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.