How to get support with urgent dental issues
If your regular dentist is unable to see you, or you do not have a regular one and need urgent dental help, you can call the Sussex Dental Helpline on 0300 123 1663 (between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday).
The Helpline team have access to the latest information on available care from the dentists and can book patients directly into appointments.
Booking appointments directly
You can also directly contact the dentists who offer urgent dental care appointments directly during their usual operating hours.
Seven dental practices in East Sussex currently deliver this service, but you can access a dental practice in any part of Sussex. Details on all the dental practices offering urgent dental care appointments are available here.
Urgent dental appointments are available for the following conditions:
- 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.
Please note - urgent dental help does not cover routine, non-urgent treatment, such as six-monthly check-ups.
More information on accessing NHS dental services in East Sussex is available in our article here.
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