How Patients Can Access NHS Dental Care
1. Contact an NHS Dentist
NHS dentists provide routine dental care and urgent care appointments during their normal working hours.
- If you already have a regular NHS dentist, contact them directly.
- If you don’t have one, you can find an NHS dentist using the NHS Find a Dentist tool.
2. Contact Dentists with Extra Urgent Appointments
Some dental practices across the region offer additional urgent appointments.
- A list of these practices and their contact details is available on the ICB website.
- Patients can request an urgent appointment at any of the listed practices.
Please note: The number of urgent appointments varies by practice and by day, so availability cannot be guaranteed.
3. Contact NHS 111 for Urgent Care
If you cannot find an urgent appointment with an NHS dentist and you have any of the following issues, contact 111.nhs.uk or call 111:
- Severe toothache that does not stop or cannot be eased by over-the-counter painkillers.
- Dental abscess causing swelling, pain, and possibly fever.
- Broken or knocked-out teeth.
- Bleeding in the mouth after a dental procedure or injury that does not stop on its own but can be controlled.
- Swelling in the mouth or face that could indicate infection.
- Fractured, loose, or displaced fillings causing pain.
- Severe bleeding from gums or other soft areas of the mouth (cheeks, tongue).
An NHS 111 health advisor will:
- Assess your needs and provide advice if immediate help is not required.
- Arrange an urgent appointment at a dental access centre or out-of-hours service if necessary.
Important: Most general hospitals do not have an on-call dental service for dental pain. Always contact NHS 111 for emergency dental care.
What Is Urgent Dental Care?
Patients can access urgent dental care if they have:
- Severe toothache that does not stop or cannot be eased by over-the-counter painkillers.
- Dental abscess infections causing swelling, pain, and possibly fever.
- Broken or knocked-out teeth.
- Bleeding in the mouth after a dental procedure or injury that does not stop by itself but can be controlled. If bleeding cannot be controlled, emergency care may be needed.
- Swelling in the mouth or face that could be a sign of infection.
- Fractured, loose, or displaced fillings causing pain.
- Severe bleeding from gums or conditions affecting other soft areas of the mouth (such as cheeks or tongue).
Patients can also ask for an urgent dental appointment if they are worried about conditions like:
- Mild or moderate pain that eases with pain relief.
- Minor dental trauma.
- Bleeding after having a tooth taken out.
- Loose or displaced crowns, bridges, and veneers.
- Fractured or loose-fitting dentures and other appliances.
- Fractured posts that do not cause pain.
- Fractured, loose, or displaced fillings that do not cause pain.
- Bleeding gums.
Urgent Dental Access Centres (UDACs)
Book an appointment at an urgent dental access centre
Urgent dental access centres offer appointments to diagnose and treat urgent dental problems.
You can use an urgent dental access centre if:
- you are not currently getting ongoing treatment from an NHS dentist
- you cannot get an urgent appointment at a local high street NHS dentist
You can book your own appointment at one of the urgent dental access centres below.
Urgent dental access centres provide a limited number of urgent appointments Monday to Friday so only book if you need urgent care and will attend your appointment.
If you do not attend your appointment, it means someone else with an urgent dental problem cannot get help.
Urgent dental access centres do not provide routine care, like check-ups.
| Eston Urgent Dental Access Centres |
Eston Dental Practice, 15 Jubilee Road, Eston, Middlesbrough, TS6 9EP | 01642 466766 |
| Middlesbrough East Urgent Dental Access Centre |
My Dentist Middlesborough, Unit HB, Cleveland Retail Park, Skippers Lane, Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, TS6 6UX | 01642 822128 |
| Middlesbrough West Urgent Dental Access Centre |
Roman Road Dental, 61 Roman Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, TS5 5PH | 01642 817270 |
| Normanby Urgent Dental Access Centres |
Normanby Dental Practice, 13-17 High Street, Normanby, TS6 0NQ | 01642 457890 |
