Around 25,000 people seek emergency dental treatment in the UK each year. Often this is because slight niggling discomforts are ignored - which only leads to making the problem worse. Or people do not seek out dental treatment in the first instance because they can’t afford it. The British Dental Association, for example, found approximately 68 percent of people in 2011 deferred dental treatment due to the cost.
There are emergency dental treatment options available though. For example, if you do need urgent care, then contact your local dentist and make an appointment immediately. Many dentists offer emergency dental treatment an after hours service or have recorded messages on their answer phones detailing other emergency dental treatment services.
There may be times when you haven’t yet registered with a dentist, have moved away, aren’t in your local area, cannot be seen by your dentist or you simply don’t know who to call or where to go. Don’t despair! There are other options available out there for emergency dental treatment if you need immediate or after-hour care. Simply call the local Primary Care Trust (PCT) for your area or the area that you are temporarily in and ask for the dental access helpline. They can put you in touch with emergency dentists in the area.
Another option is to contact NHS Direct on 0845-4647. NHS Direct offers a 24-hour medical service and will advise you of what to do and provide details of any 24 hour dentists in your area. Receiving emergency care needn’t cost a fortune, even if you require several visits of urgent treatment you will only be charged £17.00 for the whole course. Keep in mind you may also be entitled to free NHS emergency dental treatment too: The NHS Choices site (www.nhs.uk) has a full list for those entitled to free urgent care.
If you need a dentist out of hours, NHS Choices also provides a list of 24 hour emergency dentists in your area. Once your emergency dental treatment has been completed you may be advised to make another appointment for a second course of non-urgent care, in this case you will be charged accordingly.
Another option is contacting your local Minor Injuries unit who will advise you of dentists in your area that have emergency appointments available. University Dental Hospitals are a much cheaper option of urgent care, and services are mostly free, if you are willing to have a supervised trainee dentist. However, the service may be limited and some University hospitals operate on a first come, first served basis and are not available after hours. It would be wise to check the regulations at the dental hospital near you as they do vary.
Because, accidents and dental problems do arise, it is important to know what affordable emergency dental treatment services are available to you and your family. If you do need emergency dental treatment you can also use the NHS website for advice about dental treatments, how to deal with pain or bleeding and self-care.