18/12/2025
🦷Need NHS Dental Help in an Emergency? Here’s What to Do🦷
If you’re experiencing severe tooth or mouth pain or injury, here’s how to access urgent dental care through the NHS:
👉 First step:
📞 Call NHS 111 (or use the NHS 111 online service) for advice and support. They can tell you what to do next and help find an urgent or emergency NHS dentist appointment near you.
👉 Contact a dentist directly:
If you already have a dentist, call them and ask if they can offer an emergency appointment. Some practices provide urgent slots at short notice.
👉 When to get urgent dental care:
✔ Knocked-out tooth or dental injury
✔ Severe pain affecting daily life or sleep
✔ Pain not eased by painkillers
✔ Significant swelling or growing lumps in the mouth
✔ Ongoing bleeding after a tooth extraction
✔ Broken or loose fillings, crowns or dentures
📍 Urgent treatment should normally be offered within 24 hours, depending on symptoms.
👉 Only go to A&E or call 999 if you have:
🚨 Serious facial or jaw injuries
🚨 Heavy bleeding that won’t stop
🚨 Severe swelling making it hard to breathe or swallow
🚨 Head injury symptoms like loss of consciousness or double vision
💊 In the meantime:
If you’re waiting for an appointment and in pain, ask a pharmacist for advice on managing symptoms.
Please do not contact your GP for emergency dental issues, as they aren’t able to provide urgent dental care.
If you need emergency, urgent or out-of-hours dental care, contact NHS 111 or a dentist.
