Access to urgent dental care appointments

These appointments are part of the 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments being rolled out across the country, announced by the government in February 2025.

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.
• Bleeding in mouth following a dental procedure or an injury that doesn’t stop by itself but can be self-controlled using local measures. Note that if bleeding cannot be self-controlled in any way, emergency care may be necessary.
• Swelling: significant swelling in the mouth or face that could indicate an infection.
• Fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain.
• Severe bleeding from gums, or acute conditions affecting other soft areas of the mouth (such as cheeks or tongue) which require urgent treatment.
• Other treatments may be available at the discretion of the dentist. These treatments may require extra visits and costs.