Emergency Dental Treatment

Changes to dental practices during the current COVID-19 pandemic

• Dental practices were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are currently working through the backlog of treatment that had been postponed.
• Dental practices are prioritising patients based on their clinical need and access to some routine care, including check-ups, may continue to be restricted.

If you are registered with a dentist

• If you experience an emergency or urgent dental condition on a weekday, you should contact your own dentist in the first instance, preferably in the morning.
• At weekends and bank holidays, you should contact your own dental practice, which will outline what out-of-hours arrangements they have in place and how to access an appointment at an Emergency Dental Clinic, if appropriate.

Patients having difficulties accessing a health service dentist

• Please visit the HSC Service finder to search for a dentist in Northern Ireland (in the search box add ‘dental’).
• The HSC service finder can be used to search for dental practices in your area, sorted by those closest to your address and then extending further afield.  A contact number for each dental practice is available and will hopefully help patients find a practice to register with.  Patients might have to check with a high number of dental practices and/or be prepared to travel outside of their local area, in order to find a practice that is currently registering health service patients.

Emergency Dental Clinics (EDCs)

Patients can only contact EDCs on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Tel: 028 2566 3510

Telephone lines are open from 8.00am to 12 noon

Telephone calls will be directed to a dentist for triage and if deemed clinically necessary, advice or treatment at an EDC will be provided for the following dental conditions:

• Dental swelling (spreading infection).
• Trauma to teeth arising from an external force.
• Uncontrolled bleeding following extraction.
• Severe dental pain not controlled by over the counter medications.
• Please note – as there is high demand for out-of-hours appointments patients may have to travel outside their area for treatment slots.
• Patients should not attend any site without an arranged appointment.

Not registered with a dentist and require emergency dental care

A pilot scheme is currently running to provide appointments to unregistered patients who require emergency dental treatment during the working week.  If you are not registered with a dentist, require emergency dental treatment, and have been unable to access an appointment, you should contact your local SPPG office for advice:

Patients requesting non-urgent or routine care will not be seen as part of the pilot and should follow the advice above to attempt to register with a dentist.

Fees: Normal General Dental service charges will be payable.