NHS and emergency dental care

chrcoluk

chrcoluk

chrcoluk

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27 Feb 2015
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So I am now in this predicament.

Early this week noticed first symptoms of pain, and it got to the point where it was obvious I need treatment probably yesterday.

Its very likely an abscess as having multiple of them before I know the symptoms.

NHS website says a dental abscess is a "medical emergency".

All the local NHS dentists I could find will only do emergency appointments with a referral, 111 cant refer me their systems have been down from when I first rang at 10am, until when I last 10.30pm. They instructed me to ring the dentists and inform them the 111 systems are down and book me in, the dentists repeat that I have to be referred.

So its an emergency but they cant offer emergency treatment, I can see now why dentists keep getting brought up.

Also I was registered at a dentist and only last went 8 months ago, but I got deregistered for not seeing them regularly, seems if a patient isnt a regular revenue maker they get booted off.

Looking like will have to go private?
 
Can you get an emergency gp appointment to refer you?

Guess the only other option is find an a urgent care centre that takes walk ins?
 
There should be an out of hours go service, although I think this is most likely just 111 for most surgeries now. GP surgeries should keep some appointments back for emergencies though, so you may be able to get one tomorrow if you ring up and are clear that you suspect it's a medical emergency and 111 wanted to refer you to a dentist but couldn't.

Does depend a bit on your gp surgery how quickly they'll be able to do it though

Urgent care centre may be the quickest way to see a Dr if not though...

Also would definitely submit a complaint about 111
 
chrcoluk said:
Interesting idea, didnt know GPs can do that. I will try it.
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Also if you haven't used it before, give this stuff a try, can work wonders :)
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If you get it from a pharmacy you can get the 20% version which definitely numbs things pretty well, if not Tesco usually carry the "on the shelf" 10% variety.
 
GreatAuk said:
There should be an out of hours go service, although I think this is most likely just 111 for most surgeries now. GP surgeries should keep some appointments back for emergencies though, so you may be able to get one tomorrow if you ring up and are clear that you suspect it's a medical emergency and 111 wanted to refer you to a dentist but couldn't.

Does depend a bit on your gp surgery how quickly they'll be able to do it though

Urgent care centre may be the quickest way to see a Dr if not though...

Also would definitely submit a complaint about 111
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Thanks, I will make it clear on the complaint my issue isnt with the staff but that they had the system down for an entire day with no reasonable working alternative.
 
As devilman said need to DIY to the max, meticulous on cleaning tooth impacted &topical application of floride type toothpaste.
my sensitivity declined until the private appointment came through 4weeks out, but, then paying nearer £70 versus nhs ~£40
( dentists have been disingenuous removing people from their books during covid. wish I'd keep records of when the dentist said you don't need to visit for a check-up for a year.)

Unless there has been a traumatic event it's not an emergency; I'd go, wait in A&E if I was in hellish pain.

in terms of unavoidable high expenses dentistry situation is up there with energy prices
 
jpaul said:
As devilman said need to DIY to the max, meticulous on cleaning tooth impacted &topical application of floride type toothpaste.
my sensitivity declined until the private appointment came through 4weeks out, but, then paying nearer £70 versus nhs ~£40
( dentists have been disingenuous removing people from their books during covid. wish I'd keep records of when the dentist said you don't need to visit for a check-up for a year.)

Unless there has been a traumatic event it's not an emergency; I'd go, wait in A&E if I was in hellish pain.

in terms of unavoidable high expenses dentistry situation is up there with energy prices
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I am considering daytime A&E yeah (which usually is quiet). or emergency GP. Can see myself going this way if I get nowhere soon.
 
chrcoluk said:
I am considering daytime A&E yeah (which usually is quiet). or emergency GP. Can see myself going this way if I get nowhere soon.
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Don't know where you're based but I can highly recommend Bespoke Dental Clinic in Eccles for private emergency dental work. I had a couple of implants done there but I know they offer 24/7 emergency assistance.
 
Same thing happened to me during COVID and I got removed from my dentists that I have been at for 13 years.

The state of NHS dentistry is an absolute mess. Only about 10% of dentists in the UK are taking on new patients and I think it began back in 2003 or something where the government incentivised dentists to go private.

I now have private dental care, costs me £25 a month but 2 check ups a year, and more or less everything treatment wise is covered. I can see in a decade or so most NHS dentistry will be more or less gone.

If you can afford it I'd recommend denplan. a lot of dentists in the UK do it and have a look and see if you can get in with any local dentist.
 
My old dentist just offered me £100 for antibiotics approved over phone. Apparently this is discounted. I asked why this couldnt be done under NHS, and the excuses seemed a bit like they clutching at straws.

JDRM which 111 told me to ring, I finally got through to them and they told me 111 have been managing to send referrals through, but they dont know how they been done, so seems it is possible but the people I spoke said they couldnt do it, they got no slots today though, so I am trying 111 again.

---

111 insist they cant refer, so two different stories, got given a few other dentists to try, if a no go I will be back later after going a&e or doctors.
 
I’ve not been able to get a dentist since 2019 or so. They won’t take me no nhs dentist will.

It’s depressing, among everything else. This country is a ********.
 
Receptionist at GP says she will try and get prescription approved for me, apparently they getting these requests a lot now. I gave up on trying an emergency appointment, just getting quoted triple figure prices instead. I know I will need to deal with physical treatment later at some point, but this will deal with the abscess, I am going to do the 111 complaint as suggested.
 
It took me 3 days, 5 phone calls to 111 and a trip to A&E to get an emergency dental appointment and I had to travel 70 miles to get to dentist for that. And then it still of course costs monies. Tooth cracked night before the queens jubilee bank holiday weekend so was why such a nightmare than normal as many places that do 'emergency dental' were not open till the following Monday.
 
I mentioned my mother had been trying to pull her own wobbly tooth out in the other dentist thread, seems DIY dentistry isn't that uncommon nowadays

www.bbc.co.uk

Full extent of NHS dentistry shortage revealed by far-reaching BBC research

Nine in 10 UK dentists are not accepting new adult patients, while eight in 10 are refusing children.
www.bbc.co.uk

The lack of NHS appointments has led people to drive hundreds of miles in search of treatment, pull out their own teeth without anaesthesia, resort to making their own improvised dentures and restrict their long-term diets to little more than soup.
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What a state...
 
In my case is nothing to pull out, I had most of my teeth extracted years ago due to bad care taken when younger, and I thought all this stuff was behind me, nothing for years, but then start of this week sudden abscess, there is a little exposed jaw bone though a kind of I suppose half dry socket that previously wasnt causing any issues. So I expect proper treatment would be getting gum to grow over that.
 
jpaul said:
( dentists have been disingenuous removing people from their books during covid. wish I'd keep records of when the dentist said you don't need to visit for a check-up for a year.)
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Happened to me - didn't go in 2020 due to pandemic, removed without any warning for non-attendance... fortunately no problems at the moment but only realistic option to go private.

The current situation makes a mockery of the NHS.
 
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