• Severe toothache: persistent and intense pain that cannot be managed with 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.
• Uncontrolled bleeding: bleeding in mouth that doesn’t stop maybe following a dental procedure or an injury.
• Swelling: significant swelling in the mouth or face that could indicate an infection.
• Fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain.
• Bleeding gums requiring urgent treatment for acute conditions.
• Other treatments may be available at the discretion of the dentist. These treatments may require extra visits and costs.

People can get an urgent appointment by visiting NHS111 or phoning 111.

People can also phone one of the dental practices offering additional urgent appointments in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.They do not need to be registered with the dental practice but you must contact them in advance.

Amanda Sullivan, Chief Executive from NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “We know how important it is to local people that they can get urgent dental care when they need it, so we’re pleased to be offering these extra appointments. The appointments are for urgent dental care only, so please check our websitefor a list of eligible conditions.

“We’re also working hard to improve access to non-urgent NHS dental care. We’ve carried out a review of dental services in the East Midlands to find out where there are gaps so we can develop a plan to improve dental care. There is also work happening nationally to improve dental workforce recruitment, retention and training.”