"People needing emergency dental care in England are being denied help from the NHS despite guidance saying that it should be available, in some cases resorting to risky self-treatment such as pulling out their own teeth, the patient watchdog has found. Patients who experience a sudden dental crisis such as a broken tooth, abscess or severe tooth pain are meant to be able to get help from their dentist or by calling NHS 111."
"The government has committed to delivering 700,000 additional urgent appointments a year through to 2028-29. In a dental emergency people should be able to get an urgent appointment within 24 hours or seven days, depending on the symptoms. Sometimes this is through a person's regular NHS dentist, or via an urgent appointment arranged by calling 111, who may have details of practices that will see urgent cases."
Patients in England with sudden dental crises are frequently unable to access urgent NHS dental care despite guidance that it should be available. Those with broken teeth, abscesses or severe pain report inability to secure appointments, long-distance travel of more than 100 miles, high private fees, or traveling abroad to obtain treatment. Some people resort to self-treatment including extracting their own teeth or taking unprescribed antibiotics. NHS 111 call volumes for dental issues rose about 20% between July and September 2025 compared with the same period the previous year. The government has pledged 700,000 additional urgent appointments annually through 2028-29.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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